FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Wednesday, 22 July 2020

Lambertville, NJ — This Thursday, July 23, the Lambertville City Council will consider the designation of the Lambertville Police Station as “an area in need of redevelopment,” setting in motion a chain of events that will eventually lead to the sale of the police station site and the relocation of the Police Headquarters to West Amwell indefinitely. At a time where Lambertville residents have limited interaction with their government and are facing a costly public health crisis, Council Candidates Steve Stegman and Benedetta Lambert are calling on the Governing Body to delay the movement on this redevelopment plan to allow for greater community consensus.

“Make no mistake, the sale of the police station is essentially what is on the agenda for Thursday,” said Council Candidate and former Council President Steve Stegman. “Once the area is designated, it will green-light the entire project. A public health emergency and an economic crisis is no time to rush through with this plan. If there is still no guidance that the site is suitable for housing, no determination what the density and site development standards would be, and no determination what the precise plan is and the costs of the police station relocation; then this is not the moment to move ahead with a redevelopment plan. The Governing Body must take a step back to gather and present all the facts — so the community can be shown the exact parameters and cost of the project to determine what is best for Lambertville.”

“It is surprising that the current administration would continue to speed along in this process given the chorus of unanswered questions,” said Council Candidate Benedetta Lambert. “Lambertville has spoken. The Governing Body should have a serious pause about moving quickly on this issue, and on any redevelopment plan involving the sale of our police station or any of our historic resources without a thorough examination of the issues. In addition, the City has yet to explain the process and the next steps before the Court and Judge Miller, who retained jurisdiction over this site. Moving ahead at this meeting is unwarranted.”

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Steve Stegman and Benedetta Lambert are the Democratic Candidates for Lambertville City Council in the upcoming General Election on November 3rd. For more information, please contact them at: StegmanLambertforLambertville@gmail.com.