Cranfill Sumner attorney R. Robert El-Jaouhari recently submitted a public comment to Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, the governing body of RDU International Airport, on behalf of his client the Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC), to help explain the scope of FAA authority regarding future leasing options for Lake Crabtree County Park. The issue, and Robert’s insights, were featured on local CBS affiliate CBS 17.
Wake County currently leases land from RDU for $1 per year to use as Lake Crabtree County Park. However, potential FAA authority to require fair market value in all leases has been raised as requiring greater returns for the RDU land where the park currently lies. Robert sent a public comment to the airport authority proposing that under federal statutes governing the FAA, and recent opinions from the Supreme Court of the United States, opportunities existed for stakeholders and interested parties to collaborate to allow Lake Crabtree County Park to continue for public recreational use. TORC aims to protect the park, and the off-road bike trails built and maintained by TORC over many years, from being lost to development.
Robert is a Partner in the Raleigh office of Cranfill Sumner LLP, and is vice-chair of the firm’s Administrative, Regulatory, and Government Law Practice Group.
