Hopewell Borough Council members adopted an amendment to the Hopewell 57 redevelopment plan that increases the maximum allowed building height to four stories.
The Hopewell 57 redevelopment area is comprised of two properties on 4.28 acres. One property is located at 57 Hamilton Avenue, formerly known as the Kooltronics site and before that the Rockwell site.
The second property is a parking lot off of Somerset Street right across from the 57 Hamilton Ave. building, which sits at the corner of Hamilton Avenue, Somerset Street and Lafayette Street.
A revised concept plan for 57 Hamilton Ave. was presented in late September by Developer Jeffrey Albert of Princewood Properties. The two buildings of stacked townhomes on Lafayette Street, two buildings of stacked townhomes on Hamilton Avenue, and the club building moves from the corner of Lafayette Street and Hamilton to inside the site, and a single four-story building near Somerset Street.
Borough Planner Joanna Slagle said there are three specific changes with the ordinance amendment that was crafted after the September special meeting with the developer and the public.
“First one is the height … we had a long conversation about being able to go up one story on the height, which would shift massing and scale of the development to a more visually appealing layout,” she said, explaining the site is now four stories and 55 feet in height.
The borough’s previous redevelopment ordinance had 3 1/2 stories and 45 feet as the maximum allowed height of a building.
“In light of that increased height we added some language under the other provisions and requirements section of the ordinance title building placements,” she said. “We wanted to make sure that the essence of that revised concept plan was identified in meaningful way.
“In other words, the buildings that would be placed along Lafayette and Hamilton would be able to obtain that residential structure the public really liked, and that taller four-story building is intended to be towards the rear of the property (eastern side of the property) and allow the height to take advantage of the natural topography (shape of the lands surface) of the site.”
Slagle explained that the topography of the site actually dips so the height visually will not be as significant in that area.
The buildings on Hamilton Avenue and Lafayette Street will be limited to three-story buildings and buildings more than three stories will be located along Somerset Street to visually reduce the scale of the building.
“Finally, there was some clarification to the stormwater regulations to make sure that all of the proper New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) were cited as well as the borough ordinance on stormwater,” Slagle said. “Those are the three main changes of the amendment sort of surgical amendment to reflect that revised concept plan.”
Practical stormwater management facilities should be designed for maintenance and the utilization of green infrastructure measures as aesthetic landscape, according to the amendment.
Additionally, the council approved the designation of Hopewell 57 Urban Renewal LLC as the redeveloper and authorized the execution of a redeveloper agreement with Hopewell 57 Urban Renewal for the 57 Hamilton Ave. redevelopment area.
