The project is slated for 10 or 11 establishments, and with the advertising and marketing firm Gallup Robinson occupying the old borough hall, Mayor Susan Riley has expressed hope that the downtown's health will grow. Hopewell Borough formed an economic development committee to try to determine how to keep its town's business climate healthy, with its largest employer, Kooltronics, scheduled to leave for the township in the spring, according to Mayor George Padgett. But preserving its last parcels of open space gained headlines in the summer. Developer Peter Blicher had planned to put senior housing on the borough portion of the 58-acre Ruhland tract, which mostly sits in Hopewell Township. After many twists and turns that nearly derailed the effort, a deal was struck to use that money as part of a state Green Acres purchase.
Closing has yet to occur.
The borough is also hoping that the Ruggieri farm will be preserved in a Green Acres deal. A final vote and public hearing are scheduled for March 9. Under terms of the draft ordinance, a property owner could cut down up to eight trees over a two-year period without needing a permit. But the cutting of landmark trees, or trees that extend over public roads, or more than 50 percent of mature trees on a lot within a year would be forbidden without approval from the township engineer. Committeeman Len Godfrey was absent.