The Hopewell Township Planning Board’s special meeting on Thursday, Dec. 11, drew nearly two hours of public testimony as residents continued raising safety, environmental, and infrastructure concerns about The Venue, a proposed 600-unit age-restricted housing development. After the testimony, the applicant requested — and the board agreed — to postpone closing statements and deliberation until January 22, 2026, citing the volume of public comment and the late hour.
The special meeting was scheduled because at the Nov. 20 hearing, public testimony exceeded two hours and some residents had not yet spoken. The board recessed that night after 10 p.m. continuing public comment into Thursday’s dedicated session. Before testimony resumed, the board entered executive session to discuss pending litigation then reconvened to take additional comment.
Applicant Requests More Time
After nearly two hours of additional public testimony on Dec. 11, applicant attorney Jason Tuvel asked the board to allow him to deliver his closing statement at the next available hearing, saying he needed time to meaningfully respond to the volume of issues raised.
“There was a lot more comment this evening and I would like to respond to it intelligently and not necessarily at almost 10 o’clock at night,” Tuvel said “I would like to really have the opportunity to look at these comments… and try to best respond to it… and do that at the next meeting.”
After some discussion, Tuvel and The Venue team agreed to extend the statutory deadline for a decision through the end of February.
Because several board members indicated they may be unable to attend the board’s Dec. 18 meeting, members agreed that the next realistic date for The Venue hearing was January 22, 2026. That meeting will also be the 2026 reorganization meeting and will be held on Zoom.
Public Testimony Continues to Center on Pipeline Safety
As during the Nov. 20 meeting, the Twin Oaks jet-fuel pipeline was the dominant topic of the evening. Residents repeatedly cited the major jet-fuel leak that occurred earlier this year just a few miles from Hopewell Township in Upper Makefield, Pa., where thousands of gallons of fuel spilled from an aging sleeve around the nearly 70-year-old line. The leak contaminated private wells and will require cleanup and remediation for years.
The Twin Oaks line runs more than 100 miles, from outside Philadelphia to Newark, crossing under the Delaware River and through Hopewell Township. The Venue would be built on either side of the pipeline, following the established easement. The same line already runs beneath neighborhoods in Hopewell Township and throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Many speakers emphasized that the pipeline’s age, historic repairs, and location make it unsuitable for major construction. Residents referenced sleeve repairs, integrity testing, well-contamination pathways, and concerns that construction vibrations and soil disturbance could exacerbate weaknesses.
“How is this development meeting your Master Plan principles?” said Patrician Millen, a Nursery Rd resident. “Those of us in Ewing Township are not represented by you, yet we’re the ones who are going to have our home values lowered, additional hundreds of cars on the roads, a potentially dangerous pipeline, on an ugly overdeveloped piece of property.”
“This reminds me of Love Canal,” said Stephen Lang, a Todd Ridge Rd. resident. “I feel this pipeline, whether there’s development or not, is a potential imminent problem. I dread the thought of a calamity like this. And I’m looking at this and saying, okay, if there is a problem, who do I sue?”
Several residents reiterated that pipeline spills do not respect geographic boundaries, stressing that Ewing and Hopewell Township households would both be affected because of how water moves underground.
“We’re the canary in the coal mine,” said Ralph Matarese, a Nursery Rd. resident noting that residents in Upper Makefield had reported fuel odors for more than a year before the leak was detected.
Traffic, Infrastructure, and Road Constraints
Public comments also revisited long-standing concerns about the Nursery Road and Scotch Road corridor, which residents described as already strained by regional commuter traffic, airport-related activity, and new development.
“At the intersection of Nursery and Bear Tavern Rd. it is a simple road with no traffic light,” said Thomas Klein, a Bear Tavern Rd. resident. “Cars already drive on my property making a right onto Bear Tavern Rd. So far, I don’t see any development for Nursery Rd. to meet the needs of such an increase in traffic.”
Other speakers described the corridor as a “bottleneck” and said the local road network was not designed for traffic generated by a 600-unit senior community.
Clarifying Age Restriction
A few residents questioned whether children could live permanently in the development, raising concerns about school-district impacts. Both the applicant and the planning board reiterated that all units in The Venue would be age-restricted.
The applicant clarified that no one under 19 would be permitted to reside permanently in the community.
Next Steps
The Planning Board will reconvene its hearing with The Venue on January 22, 2026, at 7 p.m. The applicant is expected to offer its full response to public testimony and deliver closing remarks. The board attorney will then provide legal instruction to the board, followed by deliberations.
The board does plan to meet on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. via Zoom to address other agenda items, though The Venue will not be considered at that meeting.
