City Manager provided the Committee of the Whole an update Nov. 3 on Telephone Hill, a borough‑owned parcel eyed for high‑density workforce housing.

The manager said the state transferred the underutilized property to the borough and staff have pursued long public engagement; tenants were given legal notice to vacate by Nov. 1, 2025, and as of the memo only four of 13 units remained occupied. "Tenants were given notice, legal notice to leave their dwellings by 11/01/2025," the manager said. Hazardous‑materials testing is underway to inform demolition bid specifications, and staff expect to solicit demolition contractors once testing is complete.

Why it matters: Telephone Hill is centrally located and has infrastructure that makes it a high‑priority parcel for addressing workforce housing needs. Manager's office staff said they will work with development consultants and solicit developers (RFQ/RFP) after demolition begins or is sufficiently certain to show the city’s commitment.

Next steps and trade‑offs: Staff are preparing outreach lists and materials to invite proposals; the manager warned there will be trade‑offs between cost, affordability and density. Assembly members asked about alternatives (relocation of historic structures, other city parcels like 450 Whittier and Second & Franklin) and were told relocation has not been analyzed and may not be feasible. No demolition contract or developer selection was made at this meeting.