Prospect Heights mayor praises Sky Harbor project, calls permitting process onerous

The mayor of Prospect Heights used remarks at Saturday’s groundbreaking to thank Sky Harbor for seeing the project through a complex permitting and coordination process that involved state and federal agencies, two municipalities and the airport board.

He said the approvals and technical work required "too much" coordination while nevertheless praising Sky Harbor’s persistence and calling the hangar a significant local project. "Something has to be done about that," the mayor said of the permitting burden, adding that he and Sky Harbor staff "met a lot" to get this to fruition.

The mayor framed the development as among the largest projects he has seen in his 25 years of civic involvement and said the airport and communities will benefit from the investment. He did not provide an exact date for construction completion but joined other speakers in anticipating a return for a ribbon‑cutting in roughly a year.

The remarks at the ceremony emphasized intergovernmental coordination rather than new municipal votes or financing commitments; officials said more work on public infrastructure such as water and sewer will be needed to support the campus.