Kirtland hosts Industry Day for Enhanced Use Lease

  • Published
  • By Jim Fisher
  • Kirtland Public Affairs
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M --  Base leadership joined officials from the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and interested private developers for an Industry Day here Jan. 11, with a focus on the Enhanced Use Lease program.
EUL allows Air Force installations to make non-excess real property available for public- and private-sector lessees, for rental payments of cash or in-kind services. Kirtland has offered potential developers 106-plus acres along the base’s Gibson corridor. Attendees gathered at the AFRL Collaboration Center at Sunport had a chance to discuss the recently-published request for qualification, the available land and development-related issues.

Col. Eric Froehlich, 377th Air Base Wing Commander, detailed Kirtland’s mission as supporting the full spectrum of combat activity, from special operations to nuclear warfare. He told the assembled group
that EUL and the available parcel of land could be a win-win for Kirtland and the city of Albuquerque.

“One of the great opportunities for this EUL--what we look for--is mission synergy,” he said. “Potential tenants may be from the defense sector and would complement these mission sets we have at Kirtland. I really think this is a golden opportunity for the base, for the Air Force and our national security structure and our community.”

The land on Kirtland’s west side is proximate to the Air Force Research Laboratory New Mexico, whose many relationships with commercial and academic partners could make one of them a good fit for EUL. Eunsook Hwang, from AFRL’s Technology Engagement office, said her organization has had a long-term interest in EUL as an opportunity for synergy. AFRL and partner New Mexico Tech came close to executing an EUL project back in 2006.

“EUL may be a great opportunity for AFRL to increase synergy between government, academia and industry as the land is close to our location,” Hwang said.

Tom Swoyer, Infinity Development Partners, said his firm values the Kirtland parcel as an opportunity and the chance to engage with the Air Force on the potential project.
Infinity is also currently developing an unmanned aircraft facility under an EUL at the Grand Forks, N.D.

“From a a purely private sector developmental standpoint, the property that is being offered under the enhanced use lease program here is really attractive to the private sector in that it fronts the road, with a lot of access availability to it,” Swoyer said. “I believe there is demand for space for contractors, and companies that provide services to the various mission partner at Kirtland.”

For the specific solicitation on Kirtland’s EUL parcel, visit https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=e914792ed4040c00a69012313c8b729f&tab=core&_cview=1. \