Kearny Real Estate

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Hawthorne Airport

Hawthorne Airport is an excellent example of Kearny's versatility, creativity and focus on community relationships. Kearny, along with partners, entered into a 45-year ground lease with the City of Hawthorne for the non-runway portions of the Airport. The City's elected officials approached Kearny about the airport due to the relationship developed from the Los Angeles Air Force Base. "As a major anchor for the east side of Los Angeles, Jack Northrop Field desperately needed to be revitalized. It was basically a piece of land that was an eyesore and the city didn't have the funds to improve or market it. There has been a spin-off to everything that has happened here in the past several years and everyone has benefited." - Mayor Larry Guidi The agreement, which went into effect January 2005, allows Kearny to make the necessary capital improvements. Under the public/private structure, Kearny pays a base rent and profit participation to the City for the existing buildings and non-runway land. The City continues to own and operate the runway. The 80-acre property is located near the intersection of the 405 and 105 freeways, is three miles from LAX, and ten miles from downtown Los Angeles. The Airport had experienced a steady decline in activity and very little capital improvements had been made in the last three decades. Kearny is proud of the significant face lift that has been made to one of Hawthorne’s front doors. "A big key to the economic revitalization of Hawthorne's east side has been the community's renewed faith in what Kearny is doing to Jack Northrop Field." - Mayor Larry Guidi Kearny has completed the entitlement process, including an EIR, an Airport Layout and Masterplan, for the development of up to 190,000sf of much needed additional hangars at the Airport. The first phase of development, encompassing nine hangars, was completed 4Q2008. To date, many improvements and renovations have already completed at the airport including a $6 million runway strengthening project and a $1.5mm renovation of the Million Air terminal building. Consistent with its investment philosophy of controlling as many variables of a project as possible, Kearny and partners also acquired the existing Fixed Base Operations in November 2004 and have integrated it into the Million Air chain of FBO's. They also purchased from a family trust the leasehold interest in a 12,000 sf office building leased to the FAA to consolidate 100% ownership of all the non-runway properties at the airport. Under a separate partnership, Kearny purchased the 86-acre adjacent property, now renamed Century Business Center. Some of the buildings have been converted to aviation related uses. Airport Contact Million Air - Los Angeles Hoonie Kang 310.203.1847 hkang@kearny.com