Residents press Lambertville council to tighten zoning, parking and stormwater rules amid large Corel hotel proposal

Lambertville residents pressed the City Council to move faster on zoning and stormwater protections after a developer presentation last week for a large, multi-building hotel and hospitality complex near the canal.

A resident who spoke from the podium at 33 Wilson Street told the council the meeting drew “the biggest crowd I’ve seen” and warned the town’s existing parking requirements and stormwater rules are too weak for a development the speaker called a “luxury mega hotel complex” with multiple venues that could bring hundreds of cars to the area. The resident said the project’s required parking — described at the presentation as 93 spaces — is “way, way too small” given event traffic and on-site uses such as a 175-person event space and 49-room hotel.

“Between the staff and everything else, you could have at least 300 cars coming just to that one place,” the resident said during the public-comment period.

Another commenter, Bart Thurber of 53 Lambert Lane, said the central business district design standards raise questions about whether a structured parking deck and “50 cars per hour” of peak entries and exits could meet the ordinance’s requirements for consistency with the physical and visual character of adjacent buildings.

The council’s staff and members said they understand the urgency but cautioned that zoning changes and master-plan re-examination take time and carry legal risk if rushed. “We do have a master plan in place,” a city staff member, Bill, told the meeting. He said the re-examination process typically occurs every 10 years (last done in 2019) but can be pursued sooner through a formal planning effort that includes professional review and public involvement.

Council members advised residents that because no formal application has yet been submitted, current ordinances will apply to any filing, and planning and review will be overseen through the normal application process. Mayor [title used as provided in the transcript] noted the city is mindful of the concerns and said the council will “be vigilant” about how zoning code is interpreted during any application review.

Residents also raised stormwater and drinking-water risks. One speaker referenced a Bucks County Herald map showing contaminated wells, saying the highest contamination levels appeared next to a municipal dump and warning that certain sites may be inappropriate for housing or other sensitive uses. Sean Ellis (21 Belvadier Avenue) urged the city to press the state to declare an area of immediate environmental concern or to issue a Spill Act directive to accelerate testing and remediation and suggested the city could help residents file for state spill funds or use some local cannabis‑tax revenue to underwrite well testing.

The mayor and staff said they expect to outline immediate steps at a June 5 council meeting and reported that the state planned to mail letters soon offering additional testing (20 wells on Cottage Hill and 20 on Confield, as communicated by staff).

What happens next: Council members said updating the master plan and selectively amending ordinances are the appropriate long-term responses but cautioned residents that those are multi-month efforts. In the short term, staff said the planning board and city engineers will examine incoming applications closely, and neighbors should submit written concerns and evidence to the city’s planning staff as applications arrive.