By Stephen Appezzato
WALL – In 2013, Alan Antaki fulfilled his lifelong dream of operating an airport. Now, the second owner of the near-century-old establishment is concerned county officials are interested in taking his land through condemnation action.
The Monmouth Executive Airport, formerly Allaire Airport, was built in 1938 by self-taught aviation enthusiast and Navy pilot Ed Brown. Over the decades, the property offered private plane chartering, skydiving, air taxis, a fly-in movie theater and other services to executives and celebrities, including The Boss himself, who regularly flew in and out of the airport and even rehearsed in one of its hangars with the E-Street Band.
Following Brown’s death in 2006, a consortium known as Wall Herald Corporation purchased the 850-acre property from his estate, renovating and revamping the airport to become a modern jetport open for public use. Antaki, an investor, said the business had finally turned a corner – increasing business and reducing debt – when suddenly, last year, the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners began exploring the idea of acquiring the airport through condemnation.
Last November, the commissioners passed a resolution that greenlit preliminary assessments of the property. Within the resolution, the county noted it wishes to explore “possible alternatives to preserve the airport.” Shortly after the resolution, Antaki received a letter informing him county officials would enter the airport to perform an early evaluation.
“They say they want to protect the airport, but the airport doesn’t need protection,” Antaki said. “I have no intention of selling the airport or developing it.”
In the past, Wall Township officials interested in developing 30 acres of the property for a hotel and commercial center approached the consortium. “I refused,” Antaki said.
Six months after the initial resolution, this May, an envoy of county officials toured the Monmouth Executive Airport.
“It was a PR trip,” said Antaki, who recalled voicing his concerns to the group, which included Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone, county Sheriff Shaun Golden, consultants and other county employees.
Antaki said at the time he told them, “It’s me and my family that own the airport. And you’re devastating me and my family about this.”
But his concerns fell on deaf ears. A day after the trip, the board of county commissioners passed two resolutions requesting professional qualifications for appraisal services and a feasibility analysis for the airport.
In a prepared statement, Arnone told The Two River Times the county regularly evaluates properties that are important “to preserve and protect.”
Arnone said county officials met with Antaki earlier in the year to express interest in the transaction and confirmed a site inspection was done in May.
“We were surprised by what we saw. The runway and supporting structures have been neglected, deterring many who would otherwise choose to fly into Monmouth County,” he said.
“While still early on in this process, we are continuing our thorough review of the airport to determine if it is in the best interest of the County and the future of the airport for Monmouth County to acquire the property,” the statement concluded.
In the 2024 State of the County address, Arnone mentioned the matter, saying the commissioners have been eyeing the airport for years. At the time, he described it as a “pet peeve” that other counties in New Jersey have airports but Monmouth does not. Currently, there are 41airports open to the public in New Jersey. Eighteen are owned by public entities ranging from townships to state agencies and four are county-owned, by Essex, Ocean, Cape May and Camden counties.
“It’s kind of amazing, somebody as wealthy as our county, as influential as our county is to the other counties, that we don’t have one,” Arnone said in the county address. “I just think that the county could run that airport with the right management there, that would be more viable for the residents here in Monmouth County.”
Under state law, condemnation action cannot occur unless the condemner is unable to acquire the land through bona fide negotiations. According to Antaki and his lawyers, these negotiations have yet to occur.
“We have repeatedly asked for a meeting,” he said. “We have received no response.”
Antaki said he has asked for more information from the county but feels that in “face-to-face discussions” with him, the implication is “they’re going to take it, whether or not I like it.”
While early in the condemnation process, Antaki said the burden on taxpayers would be enormous if the property is acquired through eminent domain. He estimates tens of thousands of dollars have already been spent on professionals and special legal counsel to advise county officials on the matter, and far more tax dollars would be spent fighting a legal battle.
These figures could not be confirmed; the county did not respond by press time to a request for information on the amount of money spent on services related to the airport.
“Eventually, if they take the airport, the county taxpayers will be on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars to buy and service the debt on the airport,” Antaki said, which doesn’t include the cost of staffing and operating the facility.
According to Antaki’s eminent domain attorney, Anthony Della Pelle, the airport would be valued based on its highest and most valuable use. If the property was taken through eminent domain, the consortium must be paid “just compensation” based on this figure.
“It will be an enormous tax burden,” Antaki said.
The airport also pays close to $900,000 in property tax yearly to Wall Township.
It is unknown at this time if the county would reimburse Wall Township for this income if the land is acquired. However, during the State of the County address, Arnone said the township would not lose this revenue.
In an email, Wall Township Mayor Kevin Orender confirmed this, saying the county notified them they would continue to receive tax revenue from the airport.
Lawrence Shapiro, an attorney and shareholder with Ansell Grimm & Aaron, PC, who practices eminent domain law, explained that “acquiring property by eminent domain doesn’t impact the tax on a property, per se.”
“As with any property, the assessment pursuant to which the property is taxed depends upon the use to which the acquired property is put,” he said.
Antaki said the condemnation moves are “the most appalling thing (to him) as an American.”
“The Republican party is supposed to be the party of smaller government, respect for property rights and free enterprise. And you’re doing the exact opposite,” he said.
The Monmouth Executive Airport is a public-use airport with a longer runway than LaGuardia Airport. Residents already have access to the facility and its services, which is uncommon among privately-owned ports.
A brief visit to the site this week showed a small, bustling facility with private jets flying in and out and a modest, upscale business office and reception area.
Antaki said anyone can use the airport to fly to various destinations; often clients fly to Florida and other popular vacation spots or use the facility for work trips. The airport also accommodates helicopter flights, flight lessons and aircraft storage.
“Why would the county taxpayers want to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to end up with the same airport, lose $900,000 in annual property tax revenue and have to pay millions more every year to operate the airport?” Antaki said.
The article originally appeared in the June 20 – June 26, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
