Hillsboro residents fighting a proposed private jet hangar campus at Hillsboro Airport will get to present new evidence when the City Council hears their appeal on August 18.

They won't get free access to the public records they say they need to build their case.

At the July 7 council meeting, City Manager Robby Hammond and Economic & Community Development Director Dan Dias recommended a de novo hearing format for two concurrent appeals of the Sky Harbour project, valued at $38 million to $45 million according to the Hillsboro Herald and Hillsboro News-Times, respectively.

That format lets appellants introduce new arguments and evidence beyond what was presented to the Planning Commission, which approved the project 5-0 with one abstention on Wednesday, May 27.

The alternative, an on-the-record hearing, would have limited the council to reviewing only the existing file. Staff said de novo hearings are easier to administer.

The recommendation overrides what one group of appellants actually requested. Appeal-001-26, led by Miki Barnes of Oregon Aviation Watch and eight co-appellants, had specifically asked for an on-the-record hearing. Appeal-002-26, led by Sarah Richmond and joined by Brett Hamilton and Valerie Pratt, requested de novo. Staff recommended de novo for both.

Records fees draw pushback

Councilors Olivia Alcaire and Kipperlyn Sinclair pushed for no-cost release of public records to residents opposing the project. The council majority rejected a blanket fee waiver.

City Attorney Chad Jacobs explained that broad search terms in records requests trigger thousands of emails requiring multi-layered staff and legal reviews, driving cost estimates into the thousands of dollars for a single request.

Councilors Sinclair, Harris, and Case asked staff to work directly with the Barnes Group to narrow the search scope and lower costs, then bring a refined estimate back before the August 18 hearing.

"We've seen a big influx of wealthy people going out and buying private jets … choosing to travel by the most lavish, polluting means on the planet," Barnes told the Hillsboro News-Times. "It's extremely inequitable … and environmentally irresponsible."

What's at stake

Sky Harbour proposes a 13.7-acre development on an undeveloped parcel at the airport's eastern edge, bordered by Airport Road and Brookwood Parkway. The project calls for hangars, a shared aircraft ramp, fueling stations, and vehicle parking on land leased from the Port of Portland under a 35-year contract approved Wednesday, April 9, 2025.

The applicant estimates approximately 30 aircraft and an average of 1.2 round-trip flights per week sitewide.

The Planning Commission's 5-0 approval found the project met city code requirements. Fourteen people spoke in opposition at that hearing, and 150 pieces of written testimony were submitted.

The hangar count remains in dispute: the Hillsboro News-Times reported five new hangars in its Friday, July 3 coverage, while Oregon Aviation Watch and the Hillsboro Herald cite seven.

Oregon Aviation Watch has retained a land-use attorney for the August 18 hearing and, according to the group's website in early July, needed to raise an additional $7,000 in legal expenses beyond the $3,177.50 filing fee.

If the council does not overturn the Planning Commission's approval, Barnes said the next step would be an appeal to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.

What happens next

The City Council hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18 at the Hillsboro Civic Center Auditorium, 150 E. Main St. The public can attend in person or virtually.