CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJ — Cape May County has asked the Delaware River & Bay Authority to submit a formal Change of Land Request to the Federal Aviation Administration to allow rental housing on 18 acres of the nearly 1,000-acre Cape May County Airport property.
According to the county, the proposal would use 1.8 percent of the airport site for permanently leased townhomes reserved for U.S. Coast Guard personnel, other military members supporting airport operations, airport maintenance workers, police, fire and EMS personnel, and other essential personnel tied to national security, disaster response and emergency operations.
“Cape May County is proud to be the home of Coast Guard’s training center,” said Director Leonard C. Desiderio. “This is an innovative plan the County has been actively developing and working towards for the better part of a year in anticipation of the Coast Guard’s expanding mission and growing needs for proximate workforce housing.”
The county tied the housing request to recent and expected growth at U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. According to the county, TRACEN Cape May is the sole enlisted accession point for the Coast Guard and the birthplace of the enlisted corps. The county also said the Trump Administration’s Force Design 2028 plan calls for a substantial increase in enlisted USCG members by 2028.
The announcement also points to what the county described as a pressing housing shortage. Cape May was designated a Critical Housing Area by the Coast Guard in June 2025, according to the county. The county said military personnel and essential workers now face long commutes without on-site workforce housing, which can affect rapid response during national security incidents, natural disasters, civil unrest or other crises.
“This is a positive, forward-looking solution that benefits all the federal, state and local entities invested in our national security,” Desiderio said. “This initiative creates affordable housing opportunities for enlisted Coast Guard, our military partners, first responders (including police, fire, medical and EMS personnel) and airport operations.”
The county said it is working to secure support from Congressman Jeff Van Drew, Senator Michael Testa, Assemblymen Antwan McClellan and Erik Simonsen, and the mayors of all 16 county municipalities. The Board of Commissioners also urged the Delaware River & Bay Authority, which the county identified as the airport sponsor, to advance the request to the FAA and work to secure approval.
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