Solberg-Hunterdon Owners Claim New Ordinance Threatens Long-Term Viability

The owners of Solberg-Hunterdon Airport (N51) have taken their dispute with local officials to court, arguing that a newly adopted zoning procedure by Readington Township is designed to quietly “suffocate” airport operations -- not just regulate them. The lawsuit claims the measure would prevent modernization and eventually make the family-run field economically unsustainable.

The complaint targets an Air Safety Zone imposed around the 744-acre airport property. While these zones are required under state law, Solberg Aviation Company argues the township’s version goes well beyond safety concerns and instead blocks routine improvements necessary to keep the airport functional in an ever-changing aviation landscape.

The roots of Solberg Airport trace back to 1941, when it was founded by aviation pioneer Thor Solberg. Now, almost a century later, the airport remains under the Solberg family’s control as a low-key general aviation facility with three runways serving small aircraft. It is now updating its Airport Master Plan for the first time since 1997, reigniting long-standing tensions with nearby residents.

The biggest complaint from homeowners is the concept that modernization signals a shift toward jet traffic and commercial operations, similar to those at busier North Jersey airports. Locals went as far as to form an advocacy group dedicated to showing how increased aircraft activity could bring noise, emissions, and flights over nearby neighborhoods and schools. The airport maintains that those concerns are mere speculation and unrelated to the actual plans.

According to the lawsuit, the township’s ordinance prohibits facilities such as fuel storage, warehouses, heliports, and infrastructure for emerging technologies like electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. It also restricts new construction and places proposed changes under local planning board approval, despite the airport’s continued compliance with state and federal aviation planning standards.

The airport further alleges that the zoning action botches runway dimensions, incorrectly maps safety areas, and fails to recognize Solberg as a lawful conforming land use. It says these missteps violate New Jersey’s Air Safety and Zoning Act and could “ultimately destroy the airport as a viable operation.”

This is not the first clash between Solberg Airport and Readington Township. In 2006, the township attempted to seize the property through eminent domain but was denied by the courts years later.

FMI: www.solbergairport.com