Readington Township Committee Drops Effort To Buy The Property Through Eminent Domain

Sometimes you can fight city hall. The Readington (NJ) Township Committee has rescinded an ordinance that would have allowed it to purchase a private airport and operate it as a municipal entity.

The Readington Township Committee has been trying to gain control of Solberg Airport from the Solberg family for years, first trying to purchase development rights, and later looking to acquire the facility under eminent domain laws they said to allow them to operate it as a municipal airport. The Solbergs wanted nothing to do with the arrangement, and fought both in city hall and in court to retain the airport which has been in the family for decades.

In a special meeting held Wednesday, the Township Committee rescinded the ordinance that would have allowed then to proceed with the eminent domain acquisition after some 500 people showed up at a previous meeting to support the Solberg family and their airport. Of the 50 speakers who came to the podium Monday, not one spoke in favor of the government takeover of the private business.

The vote to rescind the ordinance was unanimous.

NJ.com reports that Tuesday, the Township Committee had received notification from Superior Court Judge Yolanda Ciccone that they could not amend their previously-filed lawsuit which seeks to allow the committee to purchase the development rights to the property. The amendment was to purchase the airport and keep it open. Mayor Julia Allen said the lawsuit will be on the agenda of a closed-door meeting Monday prior to the regularly-scheduled open meeting.

Mayor Allen said the consensus of most residents was that they could not support eminent domain in this instance, and that they want to Solberg's property and the airport to remain in their current state.

FMI: www.readingtontwp.org/tc_agendas_minutes.html