Hillsborough Looks To Amend Warehouse Ordinance Following Settlement

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Hillsborough is looking to amend and update its 2023 warehouse ordinance following a settlement agreement between the Township and Hillsborough Industrial, LLC.

Hillsborough Industrial filed a lawsuit against the Township in January 2025 looking to 'invalidate and vacate' Hillsborough's warehouse ordinance.

On Dec. 5, 2025, the settlement was rendered where the Township would amend its ordinance to render Hillsborough Industrial's existing structures and uses conforming to the I-2 Light Industrial District.

"To be completely honest with you, regardless of the litigation, the way that we approached this was just sound planning in terms of thinking about how this district is different than some of our other districts, most notably the LI," said Planning Director and Deputy Zoning Officer David Kois at the Feb. 5 Planning Board meeting.

Kois said the Township cleaned up the ordinance to make sure it is consistent with the Master Plan and also "has uses that can bring in ratables."

"Try to make a difficult situation into a positive one is what we did," said Kois.

Kois outlined some of the highlights of the ordinance.

• The ordinance adds a definition for small-scale storage and distribution
• Establishes limitations on the size and operational characteristics of such uses
• Permits the use as a principal permitted use within the applicable industrial district
• Clarifies permitted manufacturing and assembly uses conducted entirely within closed buildings
• Establishes a maximum load dock ratio and includes provisions addressing nonconforming structures.
• The ordinance provides additional clarity regarding the scale and intensity of storage and distribution activities, limits truck and loading impacts through defined performance standards, and maintains compatibility within surrounding land uses

The ordinance impacts eight different locations in the Township, including along the CSX line, on Route 206 towards the north by Camplain Road; on Route 206 across from Duke Farms; on Dukes Parkways East; on Camplain Road; on Sunnymead Road; on Weston Road; and an area in Flagtown past the bridge.

"We believe that the limits that have put on there - the docks, the size, and things like that, that those will help govern the situation," said Kois.

Committee member and Planning Board member Shawn Lipani said he felt the biggest key part of the amendment was that the Township is limiting the size of the building and the number of load docks.

"So they couldn’t just blow the whole site up and build something else. So I think this is the key here, is that whatever's there it can stay in that use, but it can never be destroyed in a large-scale logistic area or whatever to be built," said Lipani.

The Planning Board reviewed the amended ordinance and ultimately, on Thursday, found it to be "consistent" with Hillsborough's Master Plan.

The ordinance will now go before the Township Committee at its Feb. 24 meeting for a public hearing and final adoption.

See the amended ordinance below:

Ordinance 2026-01 - Permit Small Scale Storage & Distribution Facilities & Manufacturing, Processin... by Alexis Tarrazi

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