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Resident group urges Hackensack to press FAA on Teterboro operations and expansion
Summary
Marlene Somerville, chair of the local environmental commission green team and TANEC, asked the city to join a secondary FAA panel, described a pilot points program to discourage overnight arrivals, and raised environmental concerns about a proposed 20–22 acre fill at Teterboro Airport.
Marlene Somerville, who identified herself as a Hackensack resident and chairperson of the environmental commission green team and TANEC, urged the council to seek a seat on a new FAA advisory panel and flagged environmental risks from a possible 20–22 acre fill at Teterboro Airport.
Somerville described recent FAA actions including the publication of a Runway 1 arrival procedure on Jan. 22, 2026 and a voluntary pilot 'points' incentive program intended to discourage arrivals between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. "We had our letter that we sent into the FAA ... Runway Number 1 procedure was published," Somerville said, and she asked city staff to monitor usage data and seek another advisory period to allow broader community input.
She also raised ecological concerns about the airport's potential fill and runway expansion. "What happens to those native species when you actually fill in?" Somerville asked, noting the commission's interest in species, pollinators and other habitat impacts. She said TANEC and participating municipalities want a fuller advisory process and more time for residents to provide feedback.
Somerville also congratulated local schools and the Hackensack Environmental Commission for a recent 'silver' certification under a Safe Streets program and said the commission is moving to phase two of a grant from PSE&G related to rain-garden projects.
The city manager reported the county has scheduled studies of several merge/safety points and that county engineering has the matter in a queue and plans to perform a study in the fall. No formal council direction or vote on the Teterboro proposals was recorded at the meeting.
