After years of planning, Ocean City is preparing to move forward with a major transformation of its municipal airport, replacing its aging terminal with a new multimillion-dollar facility designed to feel.
The city has put construction of the new terminal at Ocean City Municipal Airport out to bid, marking one of the final steps before work can begin. Bids are scheduled to be opened Oct. 1, with the city tentatively planning to award a construction contract Oct. 8. Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year.
The roughly $6 million project will replace the airport’s small, decades-old terminal at 26th Street and Bay Avenue with a multipurpose building featuring airport operations space, amenities for pilots and a full-service restaurant overlooking the runway.
If construction stays on schedule, the work is expected to take approximately 14 to 18 months. The city’s capital project schedule currently lists the project as running from fall 2026 through fall 2027.
Unlike the utilitarian appearance associated with many small airport terminals, the new building is intended to reflect Ocean City’s coastal character.
Somers Point architect William McLees designed the building after an earlier, more commercial-looking concept was rejected. Mayor Jay Gillian wanted the terminal to create a welcoming first impression for travelers arriving in the resort by air, according to OCNJ Daily. The finished design resembles an upscale shore home more than a traditional airport facility, incorporating architectural details intended to complement Ocean City.
The project is being financed through a partnership between the city and longtime Ocean City businessman Leon Grisbaum, owner of Berger Realty.
Grisbaum pledged $3 million toward the terminal in 2022, with Ocean City contributing another $3 million. City financial records list the $3 million Leon and Elizabeth Grisbaum Airport Terminal donation among grants and outside funding received for municipal projects.
The completed facility will be named the Leon and Elizabeth Grisbaum Terminal Building in honor of Grisbaum and his late wife.
Grisbaum, now 98, spent approximately 70 years as a pilot before stopping at age 90. His interest in revitalizing the airport helped push the terminal project forward after years of discussion.
City officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project in October 2024, but design and construction preparations took longer than originally anticipated. Nearly two years later, the city is finally preparing to turn those plans into construction.
The existing terminal, which dates back several decades and has reached the end of its useful life, will be demolished.
Its replacement will serve more than travelers. Plans call for an airport operations center, office space, bathrooms, locker rooms, a lobby and a flight-planning room for pilots. The building will also contain a pro shop serving the neighboring Ocean City Municipal Golf Course.
Perhaps the most noticeable addition will be the full-service restaurant planned for the upper floor.
Open to the general public, the restaurant will overlook the airport runway along with the surrounding bay and wetlands. The airport previously had a casual restaurant that attracted pilots as well as local customers, but it closed several years ago. Grisbaum has said restoring a restaurant could once again give recreational pilots another reason to fly into Ocean City.
The terminal is part of a broader effort to invest in the municipal airport.
Earlier this year, Ocean City was awarded $610,000 in federal funding toward the construction of eight new aircraft hangars. The city plans to rent those hangars at market rates, creating another source of revenue for airport operations.
Built in 1935, Ocean City Municipal Airport occupies a distinctive place in New Jersey aviation. It is the only airport in the state located on a barrier island and one of only a small number of barrier-island airports along the East Coast. Its nearly 3,000-foot runway primarily serves small private aircraft, though private jets, charter flights, military aircraft and Coast Guard helicopters also use the facility.
Its location also makes it unusual for a shore town: Pilots can land only a few blocks from the beach.
City officials have emphasized that the airport serves more than recreational aviation and tourism. It can also play a role in emergency management and transportation during situations when access to the barrier island becomes difficult.
With the new terminal now out to bid, Ocean City is closer than it has ever been to replacing its aging airport building with a facility designed to serve pilots, residents and visitors, while offering a new view of the shore from above.
Sarah Fertsch of Egg Harbor Township holds a Bachelors of Arts in Public Relations. She is a locally renowned poet, storyteller, and dog lover.
