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Residents press Lambertville council to pause Hill redevelopment over contamination concerns
Summary
At a packed council meeting, multiple residents urged the Lambertville City Council to suspend or rethink a proposed Hill redevelopment (options discussed: 139 vs. 200 units) until comprehensive environmental testing, traffic and stormwater impacts are completed; the mayor said staff are working with a court adjudicator and will share more information as available.
A wave of residents at the Lambertville City Council meeting urged elected officials to halt or slow a proposed housing redevelopment on the town’s Hill until a full environmental survey is completed.
Jeff (33 Wilson Street) told the council he fears the site may contain legacy industrial dumping and an unclosed landfill, and cited possible contaminants including PCBs and TCE. "As long as we have no idea what levels of chemicals are up there," Jeff said, "we can't move forward." He urged the council to explore alternative affordable-housing sites rather than remain focused on a single redevelopment plan.
Mayor Bill said the administration is continuing to work with the court adjudicator and could not share all details yet; he also said an entity is under contract to purchase the redevelopment site, which is why the city is following the current process. "There’s a redevelopment plan for this site and we were approached by an entity that is under contract," the mayor said, adding that the administration is discreetly exploring other sites but has prioritized the multi-year project.
Other residents echoed calls for caution. Sean Ellis (21 Beler) said his own spill-fund claim had been approved and relayed legal advice that adopting a larger 200-unit plan could increase the town’s exposure in a potential builder-remedy lawsuit compared with a smaller plan. Paul Stevens recommended pursuing the immediate five-unit gap to restore compliance while investigating other sites for longer-term housing needs.
Several commenters asked whether the state or environmental agencies (DEP) should be formally involved and requested documentation such as environmental testing results, maps of historic dumps, and contact information for the court mediator. Council staff agreed to provide the judge/mediator’s mailing information and to work on making technical materials (slide decks or cut sheets) available so the public can better understand the numbers and trade-offs.
Where residents raised potential landowner accountability and unpaid taxes, staff said those are matters the city will pursue as part of broader process considerations. A number of speakers requested that the council place explicit discussion of alternate housing sites on a future agenda or a work session so the public and council can review options side-by-side.
The council did not take a final vote on the Hill redevelopment during the meeting. Mayor Bill said environmental testing and other conditions remain unresolved and that the administration will continue discussions with the adjudicator and potential partners; he also announced plans to form a housing committee to help move the issue forward.
Next steps the council cited at the meeting included providing the public with mediator contact information, continuing environmental inquiry, and convening the planned housing committee to evaluate sites and compliance options.
