The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority unveiled a new process Friday for accepting unsolicited proposals for real estate transactions, injecting new flexibility and marketplace insight into its efforts to develop land around Washington Dulles International Airport.

“The land around Dulles Airport is a major asset that provides a key competitive advantage as we work to improve customer service and make Dulles International an ever greater contributor to regional economic growth,” said Airports Authority CEO Jack Potter.

The unsolicited proposals would apply specifically to potential uses for all or part of a 426-acre tract between the western boundary of Dulles International Airport and Route 606 known as the Western Lands, a mostly undeveloped area purchased by the Airports Authority several years ago for potential expansion or other airport-related use.

“We think this land has great potential, and we’re looking to the development community for ideas as we work to enhance non-airline revenue in an effort to make Dulles more cost-competitive for airlines,” said Jerome L. Davis, the Airports Authority’s executive vice president and chief revenue officer.

The process outlines steps necessary to submit unsolicited proposals for use of the land and procedures the Airports Authority will follow for evaluating those proposals.

“Having an Unsolicited Proposal Procedure in place allows us to respond quickly and effectively to opportunities presented by the market,” Davis said. “It’s handled much faster than a traditional procurement. The Airports Authority will be able to respond through open competition, either by inviting additional unsolicited proposals or by initiating a more formal Solicited Proposals process for more complex transactions.

“At the same time, we are working to formulate a General Plan for how the Western Lands can best be used and developed. This plan will serve as a framework for long-term development to help us make the wisest possible decisions about this important asset.” 

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, established in 1987 by the governments of Virginia and the District of Columbia, manages and operates Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports, which together serve more than 40 million passengers a year. The Airports Authority also operates and maintains the Dulles Airport Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road and manages construction of the Silver Line project, a 23-mile extension of the Washington region’s Metrorail system into Loudoun County, Va. No tax dollars are used to operate the toll road, which is funded by toll revenues, or the airports, which are funded through aircraft landing fees, rents and revenues from concessions. The Airports Authority generates more than 387,000 jobs in the National Capital Region.