The Hopewell Borough Planning Board formally memorialized its approval of the Hopewell 57 redevelopment project last week, marking the end of the board’s review of one of the borough’s most closely watched land-use applications in recent years. The memorialization resolution was on the board’s Aug. 5 agenda and approved by a 3-0 vote.
Board members Bob Donaldson, Marylou Millard Ferrara and Carolyn Corella voted in favor of the resolution. Mayor Ryan Kennedy, Paul Buda and Alison Baxter abstained because of conflicts related to the application.
While memorialization is largely procedural, it makes the Planning Board’s June 10 approval official and adopts the board’s 41-page resolution documenting its findings, conditions of approval and the changes made during months of public hearings.
The Hopewell 57 project would redevelop the long-vacant former commercial property at 57 Hamilton Ave. into a 120-unit residential community, including 24 affordable housing units, spread among apartment and townhouse buildings with a clubhouse and related site improvements.
The application was approved by the Planning Board in June after months of testimony from engineers, planners, borough professionals and residents. Public discussion focused on traffic, stormwater management, flooding, parking, environmental impacts and the scale of the project. During deliberations, the board concluded that the proposal complied with the borough’s redevelopment plan and land-use regulations, while attaching dozens of conditions addressing pedestrian safety, landscaping, stormwater management, affordable housing compliance and other design requirements.
The project must still receive a number of outside approvals before construction can begin, including reviews by Mercer County, the Mercer County Soil Conservation District and several state agencies, including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Past MercerMe coverage of Hopewell 57 can be found here.
Other board business
In other business, the Planning Board denied an application seeking approval to construct an in-ground swimming pool at 58 Columbia Ave. The application had required variance relief because the proposed pool would exceed the property’s maximum permitted lot coverage.
