After months of hearings and hours of final deliberation, the Hopewell Township Planning Board has granted site plan approval — with extensive conditions — for The Venue, the long-proposed residential development on the Deer Valley tract near Scotch and Nursery roads.
The Feb. 9 decision allows the project to move into the next phase of regulatory approvals and municipal agreements, though no construction timeline has been announced.
Board members spent the evening reviewing final conditions tied to traffic improvements, pipeline safety, affordable housing requirements, stormwater protections, and emergency response planning before voting to approve the application.
The resolution states that all conditions were essential to the board’s decision and that site work cannot begin until outside agency approvals and township agreements are secured.
The Venue is the age-restricted portion of the Deer Valley tract development, one of Hopewell Township’s primary sites for meeting its state-mandated Round 3 affordable housing obligations.
The township designated the Deer Valley property for residential development as part of its court-approved housing plan, which requires municipalities to provide realistic opportunities for affordable housing construction under New Jersey’s Mount Laurel framework. The tract has long been identified as a location capable of accommodating both market-rate and affordable units while helping satisfy the township’s constitutional housing requirement.
The Venue specifically includes age-restricted housing integrated with affordable units.
The project has drawn sustained public attention during the township’s housing planning process, particularly because the development will have the Twin Oaks petroleum pipeline running through it. Residents and board members have repeatedly raised concerns about safety buffers, emergency access, and development intensity in proximity to the pipeline.
Throughout the Planning Board review, the applicant was required to incorporate pipeline safety measures and coordinate with emergency services — conditions that remain part of the project approval.
Concessions and safeguards
The approval requires the developer to meet a series of conditions negotiated during the board’s multi-meeting review:
- Affordable housing units must remain deed-restricted for at least 40 years
- Affordable units must be constructed alongside market-rate homes
- A right-turn lane must be pursued at the Nursery–Scotch intersection
- An emergency response plan must be developed with township agencies
- Pipeline safety guidelines must be followed before construction
- Stormwater and environmental protections must be recorded
The Deer Valley tract is not currently within the state-approved sewer service area, and the developer must obtain a Wastewater Management Plan amendment from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection before connecting to public sewer. The applicant is proceeding at risk pending that approval.
Debate over density and housing mix
Board members revisited concerns raised during earlier hearings about the project’s density and affordable housing composition.
Board member Vanessa Sandom said she remained uneasy with the scale of development.
“It’s in my view, it’s too dense,” she said. “I would like to see more family affordable homes … not just in this part of the town.”
Township planner Mark Kataryniak responded that the number of affordable units is tied to the township’s court-approved housing settlement.
“We had a settlement agreement for 12.5 affordable units on this property,” he said.
Environmental constraints shaped layout
The site’s extensive wetlands and stormwater regulations were also a recurring issue throughout the review.
Sandom noted that environmental requirements had effectively compressed the buildable footprint.
“The applicant was being squeezed into a smaller area … because of all of the regulation by stormwater,” she said.
A vote after months of revision
Sandom cast the sole dissenting vote, citing her continuing concerns about density and housing mix.
Other board members said the project had been substantially refined during months of hearings and negotiations and that the board’s decision was shaped by legal constraints tied to the township’s affordable housing obligations.
“As you know, I had my doubts and concerns about this application,” board member Rex Parker said before the vote. “And yet, with the advances that we’ve heard discussed tonight, I feel a lot more prepared to cast my vote.”
Parker said the board’s role was limited by state law governing municipal housing requirements.
“All of us have sworn to abide by the laws and constitution of the state of New Jersey,” he said. “That puts pretty strong constraints on me and the rest of my colleagues here.”
Next steps
With Planning Board approval secured, the developer must now obtain:
- DEP wastewater plan amendment
- Mercer County Planning Board approvals
- A township developer’s agreement
Only after those steps can construction begin. No start date has been announced.
