For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
This week, the New Jersey Sierra Club sent letters to the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Consumer Affairs expressing concern that the City of Lambertville is still moving forward with a controversial development project during the COVID-19 health emergency.
“Even though we’re in the middle of a public health emergency, the City of Lambertville is moving forward with their controversial development project. People are concerned about the health and safety of themselves and their families, but Lambertville is using the coronavirus as a cover to push this through without public participation. We believe that they are violating the law because during these trying times governments are only supposed to be dealing with essential business and the health emergency, not building a 5-story apartment building. That is why the Sierra Club has asked the Attorney General to intervene,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.“The City of Lambertville doesn’t care about whether people are sick. They are more concerned about taking care of developers than taking care of public health.”
The City of Lambertville is trying to move forward with a two-part development proposal. The first is to build a private mixed income development located on the current site of the town’s police department on North Main Street. The other part of the plan is to construct a new public municipal building. The New Jersey Sierra Club is opposed to the project and suggests alternative sites for affordable housing.
“Their approach is reckless and arrogant. While people are sitting at home, worried about the coronavirus outbreak, they are trying to approve the ordinance during their next council meeting on April 23rd. The meeting will be streamed via Zoom, which is discriminatory and doesn’t allow for public testimony or participation. People who are low-income, elderly, and handicapped do not have access to computers or do not have internet access at home. What’s worse is that the City’s Attorney has said that this project is allowed under the ‘essential business’ law because the law doesn’t define what is ‘necessary’ for running the government,” said Tittel.“They are making up their own rules and moving forward even though they know that they shouldn’t.”
The City of Lambertville is scheduled to vote on this ordinance during their regularly scheduled session on April 23rd. According to the agenda, “Ordinance Number 01-2020: an ordinance of the City of Lambertville. County of Hunterdon, State of New Jersey amending the Redevelopment Plan for the Lambertville High School Redevelopment Area, Block 1073, lots 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 32, 33 and 33.01, block 1090, lots 4 AND 5, and block 1091, lots 1 and 1.01.”
“This is a time of financial uncertainty. Hundreds of people in our community have been laid off and dozens of businesses are closed. People don’t know how they will pay their mortgage or rent while they have been told to shelter in place. Instead of dealing with the public health and finances of Lambertville, the City is focused on building a $14-16 million city hall complex. This is stupid and irresponsible. The City of Lambertville doesn’t have the money for this project. Moving forward with this development project is an unconscionable move by an out-of-control mayor and city council,” said Jeff TIttel.“People are sick and afraid, and all the Mayor cares about is pushing her development project and taking care of developers.”
The proposal had major opposition from residents who attended council meetings earlier this year. Those who spoke expressed concerns about the proposed project’s environmental impact and its scale, as well as asking how necessary it is in the community.
“It is completely wrong to push this project forward during the coronavirus pandemic. This has nothing to do with keeping the government running or dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. They want to rezone the city’s police station and a 4-acre tract as a redevelopment zone so that they can sell it to a developer. As part of that zone they want to build a 5-story apartment building next to Alexauken Creek. Then, they want to use this as an excuse to force the City to pay for a $14 million City Hall Complex, which would include a new police station,” said Tittel.“We are in the middle of a public health emergency. Selling a police station and closing it in the middle of a pandemic when you need emergency services makes no sense.”
Lambertville residents expressed their desire to preserve the current sites of the town library and city hall, citing their significance as historic landmarks of Lambertville. Fahl emphasized that other sites beyond the ACME Screening Room on South Union Street are being considered as potential locations for the municipal building.
“This development will cause more flooding, more pollution, more traffic problems, and more costs for the residents of Lambertville. What is more concerning is that the Mayor is using affordable housing as an excuse to build mid-rise housing and a new city hall. This is a shameless misuse to grant cover for these massive projects. The 5-story apartment building that would replace the current police station would be built next to Alexauken Creek, which is a C1 stream and has a 300-foot buffer. Then they want to build the $14 million multi-use city hall complex in a flood zone next to Swan Creek,” said Jeff Tittel.“This project will increase stormwater runoff and flooding, impacting the water quality of the Canal, Swan Creek, and Alexauken Creek.”
Mayor Fahl has reiterated that the city is “really at ground zero” of the project, stating that discussions regarding the location of the proposed municipal building and whether or not municipal facilities -- including the town library, police station and municipal court and offices -- should be consolidated will be ongoing “for the next several months.”“The Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver must stand up to stop this development project from moving forward at this time. The project itself will increase flooding, pollution, and traffic problems while costing the residents of Lambertville. The meetings are being held during a public health emergency, which means that live-streamed meetings discriminate against people without computers or internet access. This project moving forward will exacerbate financial issues in Lambertville, especially during this time of economic instability. This is a low move to push forward a project that will change the character of the town for future generations during a period when the public has virtually no ability to comment on it,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.“This is a violation of due process and the intent of the law that allows towns to carry on essential business for dealing with the coronavirus, not take care of developers.”
NJSC Letters to the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Consumer Affairs attached