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Airport, Area Developing
New terminal work almost complete
By Dawn Cobb / Business Editor, Denton Record Chronicle

Construction of a new terminal building is nearing completion just as the Denton Municipal Airport garners attention from new developments proposed nearby.

Construction crews continue working Thursday on the 4,000-square-foot airport terminal at Denton Municipal Airport. The airport terminal is part of several ongoing projects to update the facility.

The 4,000-square-foot airport terminal is part of several ongoing projects to update the Denton facility, which recently saw the completion of a $3.8 million parallel taxiway.

The estimated $1 million terminal, which replaces a former 1,300-square-foot terminal built in 1964 and demolished last year, is a visible sign of the airport's ongoing growth.

And the area around it continues developing, as well.

Port 35 North, a major industrial complex, was recently announced for the west side of Interstate 35 at U.S. Highway 380, directly across from the Rayzor Ranch Town Center, a mixed-use development to feature retail, office and medical space, hotels and housing.

East of the airport, an international company, Aldi Inc., is looking into building a 500,000-square-foot distribution center.

"The Aldi facility, provided they go ahead and do it, would be wonderful for the airport," said Rick Woolfolk, chairman of the airport advisory board. Part of an incentive packaged approved by Denton City Council involved plans for the company to improve Westcourt Road at an estimated cost of $1.6 million.

"That will provide us a wonderful road on the east side of the airport to provide better access," Woolfolk said.

This month, Industrial Developments International of Atlanta revealed plans to create a 1,200- to 1,600-acre business and industrial park. The project, known as Port 35 North, is estimated to include about 12 million square feet of warehouse distribution centers and 2 million square feet of high-tech, commercial and retail centers.

"That is exactly the kind of development that is compatible with the airport," Woolfolk said. "It provides those businesses that come in and out of here additional flexibility to have distribution centers, retail show rooms and other kinds of things that surround D/FW Airport."

Woolfolk said the construction of Rayzor Ranch Town Center and Rayzor Ranch Marketplace just north across University Drive could double traffic at the airport.

Since June 2006, air traffic at the airport has increased from 86,000 operations, which includes takeoffs and landings, to more than 100,000 per year, airport officials said.

In the shadow of the airport's control tower, a construction crew works on the top and sides of the three-pod terminal, which will provide office space for airport officials, a lobby and a meeting room.

City officials will soon consider a proposal to build two 14,000-square-foot hangars for U.S. Aviation Group, which plans to use the additional space for aircraft storage, office space and aircraft maintenance.

The company, which purchased U.S. Flight Academy in January 2006, has grown to become an anchor at the airport, with 22 employees and a fleet of 16 flight training aircraft. The expansion of the company's maintenance operation is due to becoming a certified repair station for Mooney aircraft.

About 240 aircraft are based at the airport, including 20 or more with turbo prop and jet engines, which are larger corporate planes, said Tim Whitman, manager of the Denton airport.

Business Air also has plans to expand and is leasing property to build a 12,000-square-foot hangar on the corner of Airport Road and Masch Branch Road, Whitman said.

Late last year, Jet Works completed work on a 40,000-square-foot hangar with plans to build more soon.

The airport, Whitman said, is on a growth path.

"The size of an airport is a big indicator of economic health of a community," said Karen Dickson, vice president of economic development for the Denton Chamber of Commerce. "The airport can be a tremendous economic engine for a community and that is something I see that is happening."

The airport not only has seen growth in activity and development, but also could see more happen with the proposed foreign trade zone that officials are working on to attract more companies to Denton, she said.

"The airport has always been, in my opinion, the best hidden treasure, because there's so much potential out there," Dickson said. "I think people realize that and things are happening now that bring all that into fruition."

DAWN COBB can be reached at 940-566-6879. Her e-mail address is dcobb@dentonrc.com.