UPCOMING BOARD MEETING

Thursday March 2, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Hillsborough Municipal Building Courtroom

Your Attendance at Planning Board Meetings Demonstrates Community Concerns

The application for 189/203 Homestead Road will be reviewed by the Planning Board for approval of consolidating those 2 lots to build 2 warehouses totaling the size of NINE football fields as a 24-hour operation. We need residents to ask questions about the expert testimony given at each Planning Board meeting. Residents can only ask general questions about the overall development after all the expert testimonies have been given. That’s why it’s important to attend all meetings related to the warehouses.

Update on All Seven Proposed Warehouses

Seven warehouses have been proposed in Hillsborough and will be reviewed by the Planning Board through June. The plans for the warehouses encompass over ONE MILLION square feet which add more impervious surfaces in areas that are already flood-prone. The warehouse at 303 Amwell Road is near where a fatal drowning in a car occurred during Hurricane Ida. 

Warehouses should NOT be located in residential areas and flood-prone areas. They generate heavy truck traffic, diesel fumes, noise, and flooding due to extensive impervious cover. Please attend Planning Board meetings to effectively voice your concerns!

What You Can Do

Donate Funds to Hire Experts 
So far, residents have hired lawyers,  planners, traffic experts, and stormwater experts for some of the warehouses. The Board of the Hearthstone Adult community has successfully hired a lawyer to help them fight the Weston Road warehouse. The greatest need for donations is 203 Homestead Road because of its immense size.   We have talked to a Planning expert to testify about the application with regard to zoning criteria and unsuitable locations for the warehouses. It is also helpful to have legal representation regarding land use laws and precedence in other cases.

Your donation to SWAT helps preserve our quality of life, safety of our residents, and property values. Checks must be made out to SWAT.  Indicate in the memo line whether you want to donate to “General” or “203 Homestead”  as described below.  For questions, email suzanneochse@aol.com

1. SWAT General -- this fund covers general expenses for SWAT such as signs, publicity, website, etc., and any other expenses that benefit the general cause against all warehouses in Hillsborough. 

2. SWAT 203 Homestead -- this fund covers expenses to specifically oppose the Homestead LLC application for the largest proposed warehouses at 189/203 Homestead Road. This fund covers expenses for experts. 

Mail your check to the SWAT Treasurer:

Suzanne Ochse

425 Willow Road

Hillsborough, NJ 08844

Rally Your Neighborhood and Ask Questions at Meetings 
Encourage neighbors and friends to attend Planning Board meetings to question the reports on traffic safety, traffic volume, cost of road maintenance, and environmental impacts such as flooding, light and noise pollution, air quality, and quality of life. For example, ask the experts who will pay for wear and tear on local roads?  What is the impact on town center traffic when trucks use it to get to 287 North? What happens to the goal of slower pedestrian-friendly town center traffic when trucks have to meet timelines? To get to 287 South, trucks will need to drive on Willow Road and  Amwell Road. 

Request that the zoning ordinances be changed to prevent more warehouses! The master plan also needs to be updated to protect our town from being overrun by warehouses.  When the master plan isn’t clear about intended land use, the impact on residents can be disastrous. Residents can also encourage the Planning Board to follow the recommendations of the Inland Flood Protection Act which provides guidance on resilient and sustainable development! 

For lawn signs, contact Bob Harris at rlharris123@comcast.net $10 for lawn signs and $40 for large signs to cover printing costs.

Warehouse Information & Planning Board Dates

Read more on the SWAT website https://www.swat-hb.org/

Ask your neighbors and friends to oppose the warehouses and email stophomesteadwarehouses@gmail.com to find out how they can help.

 
 
 
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