Exclusive: Helipad built in residential neighborhood on property once owned by South Blooming Grove mayor
Town of Monroe Supervisor Tony Cardone tells News 12 he has been aware of activity at the site for more than a year. He says Monroe has no authority over the helipad.
More Stories
A Monroe man is speaking out after a helicopter landed just feet from his backyard last week — on a newly built helipad he says seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Javier Dam lives along Seven Springs Mountain Road, right on the border of Monroe and the Village of South Blooming Grove. He says he and his wife were inside their home last Thursday when the helicopter came in low and loud, shaking the house and leaving them stunned.
“It was unbearable,” Dam said. “The whole house shook. We had no idea anything like this was happening behind us.”
County mapping and tax records reviewed by News 12 and confirmed by the Town of Blooming Grove show the helipad is located at 58 Fort Worth Place in the Village of South Blooming Grove. The property was owned by South Blooming Grove Mayor George Kalaj until 2022, when he sold it for $4.6 million to Fort Worth Holdings LLC, a Monroe-based company. The sale took place around the same time Kalaj was elected mayor.
Town officials say satellite images show a round white landing pad and a large building on the property that is being used as a school serving the South Blooming Grove community.
Dam says he first noticed clearing behind his home in 2023. What was once dense forest, he says, quickly turned into a wide dirt road, a cleared landing area and a metal hangar — all without direct notice to people living along the border.
“This was all forest,” Dam said. “Now, it’s a huge road. Everything has been removed.”
He also says South Blooming Grove Deputy Mayor Joel Stern recently approached him to ask for access through his backyard. Dam says he refused the request and remembers being told that Stern “just needed a little corner” and would pay him for it.
Dam said he declined the offer and believes access was instead taken through the next property down, that News 12 has learned is a rental owned by a Monroe-based company called 232 SS Mountain LLC. Monroe officials say the property already had violations for clear-cutting and electrical work, including what town leaders say was an illegal electric line tied into the home to support activity at the helipad site.
Town of Monroe Supervisor Tony Cardone tells News 12 he has been aware of activity at the site for more than a year. He says Monroe has no authority over the helipad because the site is entirely inside the Village of South Blooming Grove, and FAA rules override local zoning when it comes to landing areas.
In a statement, Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor Rob Jeroloman said the town also has no jurisdiction because the property is inside the Village of South Blooming Grove, which has full land-use authority. He said he is not aware of what involvement, if any, Orange County may have.
Orange County, in its response to News 12, said the matter appears to be a local zoning issue and is not handled at the county level.
Dam says he still does not know why a helicopter would need to land in the neighborhood and believes the project should have been more transparent from the beginning.
“Something so grand has to have all the permits,” he said. “Why wasn’t anyone told?”
News 12 has also reached out to Village of South Blooming Grove officials, the FAA and the state Department of Environmental Conservation for additional information. Some have not responded. We could not find contact information for Fort Worth Holdings, LLC.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) says it has not issued any permits for this project and is not in receipt of a permit application. DEC is reviewing the activities to determine if any permits or other DEC authorizations are necessary
An FAA spokesperson tells News 12 the agency had not been notified about the helipad project. The agency says federal law requires developers to give the FAA an opportunity to evaluate any proposed landing or takeoff area to determine whether it could pose a hazard to aircraft or interfere with navigation systems. While the FAA’s determinations are recommendations and not binding, the agency says it encourages local governments to consider them when making zoning and permitting decisions. It’s not yet clear what action, if any, the FAA may take in this case.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
