The Lawrence Municipal Airport (LWC) Master Plan Study is being undertaken to evaluate the airport’s capabilities and role, to forecast future aviation demand, and to plan for the timely development of new or expanded facilities that may be required to meet that demand. The ultimate goal of the master plan is to provide systematic guidelines for the airport’s overall maintenance, development, and operation.
The master plan is intended to be a proactive document, which identifies and then plans for future facility needs well in advance of the actual need for the facilities. This is done to ensure that the City of Lawrence can coordinate project approvals, design, financing, and construction to avoid experiencing detrimental effects due to inadequate facilities.
The City of Lawrence has contracted with Coffman Associates, Inc., a national airport consulting firm specializing in airport planning studies. The study process is anticipated to take approximately 12 months to complete, followed by agency reviews and approvals. The structure of the master plan follows Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines, and the FAA will consider and approve the aviation forecasts and the airport layout plan (technical drawings of the current and planned airport layout).
Draft chapters of the master plan will be presented to and reviewed by a planning advisory committee (PAC) that is comprised of various airport stakeholders, including representatives from the City of Lawrence, Kansas Department of Transportation – Division of Aviation, FAA, airport businesses, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Kansas. At the draft final stage of the study, a public information workshop will be held to encourage citizens to learn more about the future plans for the airport.
