188 Single Family Homes Approved To Be Built In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — An application proposing to build 188 single-family homes in Hillsborough was unanimously approved by the Hillsborough Planning Board on Thursday.

The construction of the single-family affordable homes will help Hillsborough meet its affordable housing obligation, according to Deputy Mayor Frank DelCore.

DelCore noted that the township had gone to court to fight the affordable housing obligations but ended up losing its ability to "do certain things locally."

"Do I wish we had the ability to do what we really want to do in town? But the reality is there are mandates that we are subject to and we have worked to build a plan that allows us to meet those obligations and mitigate the impact on the town the best as we could," said DelCore at the Thursday night Township Planning Board Meeting.

"I recognize that not everyone will agree with that plan and we wish there are things we might've done differently but the reality is we are backed in with certain projects that need to get done and this is one of them," said DelCore.

Mayor Shawn Lipani also said prior to the vote that the initial application from M&M Realty Partners at Hillsborough, LLC had looked at building four times the amount of homes than the 188 homes approved.

"We are able to negotiate down to this - 188 single-family homes. Which I believe is a much more desirable application than what it could have been. And that's part of the things a lot of people don't know about. People just see the end product and not what it was started at," said Lipani.

The Planning Board unanimously voted to approve M&M's application to subdivide the "Western Tract" of the former Glen Gery Quarry, of about 209.59 acres into 200 lots. The approval included some conditions including the planting of 1,000 trees.

This application would provide the township with 88 affordable units.

Issues encompassing stormwater and sewer management plans had previously been expressed at prior meetings. Read More: Issues Over Proposed 198-Home Development Expressed In Hillsborough

However, the applicant noted that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved most of its permits. There were 10 additional single-family homes initially planned but those were not yet approved by NJDEP.

To see the full application and all accompanying documentation click here.

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