Development is focus of Solberg testimony
“Committeeman Frank Gatti said the last thing the township wanted to do was acquire the Solberg Airport property through eminent domain, but the fear of development and an inability to negotiate a price forced the township’s hand.
“Eminent domain wasn’t in our thought process at that point. I’m a negotiator. I negotiate deals, why can’t I negotiate this deal?” Gatti said Wednesday. Aug. 20, in front of Superior Court Judge Paul W. Armstrong, Laurence B. Orloff, the attorney representing Solberg, and James P. Rhatican, attorney for Readington.
The testimony is a continuation of an ongoing eminent domain case between Solberg and Readington. The parties have been at odds for years regarding a 2006 attempt by the Township Committee to use eminent domain to acquire the development rights to the airport facilities and buy the surrounding 624-acre property through condemnation.
In 2006, township voters approved a $21.7 million bond to fund the land’s acquisition.
Testimony began in June, when Readington Mayor Julia Allen shared her story about why the township targeted the Solberg Airport property for preservation in the late 1990s. She said the township created a Master Plan designed to preserve land around the Readington Village and historic area by preserving the surrounding greenbelt.”
Saccenti, John. Hunterdon Review 27 August 2014.