The demand for hangar space at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport has always been there, but airport officials say it has grown the past few years as plane owners look to make the airport in Hayden their home base.

“The volume of calls I’ve been getting from people interested in either leasing or buying a hangar has definitely increased,” said Kevin Booth, manager of the Yampa Valley Regional Airport. “But that demand has gone up significantly in the last couple of years, and sadly I have nothing to offer.”

Last month Aviation Group and Wiens Real Estate Ventures broke ground on a $15 million hangar development at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport that they say will help meet that demand.

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In a news release, the developers said that private jet operations in Hayden have grown more than 75% in the last five years, and no new hangars have been added to the Yampa Valley Regional Airport since 2006.

This hangar project as been in the planning, design and permitting phase since 2022, and developers are hoping to complete the project in fall 2025.

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“We are thrilled to be underway with the Yampa Valley executive hangar project. It is a much needed and anticipated amenity to the airport and community,” said Iver Retrum, CEO and partner of the Business Aviation Group. “We especially appreciate all the support from the Yampa Valley Regional Airport administration and our development partner, Wiens Real Estate Ventures, that helped bring these hangars to fruition.”

The 57,680-square-foot hangar campus will be at the Yampa Valley Regional Airport 24 miles west of Steamboat Springs.

“It’s really about 60,000 square feet of hangar space,” said Booth. “There will be one large open bay hangar that’s going to be able to accommodate really large private jet aircraft and then three kind of medium-sized hangars that could store multiple smaller jet aircraft or turbo prop planes, and there are four more hangars like we have today.”

He said the hangars will appeal to pilots who want to fly into the Hayden airport and those who want to keep their planes there overnight protected from the elements. Booth said the airport currently has less than 10 plans that are based out of the Yampa Valley Regional Airport at least half the year, but he sees that changing once these hangars are completed.

“I think we’ll see a lot of pilots that will base their planes here at least part of the year,” Booth said. “It may be second homeowners or it could be someone that is thinking about buying a second home and they own an aircraft. … We will now have hangars available here, and I think they’re going to get snapped up pretty quick.”

The new hangars could also provide a boost for other businesses at the airport, including nearby airport auto garages that could appeal to plane owners. The new hangars could also provide a space for a full-time airframe- and power plant-certified mechanic.

“That is a business that would be very helpful for the airport and could draw more aircraft in, if owners knew they could get their airplane worked on here,” Booth said of having a mechanic. “That kind of business would definitely have impact on the airport.”

The developers said the hangars will serve the northern Colorado region, the Yampa Valley and possibly the proposed luxury development with a private ski area and golf course in the Stagecoach area.

The news release stated that Business Aviation Group is serving as the lead developer for the project after winning a request for proposals to develop the hangars. Wiens Real Estate Ventures is the co-developer and capital partner. Tally Ho Construction is the general contractor, and all three entities are reportedly working with the Yampa Valley Regional Airport to ensure a smooth construction process.

Booth said the Yampa Valley Regional Airport put out the request for proposals in 2022. The airport got two offers, and a committee decided to go with this group.

Booth said the ground lease agreements had to be worked out and the developers needed to design the project and order the materials to complete construction, and that took time.

Since breaking ground in late August, the project is moving along, and Booth said crews are hoping to have the steel up before the snow flies and then work inside this winter.

“Right now we only have nine or 10 aircraft that actually call the Yampa Valley Regional Airport home,” Booth said. “I think this is going to greatly increase, and we could have double or maybe triple the number of aircraft that are based here.”