On Thursday, Aug. 18, The Superior Court of New Jersey affirmed the decision of a lower court in the lawsuit between Hopewell Township and the boroughs of Pennington and Hopewell.
The boroughs sued the township over its decision to strike a PILOT deal with Lennar Homes, builders of the Hopewell Parc development in the township. The lower court ruled for the township in May 2023, and the Superior Court upheld that decision.
With this ruling, assuming the ruling is not appealed further, the township can now move forward with providing up to $16.1 million in funding for critical improvements at Bear Tavern Elementary School. That funding had been held up while the decision on the appeal was pending.
“We are grateful that the courts have consistently upheld our position,” said Mayor Courtney Peters-Manning in a statement. “This outcome allows us to deliver on our longstanding commitment to our schools and provide students with the permanent, modern classrooms they deserve.”
The township and the school district say that the funding will eliminate the use of decades-old trailers and create lasting improvements at Bear Tavern.
The Hopewell Township Committee says it will continue to work with the Hopewell Valley Regional School District to move forward with this project.
