At the September 2 Pennington Borough Council meeting, Mayor James Davy and Council discussed a proposed housing plan at the old Wells Fargo property near the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Route 31. After an executive session this was also the meeting that they announced a resolution to petition the New Jersey State Supreme Court to review the appellate court’s decision to uphold the Hopewell Township’s PILOT agreement.
Housing proposal debated
Proponents of the proposed plan for residential housing said it would help the Borough meets its State requirement to provide its share of affordable housing. Challengers sited concerns over safety, increased traffic, environmental issues and incompatibility with Pennington’s town character.
Princewood Properties owner Jeffery Albert presented a draft of the proposed development, an 80-unit, four story residential building. His presentation focused on storm water management and pedestrian safety.
Addressing storm water management, Albert said the plan complies with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Best Management Practices. To absorb storm water runoff and decrease pollutants, the landscape design employs bio retention basins, infiltration, structural devices and porous pavement.
Addressing pedestrian safety, Albert said the plan employes high visibility sidewalks, pedestrian improvements at the Rout 31 intersection and improved traffic routing. The plan would include open space and trees where pedestrians could gather. Albert said the plan would have a negligible impact on traffic during school hours.
Pennington Borough Planner Jim Kyle gave a brief review of a section of the redevelopment plan prepared for the Borough by Kyle Mcmanus Associates for this location — defined as Block 201, Lots 6 & 7. The report had been written and discussed in previous Council meetings, but was re-dated on August 25 for this meeting.
Addressing affordable housing requirements, the report cites that the development must include a minimum commitment of 15% to rental units, and a minimum commitment of 20% to for-sale units. It further states that units must be integrated with market rate units with the same amenities, and that deed restrictions must comply with the New Jersey Fair Housing Act.
Despite reassurances from Albert’s presentation and Kyle’s summary of the redevelopment plan, Council members aired concerns about the residential proposal.
Charles Marciante, Councilman and former fire department chief, expressed concern that the location of the building could present a fire hazard because of questionable accessibility to fire equipment. Albert responded that there would be a robust sprinkler system, but Marciante did not appear satisfied with the answer.
Council President Nadine Stern expressed concern about pedestrian safety , and she wondered if anyone had predicted the increase in the number of school age children when families moved in.
Councilman and Environmental Commission liaison Dan Rubenstein cautioned that the burden of a development with 80 units was too high. He warned that changing zoning from commercial to residential could be a “slippery slope” leading to more problems.
Historic Preservation Commission chair Eric Holtermann also cautioned about constructing a four-story residential building with this density in a high traffic area that is close to a school. He suggested reducing the affordable housing to eight or 10 units.
Holtermann also expressed concern about storm water runoff saying that 75% of impervious cover is too much. Stern brought up the issue of flooding since this area has experienced flooding in the past. Davy did not see this as a serious issue saying that in the past flooding receded within one and a half hours.
Councilwoman Kit Chandler wanted to know if other towns had changed zoning from commercial to residential and approved a plan for redevelopment but later discovered it was not a good idea after more studies were done.
She asked what would happen “if everybody decides, this is a disaster. This is the worst place to possibly place residential,” she said. Both Albert and Kyle responded that they had not been in a situation where that had occurred. Kyle said that such a situation might have happened where soil contamination was discovered later, but that would not be an issue at this location.
Overall, council members were concerned about the timeframe for making a decision.
“This is being thrown at me too fast and too furious,” said Marciante. He asked if the Borough could look for a prospect who would be interested in using the property for a commercial enterprise rather than residential housing. “I just feel we’re rushing into this. And I think it’s a very unsafe condition putting that kind of housing on that corner,” he concluded.
Expressing a different perspective, Councilman John Valenza said the Borough has to meet its affordable housing obligation, and because the Borough does not own the old Wells Fargo property, it has to work with the owner. One member of the public spoke in favor of the residential proposal.
Wrapping up the housing discussion, Davy assured Council that Albert’s plan was just a draft, and this was just the beginning of a multi-step process with opportunities for the Borough to make changes.
In other business:
Land Use Plan: Stern reported that the Land Use Plan element of the Master Plan is in progress, and she expects an update within two weeks. Kyle and the Master Plan committee are working to make sure the Land Use and Housing plans are consistent.
Cannabis Revenue: Chandler reported that cannabis revenue has added a significant contribution to the budget. Revenue from cannabis sales will be higher than the $41,000 originally projected, and money received over that amount will go into the surplus fund.
Police News: Trevor Carlton was officially sworn in as a Police Officer, administered by Borough attorney Walter Bliss.
Environmental updates: Rubenstein reported that almost 100 people registered for the Community Wildlife Habitat program, and he encourages more people to get involved. He said the Eagle Scouts and Girl Scouts have volunteered to work on maintenance and plantings in the town arboretum.
Traffic issues and progress: Addressing concerns that the anticipated new traffic light on Route 31 will cause more vehicular travel on neighborhood streets, Chandler said they are collecting data now which will be compared with the data collected after the light is installed. The results will help determine whether new safety measures are needed.
Website Updates: Bliss announced plans to publish legal notices on the website as of March 1, 2026. Borough Administrator GP Caminiti and others mentioned plans to publish audio files of meetings and work sessions. Also in the works: publication of data collection projects such as deer management, traffic reports and lead lines.
Borough auction: Municipal Clerk and Assistant CFO Betty Sterling reported the Borough took in $5000 from its recent auction.
After the public meeting ended, the Mayor and Council met in a closed session. After it concluded, the Council returned to the public meeting and approved a resolution to petition the New Jersey State Supreme Court to review the
appellate court’s decision to uphold the Hopewell Township’s PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreement. The Borough has issued a press release on the topic vowing to fight for fair treatment of regional taxpayers.
The next Borough Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, October6, 7 pm. Check the Zoom meeting pagefor details.
