Northern Hills Homeowner's Association

Avoiding the Ramada Triangle

Nov 02, 2000

As airport grows, this decor must go
11/02/00
BY AL FRANK
STAFF WRITER

From the ground, they're three simple peaks poking 14 feet into the air from the roof -- little more than a way to make the Ramada Inn stand out from the park-and- ride lots that line the highway in front of Newark International
Airport.

To the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, though, the three pediments are an invasion of its space -- its airspace, that is.

Now, after 18 months of haggling, the bistate agency has taken the unprecedented step of condemning the 40 feet above the roofline of the
hotel, which is just across Routes 1 and 9 from the airport's east-west runway.

The story, though, doesn't end there, because the owner of the 350-room hotel, Richard Born, argues that the condemnation will ruin his business --
not because the peaks are that important by themselves but because their removal will allow bigger, noisier planes to fly over his property. If that happens, he believes, he would be entitled to "tens of millions of dollars," substantially more than the $48,000 the Port Authority once offered.

"I just know on one or two tests my building shook and the alarms of cars parked in the lot went off," said Born, who bought the former Howard
Johnson's in 1997. "That clearly doesn't look to me like I'm going to have a useful piece of property there."

While the amount the Port Authority pays may wind up being determined in court, the issue does point to the inherent conflict between the needs of airports and the rights of their neighbors.

Noise complaints are one issue the Federal Aviation Administration hopes to address as it remaps air routes in and out of New Jersey and New York. But activists already fear the plan is just an excuse to get more flights in and out of Newark, Kennedy and LaGuardia.

Similar fears are growing in Morris, Hunterdon, Bergen and Mercer counties as Morristown, Solberg, Teterboro and Trenton- Mercer airports attract more corporate aircraft. In Mercer's case, the airport also is eyed from time to
time by larger operators such as Eastwind or Southwest Airlines.

Opponents say more air traffic overhead would disrupt their neighborhoods and depress their property values.

The sea of hotels, rental car areas and factories near the Newark-Elizabeth border is a long way from those residential neighborhoods of Mercer Country, but the issues are the same.

Newark Airport wants to use the nearly 7,000-foot east-west runway to ease the congestion that plagues travelers in and out of the area. Newark is usually ranked worst in the nation for flight delays, and for years, it has been the region's busiest airport . Last year, it handled 461,000 flights to Kennedy's 345,000 and LaGuardia's 371,000.

The Port Authority says it wants the runway available for smaller planes such as regional airlines' turboprops and jets that have fewer than 70 seats. That would alleviate congestion on the two longer runways that parallel the New
Jersey Turnpike and handle the bulk of the traffic, the Port Authority says.

When wind conditions make it necessary, however, the east-west runway would be used for larger planes, too.

"Being able to use this runway in conjunction with the two north- south runways, you can increase the throughput of the airport," said Deputy Executive Director Ronald Shiftan.

The only thing in the way is the trio of peaks rising from Born's Ramada Inn.

With the end of Runway 29 just 1,228 feet away from the three pediments, aircraft are forced to shed loads so they can meet FAA clearance
regulations.

For a McDonnell-Douglas MD- 80, that means dropping 3,400 pounds; for a Boeing 757, that means 6,500 pounds. Planes that carry 140 to 180 passengers would have to keep 15 to 30 seats empty.

The noise from the bigger jets will mean fewer guests at his hotel, Born says -- and it's not as if he didn't ask the FAA before he made the additions.

Overriding objections by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the Air Transport Association and the Port Authority, the FAA gave its approval to the additions in 1998, saying they would pose no hazard to air navigation.

The groups asked the FAA to reconsider but, with the case still in abeyance, the Port Authority board voted in September to condemn the airspace. The FAA declined to comment.

John Curley, the Hoboken attorney who represents Born, said of the Port Authority: "They can take the property interest now and pay for it later.
They'll be talking to us about it and we'll have to comply. They're very powerful."

Before that happens, however, the Port Authority will have to make an appraisal, and so will the hotel. The process could take a year and could
culminate in a hearing if the two sides can't agree.

"I in no way want to stand in the way of Newark Airport being the best and most efficient and most active airport in the world," Born said. "My issue is I don't want to have to pay for it out of my pocket."

Al Frank covers the Port Authority. He may be reached at afrank@starledger.com or (973) 877-5808.