Harvey Lester, Hopewell Township
Did you know that Scotch Road development has begun?
I didn’t think so. That’s because it has begun under the radar.
Is this the beginning of the Scotch Road Town Center in our rural valley? One thousand- or even 500-acre Jacob’s Creek village? Animal shelter?
At a special meeting on Oct. 19, the Hopewell Township Planning Board fast-tracked a proposal to re-zone almost all of the east-side of Scotch Road from “office park” to “a walkable mixed use setting” with hardly any member of the public present.
At the regular Planning Board meeting on Oct. 27, the Planning Board voted to recommend the zoning change to the Township Committee. That’s eight days from initial introduction to development re-zoning recommendation. No traffic study. No economic impact report. No school enrollment study.
The fast-track was so fast that it violated a 10-day public notice requirement, which apparently voided the Planning Board’s recommendation.
That’s why, having given lawful public notice, the Planning Board will again hold a public hearing on its re-zoning recommendation at the regular Planning Board meeting this Thursday, Nov. 17.
Harvey Lester
Hopewell Township
