After years of talk but no action, expansion work is in full swing at Villeneuve Airport.
Edmonton Airports plans to service 21 new lots by the end of September in a new subdivision that's under development. Strong interest is already coming from private plane owners and aviation-related businesses, said Myron Keehn, director of commercial development for Edmonton Airports.
The lots are available for long-term leases of at least 25 years and 11 of them are already closed or pending.
"There's always been a large level of interest at Villeneuve," Keehn said. "Frankly, I don't know that everyone understood that we were actually going to develop it."
The new subdivision is a $3-million project that includes new underground water pipes and pumps to improve a tired system.
Bill Bissonnette of Cardinal Aviation Centre said talk of expansion has been in the air throughout his 15 years in business at the airport.
"I get calls all the time looking for hangar space to park airplanes," he said, "so that's a necessity and the airport authority is addressing that."
Abe Silverman's used parts business was displaced by the expansion but now that he's moved to a new spot he's glad to see the airport poised for growth, both as a business owner and as a member of the Sturgeon County Economic Development Authority.
"I think Villeneuve Airport is going to become a major driving force for economic development in the County of Sturgeon," Silverman said.
City Centre
Villeneuve has long been viewed as the main potential benefactor from a closure of Edmonton's City Centre Airport, where one runway was shut down in early August.
The airport authority was already planning the Villeneuve expansion before Edmonton city council voted last year to phase out City Centre. Keehn said interest in property at Villeneuve really took off once dirt started moving earlier this summer but he doesn't discount the long-term impact that could come if City Centre does eventually shut down entirely.
"You could surmise that there would be increased interest, sure," Keehn said.
Silverman thinks the airport authority is positioning Villeneuve for the eventual closure of City Centre.
"Edmonton Airports is doing the right thing. They're looking forward and they're seeing that there's going to be demand for hangars out here," Silverman said.
"I've been out here for over 30 years and the only thing that's stopped the growth of Villeneuve is the City Centre Airport," he said.
A pro-airport group called Envision Edmonton has gathered signatures in an attempt to force a plebiscite on the issue so the future of City Centre remains a question mark.
Sturgeon County Mayor Don Rigney is another who expects Villeneuve to benefit should the closure happen. He's glad to see expansion work finally happening.
"We encourage investment in business in Sturgeon County and we think [the airport's] going to play a significant role going forward," Rigney said.
Even with the upgrades to its water system, the airport still depends on trucked water, so future development depends on the county forming an area structure plan that includes water and sewer services. Two recent proposals failed to gain council acceptance but the county's administration is currently working on another proposal.
"We have to figure out how to service the area," Rigney said.
