Residents Voice Concerns at Township Town Hall on Affordable Housing
Nicholas Mistretta
Montgomery Township’s Affordable Housing Town Hall drew a large crowd last night, as residents gathered to hear updates and voice concerns on one of the community’s most pressing issues.
Mayor Neena Singh opened the meeting, underscoring the importance of transparency and dialogue as the township weighs several paths forward. Township Administrator Lori Savron followed with an update on potential alternatives under consideration.
One possibility centers on the Transit Commercial property near the Belle Mead Train Station, owned by the same group that owns Pike Run. The township is currently in discussions with the owners about extending the affordable housing controls on roughly 210 existing Pike Run units — an extension that would require payment. The owners are requesting a zoning change that would allow them to build market-rate apartments on the Transit Commercial site. “This is an ongoing negotiation and something we are looking into,” Savron explained.
Savron also outlined a second option: the creation of a Neurodiverse Community on a six-acre parcel next to Skillman Park. The model, she explained, would represent a new type of supportive housing, tailored for residents with neurodiverse needs. “It’s a smaller opportunity but something we really wanted to explore,” Savron said.
Additionally, 23 Orchard remains on the table as a potential site.
The meeting’s most pivotal moment came during the public comment session, when developer Eli Kahn of EKAHN Development addressed the audience. Kahn, joined by partner Matt Adams, described his firm as the “equitable owner” of the former Kenvue property.
“We put the Skillman property under agreement in August of last year,” Kahn said, noting that the site had been marketed unsuccessfully for over a year to corporations seeking to use it as an industrial facility. “At the end of the day, nobody wanted it. Matt and I specialize in redeveloping functionally obsolete assets in the tri-state area. We are really good at what we do.”
Kahn emphasized that his original intent was not residential redevelopment. “We first approached Montgomery township in Septemeber of last year. The 417 homes you are looking at was nowhere in our mind when we first purchased the property,” he said, explaining that their initial proposal to adaptively reuse the site as a manufacturing campus met with disapproval.
The current proposal for 417 residential units across 368 acres has sparked heated pushback from residents, who view the scale as overwhelming. Kahn countered that the design represents a “very low intensity plan” compared to what zoning might otherwise allow. “There’s 800,000 square feet of commercial space on this property. There’s 1,400 parking spaces,” he said.
When Kahn’s remarks exceeded the three-minute time limit, Mayor Singh intervened, reminding him of the rules and asking him to conclude unless residents wished for him to continue. Kahn closed by inviting residents to learn more.
“We look forward to September 8th and presenting everything we have prepared,” he said, offering to host an on-site session before that date. “This property is going to get redeveloped. Kenvue is moving. No other large corporation stepped up to purchase the property. We pride ourselves in partnering with host communities. You may not like what we do, but we’d like to work with the community.”
Several residents voiced sharp concerns to the current plan. Skillman resident Christine Newman pushed back against the developers’ remarks, calling them “condescending.” She added, “You’re going to build it and leave, and we’re going to have to stay and live with it. It’s not ideal for affordable housing because you can’t walk anywhere on that road. EMS and the fire departments will be very affected.” Grandview Road resident Diane Talarick echoed the unease, urging that if rezoning does occur, it should not be for such a large number of homes. “My father sold that property to the original Johnson & Johnson because he wanted to preserve the land, not see it developed,” she said. “I grew up there, and even when J&J was in full swing there were never hundreds of trucks going in and out of there—and a truck never went up Grandview. That’s just not the route it would take.”
To watch full meeting, click here.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com