There is a lot to look forward to in Hopewell Township in 2024.
First, after years of planning and anticipation, the Hopewell Valley Senior and Community Center is scheduled to break ground in 2024. Currently, the architectural firm Spiezle, hired by the township in October, is in the process of developing bid-ready final design plans.
The center’s design will reflect the extensive community input collected by Spiezle and the township, with formal outreach conducted with four core stakeholder groups: seniors, recreation, the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and other community groups. Lennar, who is building a new inclusionary housing neighborhood behind the Pennington circle, is on-track to finish connecting all of the necessary utilities to the site, such as electricity, water, gas, stormwater management, and sewer.
Finally, the Hopewell Valley YMCA announced in October that they have closed on the purchase of 14 acres of land that adjoin the Zaitz Tract off of Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, near the Pennington Circle, that will provide additional space for the center as well as an important secondary access route. The new center will include two indoor pools, fitness space, a kitchen and space for the Senior lunch program, classrooms, and more.
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On the theme of bringing the community together, the Bandshell at Woolsey Park is nearing completion. It will be ready to host concerts and other community events come spring.
The bandshell, funded completely through a grant secured by our New Jersey legislative representatives, Sen. Shirley Turner, Assemblyman Anthony Verrelli, and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, will provide a new venue for concerts, presentations, and other community events at Woolsey Park.
Please also join me in welcoming our newest neighbors and community members to Hopewell Township who are residents of the Hopewell Parc neighborhood on Scotch Road. While only the first few units currently are occupied, more will slowly join them over the course of the year, and we look forward to the contributions our new neighbors will bring to our community.
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Finally, our community partner BeiGene is nearing completion of their flagship U.S. manufacturing and clinical research and development center at the Princeton Innovation West Campus in the township, on Pennington-Rocky Hill Road. They are anticipating a ribbon cutting in mid- 2024, bringing hundreds of high-paid jobs to the Hopewell Valley.
BeiGene also will bring much-needed commercial revenue to the township, which has been a long-term goal of the township committee. BeiGene’s mission is to create effective cancer treatments that are more accessible and affordable to people around the world.
We are proud that Hopewell Township will be a part of bringing that mission to life.
Stay tuned for more news on all of these exciting developments as we move through 2024. Frequent updates can be found on all Hopewell Township social media channels.
Courtney Peters-Manning,
