The summer heat hasn’t kept City of Lambertville residents away from voicing their frustrations over the Lambertville High School site redevelopment plan.
The topic has become a hot-button issue among residents because many worry it will cause more congestion to the city, exacerbate the city’s flooding issues, and some believe there are better options available.
K. Hovnanian, a large home building firm based in New Jersey, has introduced a concept plan that calls for 124 townhomes, 32 stack townhomes, and 40 affordable apartments.
The properties that are part of the Lambertville High School Redevelopment Area stretch from Route 179 in the city to the West Amwell Township border.
In June, the City of Lambertville Planning Board voted that the proposal did not align with the city’s master plan.
While most city council meetings have a small crowd, recent meetings with the redevelopment plan on the agenda have drawn an exceptionally large crowd.
Over the past few city council meetings, local city government has listened to over five hours of resident’s complaints over the redevelopment plan. About 30 residents lined up to speak their mind on the proposal. The line was so huge it spilled out of the Phillip L. Pittore Justice Center meeting hall and into the main lobby of the building.
Jeff Tittle said he thinks the Lambertville High School Redevelopment Plan should be withdrawn, calling it a sham and a mistake. He added that if it were passed, it would turn the city into “Lambertville Falls” because of all the flooding. Tittle continued by stating that up that 1,400 trees would be chopped down for the project.
The crowd thunderously clapped after his remarks.
Mayor Andrew J. Nowick told the crowd to stop clapping, stating it goes against order and decorum.
Camille Lee brought a handwritten letter up to the podium with her. Her letter mainly brought up environmental concerns. She added that more residents would cause more traffic and congest the city, saying it would overcrowd the community and threaten their overall quality of life.
Beth O’Brien said raised concerns about contamination on the site. She recommended they perform tests on the land to make sure houses can be built there in the first place.
The bulk of resident’s opinions on the matter all said the same thing: The redevelopment plan was going to do more harm than good to Lambertville because of traffic, flooding and the dangerous PFAS chemicals buried within the area.
There was one public comment, however, that was different from the rest.
Referring to when the entire crowd clapped after Tittle’s public comment, Mike Redman, a 30-year resident of Lambertville, stepped up to the podium and said he was put off by Nowick telling people they couldn’t clap.
Redman brought up how thoughtful the public comments were and that he was stewing over Nowick’s remarks since he made them at the beginning of the council meeting.
Redman added that not allowing residents to clap goes against their First Amendment rights and that clapping is a way for them to show their feelings, and for local politicians to understand public opinion.
The crowd clapped and cheered as Redman walked away from the podium.
Not only did residents use their voice to raise alarm over the Lambertville High School redevelopment plan, but they made their opinions visible. Several residents showed up to a recent council meeting wearing green pins with the number 200 crossed out in a red X on their shirts.
Signs opposing the plans have also been spotted in the city.
A petition against the redevelopment plan was passed signed from person-to-person at the meeting. As of this week, it has more than 140 signatures online.
One aspect that makes the redevelopment plan controversial to some is that K. Hovnanian, the real estate developer contracted to build it, has a litany of lawsuits against them.
Residents said they paid out $1 million to the EPA for a 2010 Clean Water Act lawsuit. Another lawsuit against them in New York City paid out $9 million because of one of their sites in 2017.
Residents and some city council members, including Councilwoman Karen Kominsky, have proposed other options for the city.
Alternate options mentioned were the Closson Farm Property, Finkles on Coryell Street, and getting Habitat for Humanity involved to help build affordable housing.
Residents have said the city is in need to more affordable housing.
The Lambertville High School redevelopment plan has been in the works since 2018. The city is required to build at least 32 affordable housing units by June 2025.
If the city don’t give the green light to build affordable housing by that deadline, the New Jersey Courts could take over and build in the neighborhood, according to Nowick.
Many residents floated the idea of an affordable housing committee. But with a 2025 deadline, there might not be enough time for a committee to be formed.
The city council will have to amend its ordinance to let the land development process move forward. The amended ordinance will be voted on at the next city council meeting on August 15.
The city’s proposed framework for development aims to “promote a strong sense of community,” create affordable and market-rate homes, preserve the steep slopes and bluffs at the site, design for both pedestrians and vehicular drivers, integrate open space, ensure adequate utility capacity, manage stormwater runoff, and connect the redevelopment with the rest of the city.
The old high school was demolished in autumn 2012 after damage from a 1992 arson and 20 years of exposure to the elements and vandalism. The school gained a reputation as a “haunted” destination, drawing teens from around the region and causing headaches for police and neighbors.
Built as a regional school in 1854, Lambertville High School became a high school in the late 1800s and added a large addition in 1926 after a fire forced renovations. The school closed in 1959 ahead of the opening of South Hunterdon Regional High School. For many years, Taurus Corp. operated an electronics manufacturing facility on the property.
Publisher Tom Sofield contributed to this article.
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