Air University & Maxwell AFB News

Construction begins on new aerospace building at Hill AFB

Utah, Lockheed Martin, Hill Air Force Base and other officials participate in a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 2 at the base. The new, 75,000-square-foot office building is expected to be completed in late summer 2017, and will be leased by defense contractor Lockheed Martin and other tenants. The new building is part of the ongoing Enhanced Use Lease Program at Hill AFB, one of the largest projects of its kind in the Department of Defense. (U.S. Air Force photo/Todd Cromar)

Construction begins on new aerospace building at Hill AFB

Utah Governor Gary Herbert speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony Dec. 2 at Hill Air Force Base. The governor highlighted Hill’s crucial role in modernizing national defense. The base hosts the Air Force’s first operational F-35 wing and is home to maintenance on several aircraft, including the Air Force’s fifth generation fighters – the F-22 and the F-35. The base is also home to the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate, which will oversee the multi-billion-dollar Minuteman III missile replacement program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Todd Cromar)

Construction begins on new aerospace building at Hill AFB

Published Dec. 2, 2016
By Micah Garbarino
75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Developers at Hill Air Force Base are breaking ground on another new construction project this week -- creating more space for new jobs at the base.

Air Force and state officials, including Gov. Gary Herbert, gathered Dec. 2 to mark the progress at Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park.

“A project like Falcon Hill is no small feat. It takes commitment and dedication and support from the state of Utah and our surrounding communities,” said Col. Jennifer Hammerstedt, 75th Air Base Wing commander. “Seeing new buildings going up and old buildings coming down provides our workforce a real sense of hope in the future of Hill Air Force Base.”

The new, 75,000-square-foot office building is expected to be completed in late summer 2017, and will be leased by defense contractor Lockheed Martin and other tenants.

“The Falcon Hill project is a leading example of unprecedented partnerships making a difference in Utah communities,” said Gov. Gary R. Herbert. “We welcome Lockheed Martin’s expansion at Falcon Hill and the potential it will bring to attract additional high-paying jobs to our state.”

The governor highlighted Hill’s crucial role in modernizing national defense. The base hosts the Air Force’s first operational F-35 wing and is home to maintenance on several aircraft, including the Air Force’s fifth generation fighters – the F-22 and the F-35. The base is also home to the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate, which will oversee the multi-billion-dollar Minuteman III missile replacement program.

In addition to national defense, Hill contributes greatly to Utah’s economy, providing a $3.3 billion impact annually.

“The future of Utah’s economy and the future of Hill Air Force Base is very bright,” Herbert said.

The new building is part of the ongoing Enhanced Use Lease Program at Hill AFB, one of the largest projects of its kind in the Department of Defense.

“We’re continuing to see the benefits of this program at Hill,” said David Williamsen, chief of the EUL Program Office here. “The benefit to the Air Force is affordable infrastructure and the synergy created by having contractors being able to work on the Air Force mission behind the fence.”

Falcon Hill is the first EUL program of its kind to be entirely market driven, Williamsen said. The program allows the Air Force to lease land to a developer to create and lease commercial space.

This is the sixth major construction project completed by Sunset Ridge Development Partners as part of the EUL project. The most recently completed office building, now occupied by Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate, opened in December 2014. A retail facility, housing Starbucks Coffee, opened in 2015.

Throughout the life of the program, more than 100 potential projects both inside and immediately outside Hill AFB gates may be completed. In the coming months, the developer plans to begin construction on a new, 74,000-square-foot software building on base, and a site for the Utah Science Technology and Research initiative right outside the gate.