Lambertville faces questions on High School redevelopment, PFAS testing and compliance with housing settlement

Lambertville officials spent the bulk of a Feb. 3 meeting answering residents' questions about the city's approach to redevelopment of the former High School site, the status of negotiations with a conditional redeveloper and recent reports of PFAS contamination in the area.

City Attorney Bill Opal explained the redevelopment sequence under New Jersey law: a planning board study designates an area in need of redevelopment, the governing body adopts a redevelopment plan that sets zoning and design standards, and the city then negotiates with a developer (often in closed session) before any final agreement is brought back to the public and the council for approval. "The idea behind that is that you don't want negotiations between the city and someone else to be done in public," Opal said, adding that final agreements and adopted ordinances are public record.

Residents asked whether the High School site had been tested for environmental contamination. Ryan McFaden asked whether groundwater and soils were tested prior to redevelopment; another resident, who identified themself as Dr. Main, said they had "talked to an attorney" and asserted that PFAS are persistent and cannot be fully remediated, asking whether EPA had reviewed the site.

Opal and other officials said developers have represented that they completed due diligence and that remediation to residential standards is feasible for parts of the site. Officials also said the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and county authorities have been notified, that the DEP has conducted some well sampling in the K Hill area and has committed to a source investigation, and that the city has shared information with the court adjudicator overseeing the municipality's affordable-housing settlement.

The mayor said the city had previously designated a private firm as the conditional redeveloper in August 2022 and extended that designation multiple times. He said the city sent a Dec. 6 letter informing the developer that the conditional status would not be renewed; "the city's position has not changed since we sent a letter December 6th," he told the meeting. City staff said that although the administration met with the developer after that letter, no contractual relationship remains that would require the city to continue negotiating.

Speakers and council members also discussed the city's settlement with Fair Share Housing Center and the court. Officials said Lambertville has not yet achieved final compliance under the settlement and warned that failure to present a viable plan could expose the city to a builder's-remedy lawsuit, which could allow a developer to pursue a project despite local objections. Officials said the city is compiling possible alternative sites, convening its affordable-housing advisory committee and exploring short-term projects to restore compliance.

The meeting did not include votes on redevelopment ordinances or final legal actions; after public comment the council moved to close comments and enter a closed session to consult with counsel about pending matters.

What to watch next: the affordable-housing advisory committee will review potential sites and make recommendations, and the city plans to continue communications with the court and the DEP; council members repeatedly said any change to court-ordered plans would require negotiation with the litigant and approval by the court.