Next Steps

A Measured Path Forward

The Browning Hangar's future does not require a dramatic decision. It requires a series of deliberate, low-risk steps — each one building on the last, each one reversible, none of them committing the City to an outcome before the right information is in hand.

What follows is a practical sequence, not a demand.

Step 1: Staff Engagement

The most important near-term move is straightforward: a conversation with the City staff responsible for MDA closeout and Hangar disposition. That conversation would focus on three questions — What is the current administrative timeline for resolving the Hangar's status? Have the 2024 PIAC recommendations been formally received and assigned for follow-up? And what process would the City use to evaluate a stewardship or conservancy arrangement?

A Council member with interest in the outcome can request this briefing without triggering a formal vote or policy commitment. It is a routine step in any active administrative process.

Step 2: Community Outreach and Input

Parallel to staff engagement, a broader community conversation can begin — not to mobilize pressure, but to document the range of people and groups who use the Hangar and gather their perspective on what long-term stewardship should look like.

This input would inform priorities, demonstrate the breadth of public interest, and provide City staff and Council with a clearer picture of what the community actually values about the space.

Step 3: Framework Development

If staff engagement and community input indicate that a conservancy or stewardship arrangement is worth pursuing, the next step is developing a framework — defining the conservancy's scope, structure, and relationship to the City before any formal agreement is proposed.

This work can happen collaboratively, between community members, City staff, and relevant stakeholders. It does not require a predetermined outcome. It simply produces a shared understanding of what an arrangement might look like and whether it is feasible.

Step 4: Formal Process

If a framework is developed and there is City interest in moving forward, the appropriate formal process — Council action, agreement development, or MDA amendment — can begin through standard channels.

The details of that process would be determined by City staff and Council, consistent with existing legal and administrative frameworks. Community members would participate through normal public engagement channels.

The Window Is Defined

The Mueller Development Agreement expires December 31, 2027. For a stewardship arrangement to be in place at that transition, formal steps need to begin no later than mid-2026 — which is now.

The groundwork does not require certainty about outcomes. It requires willingness to engage with an active process before the window closes.

Get In Touch

If you have questions, context to share, or interest in the Browning Hangar's future as a public space, we welcome the conversation.

Contact: context@browninghangar.org