By Barbara A. Preston | Posted February 19, 2026
The tiny borough of Rocky Hill, nestled along the D&R Canal State Park and within walking distance to the booming real estate markets of Princeton and Montgomery Township, may see a huge population spike.
The historic village has about 280 households, but that may increase by another 91 homes in the form of condos and rowhomes on a historic farm property off Princeton Avenue. This 32% increase would include 18 affordable units.
The property includes a Rocky Hill landmark farm house at 11 Princeton Avenue. It was built in the 1850s for Abraham Vanderveer, according to the National Register of Historic Places. It also includes open fields and a small horse barn.
Rocky Hill Borough Council voted to adopt a resolution at its Jan. 15 meeting to authorize the execution of the new affordable housing agreement to meet its affordable housing mandate.
This population boom would come to a community that has a part-time municipal building, which is only open on Wednesdays from 3:30 pm to 6 pm.
The town also relies on the NJ State Police, Troop C, Kingwood Station, located 40 minutes away in Frenchtown as a “rural constabulary.” The State Police serve numerous municipalities in NJ, primarily in rural areas, because those towns lack the tax base to support their own local police departments. Such is the case in Rocky Hill.
Rocky Hill Borough Council had already approved an ordinance in December 2021 allowing for a 78-unit housing project on the 15-acre farm field on Princeton Avenue. That had included 58 market-price rowhomes, four single-family homes, and 16 affordable condos. That project would have increased the total number of homes in the borough by about 28 percent, from 280 to 358.
While the project was approved five years ago, it had yet to be developed. Meanwhile, the developer was able to purchase a few extra acres that included the adjacent historic farm house, a horse barn with a small pasture, and two lots that were already approved for two duplexes.
The Round 4 NJ Affordable Housing mandate gave the developer the opportunity to challenge the former agreement with Rocky Hill — which some would argue were already too many units.
Now the developer wants to add 13 more units, which would bring the total units from 78 to 91.
Rocky Hill Borough Lawyer Alexander G. Fisher says the borough could have been on the hook for building many more units that “just 91.”
In 2025, the State of NJ assigned a new, Round 4 affordable housing obligation to Rocky Hill of 37 units.
Rocky Hill officials argued there was no place in town to build that many units — especially since courts allow developers to build four market units for each affordable unit so that the developer can make money on the projects. That would have meant 185 new housing units for Rocky Hill, or even more!
Rocky Hill officials were seeking a “Vacant Land Adjustment (VLA).” Municipalities can request an adjustment to their obligation based on the determination that there is not sufficient vacant or developable land within the municipality, as permitted by N.J.A.C. 5:93-4 and the Fair Housing Act. The end result would be the determination of the Rocky Hill Borough’s Realistic Development Potential (RDP) for new affordable housing units.
While the borough was waiting to see whether its VLA adjustment would be accepted by the courts, the developer of the Rocky Hill farm property on Princeton Avenue — David K. Schafer of Jupiter, Florida — legally challenged the borough, calling for an increase in density of his project. Schafer reasoned that he had acquired additional property (a few acres) adjacent to his 15 acres, and that he could add more units to his project. (See map to the right).
The new plan calls for 91 housing units off Princeton Ave in Rocky Hill.
Borough Attorney Fisher says of the deal, “This is one of the most reasonable I have honestly ever seen in my time.
“It provides for potential preservation of the Vanderveer house (on the Historic Register of National Places).
“The developer owns it out right, and could knock it down. Anyone who owns it could knock it down. He can knock it down. You cannot stop him. You can make it hard, but you cannot stop him. \
“The agreement, in my opinion, is very reasonable, considering the amount of acreage he’s got, and the very limited number of extra units he got.”
Mayor Bob Uhrik weighed in with his opinion at the January Borough Council meeting. He said his biggest concerns were that the affordable units be offered for sale, as opposed to being rental units.
“I cannot personally see apartments on that property. Home ownership is more in tune with our community. “Also, that historic house has to be saved.”
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March 10. The Planning Board will be expected to vote to “find the development to be not inconsistent with the borough’s master plan.”
March 11. Borough Council will be expected to approve the ordinance in support of the agreement.
Residents raised particular objections to the affordable housing settlement as they understand it.
Peggy Querec said council made the decision in the absence of community input.
Attorney Fisher, who attended the meeting remotely, replied the council had only two or three months to present a settlement plan, after which the courts would likely approve a “builder’s remedy,” frequently allowing a higher density of new units.
Rocky Hill resident and former Borough Council member Susan Bristol attended the meeting and said she was concerned there is no guarantee that the historic Vanderveer house will be preserved. She also criticized borough council for not having any public hearings on this. There was no opportunity for public input or public comment on the agreement, she said.
“Who ever is crunching the numbers does not have any imagination or creativity. This needs to be revised,” Bristol said.
