City Council Meeting: May 15, 2025
The Lambertville City Council met on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
They approved the minutes from April 17th, and there was a motion to accept the administrative reports.
Public Comments
Jeff from Wilson Street thought last Thursday was momentous and important, however, he had concerns such as the size of the project, and problems that he felt are overwhelming. He said we need to change parking requirements, because the hotel could end up having 300 cars with all of its services.
He pointed out that the developer said they were exempted for storm water mitigation. Jeff said the city needs stronger laws since the city doesn’t charge commercial development a fee for affordable housing.
“Everything the developer said goes back to 1993 as far as zoning and now we are a different city,” Jeff said.
He pointed out that years ago, when the current laws were written, the city just wanted people to do things here.
“The world has changed and our town has changed,” Jeff said.
He also mentioned the publication of a news article about Lambertville’s water contamination that was published in the Bucks County Herald.
Mayor corrected that the developer does contribute to affordable housing, even if they’re doing commercial development.
Councilwoman Kominsky said the city has to reexamine the master plan.
“We do have to plan for our community. We have to be looking forward,” Kominsky said.
The Mayor said it’s been ten years since city has examined zoning and they want to look at it.
Councilman Lide said it’s incredible that the developer won’t do storm water management.
Councilwoman Kominsky said the Canal Commission will be providing input.
“If the banks of the canal are threatened, there are a lot of considerations,” Kominsky said.
Councilwoman Lambert said she supports taking a look at the master plan and bringing it into the 21st century. She said it’s an appropriate and beneficial activity.
Councilman Stegman said we have to look at the zoning laws. A lot of time has been spent dealing with zoning from project to project, but it’s time the city reviews ordinances and zoning.
Dave from Brunswick Avenue said last Thursday the developer may be working under existing ordinances to push things through. It caught his attention that the developer said they own 120 feet of frontage.
“Nobody has parking in front of their stores,” Dave said.
He hoped that issue could be looked at quickly.
The Mayor said he doesn’t believe the project gets public parking.
Councilman Stegman said there are meters in the street.
Shaun from Belvidere Avenue said there are two ways the city can help their cause. One was to ask the DEP to file a Spill Act Directive to test the wells.
“We get money from cannabis tax, we could put some to well testing,” Shaun said.
Two was to declare it an area of immediate concern, which gives DEP more powers.
Third, Shaun asked the city to help people file the paperwork. He said residents have been helping neighbors, but that many of them have other commitments and he feels it’s time for the city to pick up the slack.
The Mayor said Council has been considering things and will outline steps on June 5th that will have positive impact on the community.
The Mayor spoke to the DEP office and the state has requested access to the Lambertville High School site for testing. He also had email exchange with DEP and a letter should be going out today for additional testing on Cottage and Connaught Hill.
Commissioner Lide thanked Shaun for all the work he’s been doing.
John from Hancock Lane asked about the development on the hill, and if the city is going to take ownership of this now or just play around. He said it’s frustrating that the city hasn’t addressed it.
He said, “City Council is supposed to be there for us. I’m hopeful you can share information with and from the court. People want to know where we are with the builders remedy.”
The Mayor said the city is in ongoing litigation and has notices of tort claim, so they will not comment. He pointed out that tThere is some misinformation, and that contamination was noted by the a city attorney. He also said he feels the attorney is doing a good job.
Councilwoman Kominsky said there will be an oral argument on builders remedy on June 5th.
Councilman Lide said residents can go to sit in and listen. Judge Ballard will be hearing it.
Councilwoman Kominsky said residents can contact the court to get a link. She also said she hears David’s point, and said citizens can write letters as well.
Beth from Hancock Street noted that the June 5th hearing will be at 2:25pm, and is only accessible via zoom—not in person.
Chris from Coryell Street asked the Council to put the timeline for looking at ordinance sooner rather than later. He said he travels to Hudson, NY and New Orleans, LA and those places are similar historically to Lambertville, but are protected.
“Can you look at the zoning sooner rather than later,” he asked.
The Mayor said looking at ordinances now could be problematic, because it could set the city up for legal action if it makes preemptive changes. He said zoning changes will take a long time to get consensus, and it won’t happen in the next few months.
Councilman Lide said the city needs to look at the master plan.
Councilwoman Kominsky said the master plan is important.
She said someone can say, “we meet all your zoning requirements,” but that is something the city determines.
Michelle from Church Street followed up on the zoning question to ask if the zoning as is written today will prevail for the Coryell development. She worried that using the zoning and master plan documents as they are today won’t be effective in dealing with development today.
The Mayor said nothing has been submitted, so we don’t know how it will or won’t align with existing ordinances. He said the city has a master plan and it’s four years away from the typical reexamination. It was done in 2019 and the city could do it sooner. He said we have master plan in place that defines things currently. Changing proactively or reactively could cause problems.
The City Attorney said he has addressed many cases like this, and it’s all depends on the facts.
The Mayor said that developers may have to cooperate or adapt, which happens in real time with the members of the various boards. He said planning boards didn’t originally have traffic studies for dispensaries, but they were added during a particularly long meeting. He hoped there is a sensitivity and that the planning board will be mindful of impact and additional conditions can be imposed.
Michelle said on the PFAS topic that people come to the podium and wonder if their voice is heard. She choked up a bit and said she is proud of the community for speaking up and that it’s time for council to get behind it.
Councilman Stegman said, “When someone comes into the city with a dream, I don’t want it to be Lambertville’s nightmare. That’s my mindset going forward. We’ll be proactive.”
There were eleven people online. One had comments.
Bart from Lambert Lane followed on the topic of last Thursday. He looked at zoning for the CBD. The developers have looked at zoning. He wondered how Lambertville’s ordinances are consistent with nearby buildings. He asked how a plan with as many as fifty cars per hour could be proposed. He said it’ll be interesting to see what the traffic study will show, and he worried it may be too late to mitigate the effects. He hoped the Council will protect the city.
John from Quarry Street said he was chair of Lambertville Historic Commission in the past. At the time, he said, it was a strong board, not weak, meaning regulatory action had to be taken to court. The Historic Preservation Commission had power, because the city had design standards. He is certified as historic preservation specialist and so is his wife. He asked the Council to please table 08-2025 and take a look at it so to have a strong board.
He also talked about state and federal government historic recognization and a local property that is a national historic landmark, covered under the Battlefield Protection Act. He said the city has got a lot of historic protections. He pointed out that what happened in Lambertville is of the most significant impact to the American Revolution, which has an upcoming 250th anniversary.
John briefly described a recent health scare, and offered to connect City Council with a person in town who has 3.5 acres of land and wants it to be used for affordable housing.
The Mayor thanked him and said he is glad John is doing well.
Public comments closed.
The Council enacted the Monarch Butterfly Pledge. The city has been working with Lambertville Goes Wild to plant Milkweed, and, since then, the Mayor has seen five butterflies while walking his dog.
They are in favor of 88-2025 through 93.
94-2025 supports an MOU for Habitat for Humanity for six semidetached houses on Closson Farm. This will authorize the Mayor to work with Habitat for Humanity on a project that will take a couple years. Council will write to Fair Share Housing to amend their settlement, which will bring the city into full compliance for the third round.
Councilwoman Kominsky said it’s great that they were taking this step to build affordable units and make use of this property.
Councilman Lide said it was a mistake to put affordable housing on the police sight, and he hopes Fair Share will accept this.
Councilwoman Lambert thinks it’s ironic that affordable housing started with removing an overlay on this very property.
“It just seems fortuitous and I think it’s great and we need the housing and these people are gonna have a great spot,” she said.
Councilman Stegman said, “This is a place where the dream does not become a nightmare. An idea we had four years ago is becoming a dream come true. We have solved the problem in a way that gives people a place to put their head at night.”
They adopted the motion.
95-2025 donated $500 to Delaware County Senior Citizens. They adopted the motion, but the Mayor opposed it, because he felt that paying $500 to a social and recreational group is not a good use of city funds.
The Council all agreed to pay the bills.
Ordinance 11-2025 amended city code to add a four-way stop near Music Mountain, because it is used as an unofficial shortcut to Rt. 179 North. Neighbors and a speed study found that a four-way stop will help slow traffic and make drivers more conscience about going through the neighborhood.
12-2025 is an ordinance to bring the city into line with what the state does. Current code requires that the city gets three different proposals for repairs. Roof damage, for example, needs immediate attention, so the city will align with the state and only require two quotes. It will be heard on June 26th.
07-2025 amended uniform construction code to change the fee schedule. They introduced this on April 17th, and updated all permitting and construction code fees. There were no public comments. They adopted it.
08-2025 amended land use article 9, land development review section 900. This was reviewed on April 17th and was the second reading and public hearing. It’s an update that allows the city to have a more historic approach to historic assets, making us a certified local government, and giving the HPC more input.
A resident from North Union Street said it is important for the city to become certified, and had suggestions about specific language. She outlined the minor changes that clarify and strengthen the wording.
The Mayor proposed that Lisa and Debbie look at the points. He said he wanted to move it forward and make sure the State Historic Preservation office signs off on it. They will look at her points, he said, and see if they can make those additions, which were outlined on an email just she sent in earlier that day.
Jeff from Wilson Street urged Council to adopt it tonight, “because it’s critical to move it forward. Thank you.”
Councilman Stegman added that the historic zone in the city is currently the CBD, and he hopes the HPC will expand that, because a lot of well-focused residents are making changes to their exterior that are currently outside the historic preservation commission guidelines. Stegman said he read the Beacon.
He thanked the HPC, Cindy, Lindsey, and all of the staff. He said the reason this is happening is because ordinances and resolutions were looked at after Ida.
Stegman said he hopes to “preserve our city in a way that generations to come will be able to come into our city and see the history.”
The Mayor said we can talk about the city we are, and want to be.
Councilwoman Kominsky thanked Lisa and Debbie, Cindy, the Mayor, and everybody who worked on it.
“We’re gonna reinvigorate the historic nature of our city,” Kominsky said, “Our history is our community experience.”
“That experience is more important than some other experiences,” Kominsky added.
Councilman Lide felt the city should be expanding on this, and said Lisa was talking about this four years ago.
They closed the public hearing.
The Mayor made a motion to adopt on the second reading, and the motion carried unanimously.
10-2025 was about the CBD for cannabis retailers. It was reviewed by the planning board and found to be consistent with the master plan. There were no public comments.
The motion carried and they adopted the motion unanimously.
The Mayor talked about JCPL, and is still working on things in town. It was mentioned in Lambertville Matters.
They mentioned the sale of Union Chill.
Bill, the City Attorney, had email an exchange with the potential purchaser and said the attorney asked about local approvals for the transfer of interest. Union Chill has pending approval before state. Overlap would be satisfied with the state. This transfer is contingent on the state so there is nothing the city needs to do. The sale does not impact the city’s tax agreement.
“No impact to planning board?” the Mayor asked.
“The only thing changing is who owns it,” Bill said.
If Union Chill is just transferring interest, there is nothing the city does and no impact on zoning.
Councilwoman Lambert said it is safe to assume they will operate just same as Union Chill’s previous owners.
Bill agreed. He said there is no way for them to expand without the city’s involvement. Any change or expansion has to go through city.
Lambert asked if this could be an opportunity to help the neighbors.
Bill says he’d only had two exchanges with the new owners attorney.
Councilman Lide suggested the city ask the new owners of Union Chill to meet with the neighbors.
Councilwoman Kominsky said they can meet the neighbors so the ongoing issues can be dealt with since they’re new to the community. She cited double parking and lighting as some things that came to mind.
Currently neighbors have to calm the police to address any issues.
Councilman Stegman said there were agreements for how that site got approved.
“Now that we’ve been through it for a while, we can revisit it,” he said.
The Mayor asked what.
Councilman Stegman cited the entrances and exits off of Elm Street. He said cars go in on Elm and out on North Union, and he wondered if it would be possible to take Elm Street entrance away.
The Mayor said they can look at it, but that the driveway used as an exit is not wide enough.
Councilman Lide agreed.
Councilwoman Kominsky mentioned the lighting.
The Mayor sayid lighting is established by CRC.
Councilwoman Kominsky said, “Ask the neighbors.”
The Mayor said neighbors can write their concerns to City Council.
Councilman Lide said he feels this was an oversight.
“We always talked about how we’re gonna modify it. The businesses that are here came here and made deals with neighbors.”
He said he wants to change the ordinance to get ahead of this in case the new owners do not comply.
Councilwoman Lambert said she thinks it’s important to air this so that the community can participate.
Councilman Lide said it was owned by two local people and two people from New Hope, and now it is owned by a huge corporation.
Councilman Stegman said the landlord was supposed to provide parking spaces for the residents that backed up to the parking lot.
“We should see if the owner did that,” he said.
The Council agreed.
Announcements
City offices are closed on May 23rd and My 26th.
The Pride Parade is May 17th.
Public Comments
Jeff from Wilson Street said “Union Chill, is there a walk or drop off?”
Councilman Lide said yes.
Jeff said that, based on the time of application law in NJ, Council could make change up until the law was accepted.
Susan from North Union Street lives across from Union chill. She said she watches carefully and feels customers will park on North Union even more if they were forced in and out of one entrance.
“It’s still a problem,” she said.
She warned Council about people who pull in off Elm Street, run in, and then back out. A guy almost hit her dog, and they exchanged words. He called her a nasty and offensive name.
She expects the new owners will come sit on her front steps like the previous owners did. She said there has been more traffic than she expected, and she suggested they add a mirror by the exit near Hash House.
“It’s not a good turn,” she said.
The Mayor said he asked Union Chill to put up one-way signs, and they did so immediately. He also said the city put a stop sign at the exit near Hash House.
“You have to inch out there,” he said.
He felt the stop sign has made a little bit of a difference, but he thinks another sign denoting pedestrian crossing could help.
A neighbor said Hash House will no longer be open for dinner on Fridays and Saturday.
Councilman Stegman sayid maybe they could make it right turn only, or perhaps eliminate a couple spaces on either side of the driveway to improve visibility.
Susan asked if the Spokeworks building was up for sale, or if it had it been sold.
The Mayor said he had talked to the owner recently, and so he doesn’t see it being sold anytime soon.
There was brief talk about the location of Minno & Wasko Architects, and then the meeting was adjourned.
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