Airport, WSU close $14.7m deal for land

Washington State University Board of Regents Friday unanimously approved the sale of university-owned land to the Pullman Moscow Regional Airport for $14,772,750. The sale of this property will allow the airport to continue the re-alignment of the airport runway.

The land in question currently houses the WSU’s Terre View Research Facility. The Regents also unanimously approved a motion to relocate the Research Facility.

In total, work conducted at the research facilities generated more than $90 million in research funding since 2006.

Upon successful conclusion to negotiations on land acquisition and relocation costs, the university intends to construct and relocate impacted animal research programs and support facilities to Tula Young Hastings Farm, and Tukey Orchard functions to Spillman Farm. The final settlement amount could vary by up to $300,000 depending on final inventory of special improvements.

The airport prepared an appraisal and relocation study, which determined the fair market value of land to be acquired for the runway realignment program. An offer was presented to WSU in March 2016. WSU prepared an independent appraisal and presented a counter offer to the airport. The airport and the university have since been in negotiations.

WSU provided a temporary construction easement necessary for phase one of the project and provided a use permit allowing the airport to construct a haul road on university property.