Residents and intervenors press Lambertville council to prepare for March 14 court hearing on Hill development

Several residents and counsel pressed the Lambertville City Council to move quickly to prepare a factual record and alternatives as an upcoming court date approaches.

Jeff Tittle, of 33 Wilson Street, told the council he and others have been raising concerns for nine months and warned that "we're very vulnerable" to a builder's-remedy lawsuit if the city enters court without engineering reports and a planner's alternative plan. He urged the council to have an expert report ready to show why the Hill site is inappropriate.

Larry Wall, an attorney representing intervening neighbors, said his clients sought to participate in settlement talks but were effectively locked out. "It's outrageous," Wall said of the limits in the proposed settlement and described a settlement clause that would permit only five minutes for intervenors to address the zoning board and three minutes for cross-examination at a hearing. Wall asked the council to revise the settlement and to ensure intervenors' experts and recommendations are considered.

Speaker 2, presiding over the meeting, told the public that the city's affordable-housing attorney filed opposition papers and that the council will review filings and may request additional time to reply. Council members repeatedly urged the administration and planner to assemble alternatives and evidence the city can present in court, with several members calling the next two weeks "time of the essence".

Why it matters: The March 14 motion concerns whether intervenors have standing and the underlying conditional judgment of compliance; council members and residents said having a clear, defensible municipal plan is necessary both for the court and to reduce the risk of a builder's-remedy outcome that could force development without local conditions.

What the council said it will do: The mayor and staff said they will review filings, meet with engineers and the planner, and circulate materials to council members; an affordable-housing advisory committee and the council planned to produce a sites map and a prioritized inventory of potential alternative locations. The city also indicated it will continue sending status reports to Green Acres and consult the municipal attorney about next steps.

Next steps: Council members asked staff to accelerate planner work and evidence-gathering so the city can show the court that it has evaluated alternate sites and is actively pursuing a defensible housing strategy. The council will monitor the March 14 schedule and said it will convene as needed to review filings.