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Bernardsville council adopts bond ordinance to buy property for senior affordable housing
Summary
On March 12, 2026 the Bernardsville Borough Council adopted a bond ordinance to appropriate $1,238,000 and authorize $1,176,100 in bonds to finance the purchase of 210 North Findlay Avenue for a proposed 100% affordable senior housing development; timing of the bond sale was not yet set.
Bernardsville — The Bernardsville Borough Council on March 12 adopted a bond ordinance to finance acquisition of a property intended for a 100% affordable senior housing project.
The ordinance, identified in the meeting transcript as "ordinance 20 26, 20 44," appropriates $1,238,000 and authorizes the issuance of $1,176,100 in bonds or notes to pay for the purchase of 210 North Findlay Avenue in Bernardsville, Somerset County. The council approved the measure in a roll-call vote after a public hearing with no speakers.
Why it matters: Council members said the acquisition responds to the borough’s round‑3 affordable‑housing obligations and concludes years of planning that date back to the early 2010s. The property was acquired by condemnation as part of that process and will be used for senior affordable housing, according to the presentation at the hearing.
Jack, a borough staff member who reviewed the ordinance for the council, said the borough took the property by condemnation in connection with the round‑3 obligation and deposited $650,000 with the court. "It actually goes back to, I think, about 2012," he said, and said a condemnation commissioner's hearing later awarded the property owner approximately $1,700,000. "So this ordinance is to finance that purchase," Jack said, and identified the site as 210 North Findlay Avenue and the project as a 100% affordable senior citizen housing project.
The ordinance makes the appropriation and authorizes borrowing to cover the purchase; Jack said the transcript does not specify when the borough will complete any bond sale. "I don't think we know. This is just making the appropriation," he said.
Council action: After the hearing closed with no public comment, a council member moved to pass the ordinance on final reading and adopt it as published. The clerk conducted a roll‑call vote; the transcript records affirmative votes from the council members called and the motion was adopted.
Next steps: The ordinance authorizes the appropriation and borrowing needed to complete the purchase; the meeting record does not specify a bond‑sale date or further implementation steps. Council members thanked staff for work on the long‑running project and then adjourned the meeting.
(Reporters: The meeting transcript uses both "Burnsville" and "Bernardsville" in different places; this article uses "Bernardsville" to match the borough named in the ordinance language and local place names.)
