Airport Businesses Evicted to Meet FAA Regulations

The Los Angeles World Airports terminated the leases of two businesses at Van Nuys Airport to meet an order from the Federal Aviation Administration to keep property for aviation uses only. J.E.C. Enterprises and C & M; Relocation Services received a deadline of Dec. 31 to move off the property at 7743 Woodley Ave. although C & M; has asked for a 60-day extension. With a high demand for hangar and ramp space at the airport, the FAA no longer can justify business tenants such as C & M;, a household and industrial mover, which has no aviation purpose. C & M; needs to relocate to an area with 24,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet of indoor space and enough parking for 12 to 15 tractor trailer units, said its owner Courtland Weber. With a limited number of options in the San Fernando Valley it also must look to the Santa Clarita Valley, Weber said. “That’s a tough nut to pull off,” Weber said of the space requirements needed for the company he founded 10 years ago. J.E.C. Enterprises, a plane storage facility owned by James DeGuiseppi, is an aviation-related business but must leave for other reasons. With the C & M; property slated for aviation use, J.E.C. stands in the way of access to the Van Nuys runways. “They have been asked to vacate in order for a taxi lane to be created that will allow access for aviation use,” said airport spokeswoman Stacy Geere said. Attempts to reach DeGuiseppi, a retired judge, were not successful. The issue of non-aviation use of land has been an ongoing one between the FAA and LAWA. What is taking place is the result of the FAA requesting a comprehensive redevelopment plan for that area of the airport, Geere said. Aerolease West, a tenant at 7949 Woodley Ave. has come up with a plan on how it will redevelop its land so that it can remain at the airport, Geere said. “Since C & M; has no aviation use they have determined they can’t redevelop it,” Geere said. The demolition of the buildings now used by C & M; and J.E.C. is part of a larger project to demolish structures on a former Air National Guard site at the airport. After the structures are torn down, a request for proposal will go out to turn part of the site into a propeller plane center with an aviation office area, tie downs, and small hangar space, said airport manager Selena Birk. The airport will determine at a later time what to do with the area vacated by C & M; and J.E.C. The area could also be used for additional propeller plane space if a need remains once the propeller center on the west side of the airport is built out. “As long as it’s an aviation use and there is access (to the runways and taxiways) there could be other aviation-related buildings put there,” Birk said Although C & M; was not an aviation-related business, its lease started at a time when the FAA allowed such uses on an interim basis. Weber described the building as empty and vandalized when he occupied it in 1996, and later made infrastructure improvements. During his 10 years there, he estimated he paid just less than $1 million in rent and $35,000 in property taxes, Weber said. “Before that LAWA wasn’t collecting anything,” Weber said. While Weber said he was not shocked about having to move his business, he was disappointed for DeGuiseppi. “I have a cadre of people within my operation who are helping me to come to grips with relocating and I have people on the outside working on finding me property,” Weber said. “The judge he’s got some serious things happening there.” Weber’s search for a new location has not been easy. One owner with a building and enough parking wanted to sell his property but Weber prefers to lease. Another property got snatched up just as Weber was about to make an offer.