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Sussex Airport owner urges county action over zoning, says noncompliance cost FAA grants and raised safety concerns
Summary
The owner and manager of Sussex Airport told commissioners the airport faces safety and grant-eligibility problems tied to noncompliant adjacent property use; county officials said enforcement of municipal zoning is outside county jurisdiction.
Sussex Airport's owner and manager used the county public-comment period on April 23 to press county commissioners for help enforcing municipal zoning and to describe what they said are safety risks and lost federal grant opportunities tied to a neighboring parcel.
Alan Attecki, identified as the airport owner, told the board the adjacent lot was sold in the late 1990s to a man named William Gennaro with an agreement that the parcel would be used for hangars and airport-support facilities. "He has never, from my observation, been in compliance with the actual use which he has with the zoning which is to have only aircraft in the hangars," Attecki said, asserting that noncompliant uses have included storage, drag-racing on the runway and trespassing. Attecki said the airport has missed out on more than $5,000,000 in Federal Aviation Administration program grants during the past decade while they have owned the airport.
Attecki described specific safety incidents, including people driving down the runway during events and snowmobilers crossing the field in winter, and said vandalism has damaged visual approach equipment used for nighttime landings.
John Massari, manager of Sussex Airport, said a 2016 state study showed the airport generated $17.2 million in local economic activity and that the airport supports seasonal employment (about 45 jobs related to skydiving operations) and contributes customers to local restaurants and businesses.
Commissioners and staff told the speakers that enforcement of municipal zoning is the responsibility of the township (Wantage) and that the county generally lacks direct authority to compel municipal enforcement action. Director Chris Carney said county officials could make inquiries, but multiple speakers and the board emphasized the county's limited jurisdiction.
Ending: Owners urged municipal enforcement and legal remedies; the county did not commit to direct enforcement. The airport's claims about grant losses and safety incidents were presented during public comment and not the subject of county action at the meeting.
