After months of hearings, the applicant for “The Venue” senior housing development formally rested its case at the Nov. 20 meeting of the Hopewell Township Planning Board, clearing the way for the public to begin testimony on the 600-unit project proposed for Nursery and Scotch roads. The board confirmed at the outset that it would pause the hearing at 9:45 p.m. to ensure time for a second application later in the evening. Ultimately, public testimony continued until approximately 10 p.m. before the board carried the matter.
The Venue—part of the Township’s 2019 affordable housing settlement upheld by a 2023 appellate ruling—proposes 480 market-rate rental units and 120 affordable units on a 180-acre site. As covered in prior MercerMe reporting, earlier hearings focused on DEP stormwater compliance, coordination with the Twin Oaks petroleum pipeline that crosses the property, retaining walls and buffering along neighbors’ yards, and sidewalks throughout the internal road network.
Planning Board Attorney Francis Linnus reiterated the procedural shift at the outset, noting that with the applicant’s case complete, “the next procedure is that the public would have the opportunity to make comment, give testimony, present witnesses, and then the board can take whatever action they want.”
Testimony Runs for Hours as Residents Raise Pipeline, Traffic, Environmental, and Lighting Concerns
Residents from both Hopewell Township and Ewing spoke for more than two hours, raising concerns about pipeline safety, stormwater, environmental impacts, glare from residential lighting, and traffic at Nursery and Scotch roads.
Pipeline concerns dominated early testimony. Several residents referenced the federal order issued earlier this year by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) following the jet-fuel leak in Upper Makefield Twp in Bucks County PA, earlier this year. Located only about five miles from Hopewell Twp., thousands of gallons of jet fuel leaked from a break in the pipeline and into the groundwater ruining many of the wells around the leak. Cleanup will continue for years and residents in Upper Makefield continue to wait on answers while their property values have decreased. In the federal order, the entire pipeline that runs from Philadelphia to Newark, NJ was ordered to be checked including all of the locations where conditions similar to those in Upper Makefield existed. Local residents pressed the board to get answers from PHMSA on the integrity of the pipeline before approving a build around the 67-year-old pipeline.
Traffic issues was another big topic and centered on the Nursery/Scotch intersection and the lack of a dedicated right-turn lane. Nursery Road resident Lauren Angeles told the board she found the applicant’s traffic testimony unconvincing, saying, “I really did not find the traffic expert to be very reassuring… it’s going to get worse.”
Angeles also raised concerns about lighting levels within such a large development, pointing to other sites like Hopewell Parc on Scotch Rd. where lighting intensity has changed nighttime conditions. “You can see that even at Hopewell Parc… the amount of lights… affects your view of the night sky,” she said.
Because of the board’s time constraints, testimony was paused around 10 p.m. The Venue hearing was carried to a special meeting on December 11 at 7 p.m. on Zoom, when public comment will continue.
Enzene’s Revised Lighting Plan Wins Praise from Board
After pausing The Venue hearing, the board turned to its second application: Enzene’s request for Preliminary and Final Minor Site Plan approval for new exterior lighting and site modifications at Building 21 within the Princeton West Innovation Campus. The application had been carried from Oct. 23 after the board raised questions about brightness, glare, and compliance with Township lighting standards.
Attorney Michael Butler reintroduced the matter around 10 p.m., noting that the company had taken the board’s feedback seriously and brought back a substantially revised plan.
Lighting designer Jason Bradshaw of Beam Ltd. presented the updated photometric plan. He explained that the team had “significantly lower[ed] the output of both the bollards and the wall pack to keep in standing with Hopewell’s desire for low light levels and for dark sky requirements.” A fourth bollard was added for safer stairway visibility while maintaining minimal light spill.
Board Members Thank Enzene for Responsiveness
Planning Board Chair Karen Murphy said the revisions addressed the board’s earlier concerns, thanking the applicant for being responsive.
“I agree with the chair that this is a much better approach to lighting for the site,” board member Vanessa Sandom said. “I sincerely appreciate the work you guys have done behind the scenes to get this to this point. I do think it’s a better outcome for all of us and all residents in that area of the township.”
Board member Kevin Kuchinski echoed that praise, “We’re very appreciative of partners in the community who take feedback, who pivot, who change, and really come back to us with a better plan — and I think that’s what we saw tonight.”
Next Steps
- The Venue public hearing resumes December 11 at 7 p.m. on Zoom.
- The Planning Board’s next regular meeting is December 18, followed by its 2026 reorganization on January 22.
