Hopewell Borough launches new website

Hopewell Borough has launched a new website to publish information more easily and give residents a better way to find what they need.

The borough’s new website is now www.hopewellboroughnj.gov.

Borough administrator Jerry Giaimis said to the Hopewell Valley News that the transition from the old website to the new one is essentially complete.

“All current content has been moved to the new site and updated. We’re keeping the old site up for a short time so that anyone who has it bookmarked or lands on it through a search can still find what they need, and we’ll be directing those visitors to the new site as we wind the old one down,” he added.

Giaimis explained how the previous site served the Borough well when it launched, but over time it didn’t keep pace with how residents use the web or with the amount of information the Borough wants to make available. 

“Search was difficult to use and pages loaded slowly. As the Borough’s commitment to transparency has grown, we needed a platform that makes it easier for us to publish information and easier for residents to find it,” he said.

There are new tools available on the new website such as an “interactive zoning look up tool” which lets residents and applicants find any property’s zoning district simply by entering an address, then instantly see what’s permitted there — allowed uses, lot size, setbacks, coverage, and building height.

This is part of the borough’s effort to make government more accessible, according to Giaimis.

“[Zoning look up tool] puts information that used to require a call to the office or a trip through the ordinance at anyone’s fingertips, on desktop or phone, at any hour,” he said. “The tool is designed as a plain-language starting point for anyone planning a renovation, addition, or new project, with clear guidance to confirm specifics with the Zoning Officer before proceeding.”

When residents visit and search the website, they will see a complete redesign of the “Renovate My Home or property” guide.

The redesigned guide walks residents through the entire permitting process in plain language from the first preliminary conversation with the Zoning Officer through applications, reviews, inspections, and final certificate of occupancy. 

“[The guide] lays out when a permit is required, what to submit, who to contact, and every step in between, replacing what used to be a dense page of text with a clear, scannable guide anyone can follow,” Giaimis added. “Together with the zoning lookup tool, it gives property owners a straightforward path to understanding what they can build and how to get it approved before they ever pick up the phone.”

Additionally, the borough has added a searchable index of the municipal code to the new website.

“…letting residents look up a topic by keyword or plain-language term and jump straight to the relevant chapter and section. Each entry links to the official, continuously updated code on eCode360, so the public always reaches the current text. It’s meant to make a dense legal document far easier for residents to navigate on their own,” he said.

The total cost was a little more than $5,800. There will then be a recurring annual cost of $3,617.

“The site was procured before I joined the Borough, and I’ve been glad to help see it through to launch,” Giaimis said.