MARSHALL — New development may be coming to the east side of the Marshall airport property, in the form of private hangar construction. And on Tuesday, Marshall City Council members gave the go-ahead to store gravel on an airport lot in preparation for development.

“I think there’s a lot of excitement with it,” said city council member and airport commission representative Craig Schafer. The development would be “very positive for that part of the airport,” he said.

“The city of Marshall has actually been in discussions with this developer for about three years. In the last year, there has been more serious consideration of the placement of a hangar on one of the available airport lots,” said Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson. Hanson said the city currently has a draft development agreement with a potential developer, and was close to coming to terms on that agreement.

More than 10 years ago, the city tried to open up lots on the east side of the Marshall airport to potential development. A bridge and a circular drive connecting Madrid Street with the undeveloped side of the airport property was built in 2011.

In 2014, Action Manufacturing looked at the site for a potential expansion with easy access to the airport. However, the Federal Aviation Administration put a stop to the proposal. According to the FAA, only aviation-related development would be allowed on the property.

Hanson said the new potential developer has requested to ready the lot for development, and also wanted to know if there could be temporary storage of gravel on a lot at the airport prior to the finalization of a lease agreement.

Hanson said an airport consultant and city staff were agreeable to temporarily allowing the gravel storage. The details of the agreement would need to be worked out by the city attorney, she said.

“This is just one piece of the development, but it shows some progress and cooperation between the city and the developers,” Hanson said. Hopefully in the future, a lease agreement for the development would come back before the council, she said.

Council member Steven Meister asked if the gravel storage would be allowed by the FAA. City staff replied that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Council members voted to approve the use of an airport lot for temporary gravel storage as part of pending development.