Lambertville Council President Speaks Against Police Station Sale; Mayor Issues Statement

LAMBERTVILLE, NJ — All four members of Lambertville's city council have now spoken against a proposed police station redevelopment plan, after two council members issued statements Monday.

The plan to replace the police station with an apartment building has long been controversial, with local watchdog organization Lambertville United spearheading much of the criticism.

Primary concerns included that the proposed apartments on the current police site would provide just five units of affordable housing, and that the flood-prone site may also be contaminated or dangerous for residents.

Recently, Lambertville United also raised a red flag about the proposed new police station site at 80 Lambert Lane's proximity to the Delaware River, in a notorious flood zone, encouraging council members to vote against the project.

On Monday morning, council president Julia Taylor issued a statement saying the project would not go forward.

"[T]here is too much uncertainty in the proposed plan for me to support it," she wrote. "Without exaggeration, this is one of the hardest decisions I have ever made, and I did not make it lightly."

She said the work session scheduled for Dec. 14 has been cancelled, and that the issues will be discussed in more detail at the voting session Dec. 16.

Lambertville United shared an email apparently from councilman Wardell Sanders on Monday, in which he also said he'd advised the mayor that he would vote "no" to the project.

"The plan up for a vote on the 16th was not without its merits and would have addressed some pressing financial concerns and housing needs, but it also had significant drawbacks, most importantly [that] we could not find a permanent, affordable and suitable solution to relocating the police despite the best efforts of the Mayor, the governing body, and our professionals," Sanders wrote.

Mayor Julia Fahl said in a letter Monday afternoon that the delay "only increases the urgency of these measures in the New Year while shortening the timeline to work on the implementation of these complex plans."

She said the plan intended to: address the state-mandated affordable housing requirement by building new units, use the surplus from the $1 million sale of the police municipal site to avoid major tax increases for residents, and create space for the community to do a full-scale master plan to address facility needs in all buildings within the next five years.

Fahl expressed being "deeply disappointed" in the decisions of council members regarding the proposal, writing: "Doing nothing is a choice that comes with real consequences for the residents of Lambertville, likely including significant tax increases to cover the shortfall, breaking the legally negotiated agreement with Fair Share to meet the City’s low income housing mandate, and a reduced ability to fund our recovery from Hurricane Ida."

Though she did not share the same desire to go forward with the plan, Taylor expressed similar concerns about what a delay could mean for the city.

"We now face two immense challenges — a significant budget deficit that has been essentially doubled by Hurricane Ida, and the requirement, both moral and court-imposed, to meet our affordable housing obligations," she wrote. "To tackle these challenges while also recovering from the flood and planning for future flood mitigation, not to mention addressing basic city services, we must come together as a community to find solutions."

She also advised against remaining what she called "a city of 'no.'"

"Hyperbole, vitriol, finger-pointing, and cynicism cannot drive our public discourse moving forward," Taylor wrote. "We must get to ‘yes’ on the difficult decisions we know lie ahead."

Lambertville United celebrated the decision after its efforts opposing the plan, calling the decision "a big win for those who support public safety and protecting our environment."

"When the city engages with the community to solve problems, it's evident that we can move quickly to achieve our shared goals," a representative wrote. "The community response to the police site sale was due to a lack of dialogue between the city and residents."

The watchdog group said it expected incumbent mayor Andrew Nowick to work closely with community members during his tenure.

Fahl worries that the burden placed on Nowick will be significant, but also vowed to support Lambertville's government if needed in future.

"[M]y time as mayor is coming to an end and the responsibility to meet our moral and legal housing obligations and address the city’s financial challenges will now fall to Mayor-elect Nowick," Fahl wrote, adding, "I pledge to support the Mayor-elect and members of Council and encourage them to govern proactively, prudently, and responsibly for all our residents and for the long-term fiscal health of the City. I remain committed to the City of Lambertville and if ever called upon, I will gladly continue to offer any expertise and advice to find solutions for these critical issues moving forward."

The next mayor and council meeting will take place at the Phillip L. Pittore Justice Center at 7 p.m. Thursday. View the agenda here.

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