Mayor Mike Duggan's administration is seeking proposals from real estate developers about how the 264-acre Coleman A. Young International Airport could be used for nonaviation purposes amid continued operating losses and limited use.

The City of Detroit's Office of Contracting and Procurement issued a request for proposals Thursday seeking plans from development firms and and land use consultants that would create the most "economic impact and job creation in either aviation or no-aviation capacity."

Detroit's RFP seeks proposals for redeveloping the airport land for an industrial or mobility park, which could effectively end private and corporate aviation at the east side airport that has just 66 full-time workers.

City officials also want proposals about what it would cost to increase aviation use of the airport, which hasn't had commercial passenger airline service since 2000 when Pro Air discontinued service.

"We haven't done a study of the airport of this nature in a very long time — and a lot has changed in the city," said Jed Howbert, executive director of the mayor's jobs and economy team. "We need someone to look at the facts, walk us through the options and help us come up with a set of proposed recommendations."

Any attempt by the Duggan administration to shut down the airport would have to be approved by City Council, whose members have passed resolutions in recent years calling for more investment in the facility to lure more private and commercial planes to land in Detroit.

"I believe that this is a viable asset that needs to be invested in and it could be a huge revenue generator, a job creator in the city of Detroit," said Councilman Scott Benson, whose 3rd District includes the airport along Conner Street. "I do not support shutting the airport down."

Redevelopment of their airport land for industrial uses could be linked with the nearby I-94 Industrial Park, where Urbana, Ill.-based supplier Flex-N-Gate Corp. is building a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on 30 acres of land the company purchased from the city.

"Industrial users like being near other industrial users, so there may be some rationale for that," Howbert said. "But we need the consultant to go through that in detail."

Coleman A. Young International Airport, which was formerly called Detroit City Airport, has two runways that are 5,090 feet and 4,025 feet long.

The Duggan administration's new openness to redeveloping the airport comes as the facility continues to mount losses that city taxpayers ultimately shoulder.

The airport is expected to generate $819,824 in revenue this year, but cost $2,124,195 to operate — a $1.3 million operating loss. It posted operating losses of $736,751 in the 2016 fiscal year and $396,132 in 2015. For the 2018 fiscal year, the airport's operating loss is estimated to be $885,000.

There are fewer than eight departures at Coleman A. Young International Airport on an average daily basis. The airport directed the takeoff of 2,085 flights in 2016, according to the city's RFP.

Federal Aviation Administration regulations have prevented the city from simply closing the airport or ceasing taxpayer support without alternative financial support.

"Other communities around the country have chosen to shut down airports and have found ways to navigate that," Howbert said. "We want the consultant to help us understand that to inform the decision."

On the capital expense, the cost to city taxpayers for continued maintenance of the airport escalates.

"Airport management has requested $29,658,620 in capital expenditure funding for FY18," according to the city's RFP.

Ann Arbor-based Avflight Corp. has a contract with the city through June 30, 2019, to provide aeronautical services, manage the main terminal building and provide day-to-day maintenance of the airport, its parking lots and aircraft taxi areas.

The city's Office of Contracting and Procurement has set a June 8 deadline for firms to submit proposals for future use of the airport.