Articles Land use and development
The Former Lord Stirling School, Explained: The Redevelopment Study and the Planning Board Hearing
What the Township Committee's 3-2 vote on Nov. 11, 2025 set in motion at 99 Lord Stirling Road and 25 Sherwood Drive, what an "area in need of redevelopment" means, who has spoken, and where the Planning Board's hearing stands.
The short version
- The study area is two lots: 99 Lord Stirling Road (Block 3101, Lot 2), the former Lord Stirling School on about 10.8 acres (as NJ Hills has reported), and 25 Sherwood Drive (Block 3101, Lot 3), a single-family lot.
- On Nov. 11, 2025 the Township Committee voted 3-2 to ask the Planning Board whether they are an “area in need of redevelopment,” without eminent domain.
- Burgis Associates, the Board’s planner, prepared the study; the Board gave notice on Oct. 1, 2026 that it was on file. The Board’s public hearing opened Oct. 20, 2026 and continues Dec. 8, 2026. No vote has been taken.
The property
The former school sits on land zoned for single-family homes on two-acre lots. NJ Hills reported that the school closed in the spring of 2020 and that the campus has a two-and-a-half-story school building, a Dutch barn used as a gymnasium, and a third structure.
At the Committee’s July 29, 2025 meeting, Michael Silbert, an attorney at DiFrancesco, Bateman, spoke for his client Lord Stirling Property LLC (John Rocker) “to bring awareness to this vacant property and the visions his client has for the property,” and Mr. Rocker spoke “on his vision to improve this property,” the minutes say. Five other speakers that night supported improving the property, among them the director of housing of Our House, Inc., who spoke of the need for special-needs housing.
What the owner has proposed. No concept plan is in the township record LocalWhy reviewed. The press has described it two ways:
| Outlet | Description |
|---|---|
| NJ Hills, report on the June 23, 2026 meeting | A conceptual plan with 38 housing units for people 55 and over, plus one structure for special-needs individuals |
| TAPinto, Oct. 19, 2026 | Previous concepts of 10 age-restricted housing units and housing for people with special needs |
What “area in need of redevelopment” means
Under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, a governing body may ask its planning board to investigate whether land meets the statute’s criteria. The board holds a hearing and makes a recommendation; the governing body then decides by resolution. If land is designated, the town may adopt a redevelopment plan by ordinance, which can set zoning different from the existing zone. The Board’s planner, Allison Fahey of Burgis Associates, gave the Board an overview of the law on June 2, 2026.
Res. #2025-0395 makes this a non-condemnation study. The Board’s hearing notice says a designation “shall authorize Bernards Township to exercise all rights available to it pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:12A-8, but shall not authorize Bernards Township to exercise the power of eminent domain.”
The Committee’s vote
| Date | Action | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 11, 2025 | Res. #2025-0395 authorizes the Planning Board to undertake the preliminary investigation of Block 3101, Lots 2 and 3 as a Non-Condemnation Redevelopment Area (motion Tancredi, second Duarte McCarthy) | 3-2: aye McNally, Tancredi, Fields; nay Asay, Duarte McCarthy |
The minutes record no statement of reasons from any member. Two residents spoke about the resolution that night: Todd Edelstein of Riverside Drive and John Conlon of Sherwood Drive.
The 2026 Committee is Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy, Deputy Mayor John Tompkins, Jennifer Asay, Brett Hodges and Andrew McNally. Two of the three members who voted for the study, Janice Fields and David Tancredi, are no longer on the Committee.
What residents have said
The Committee’s minutes list each speaker’s name and address and the subject, not what was said:
| Committee meeting | Speakers on the property |
|---|---|
| Nov. 11, 2025 | 2 (on Res. #2025-0395) |
| June 23, 2026 | 13 entries naming 15 people |
| July 14, 2026 | 3 |
| July 28, 2026 | 5 |
| Aug. 11, 2026 | 4 |
| Sept. 15, 2026 | 1 (on making the school a historic preservation site) |
| Sept. 29, 2026 | 1 (on the Master Plan as it relates to the property) |
That is about 30 speaker appearances. NJ Hills reported that about 100 people came to the June 23 meeting, that 11 speakers argued for the owner’s plans, and that two neighbors objected. It also reported that Mayor Duarte McCarthy said the matter was before the Planning Board and Committee members “are not supposed to be commenting about this.” Patch’s July 29, 2026 report was headlined “Neighbors Urge Maintenance, Oppose Redevelopment Of Lord Stirling Property.”
TAPinto reported on Oct. 19, 2026 that a neighborhood flyer states that Preservation New Jersey has listed the former school among the state’s “10 Most Endangered Historic Places.” LocalWhy has not found that listing in a government record.
The Planning Board’s hearing
- Oct. 1, 2026: the Board gave notice that the study, “Block 3101, Lots 2 & 3, Area in Need of Redevelopment Study,” prepared by Burgis Associates, was on file with the Board Secretary and the Township Clerk, and that the hearing would be held Oct. 20. The notice was posted again on Oct. 8.
- Oct. 6, 2026: the Board met in closed session for legal advice on “the procedures for undertaking a preliminary investigation,” its minutes say.
- Oct. 20, 2026: the hearing opened. The township’s recording shows the Board took no vote. It carried the hearing to Dec. 8, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., with no further notice, because it did not expect a quorum on Nov. 3 or Nov. 17.
The Board had not posted minutes of the Oct. 20 meeting as of Nov. 1, 2026. The account above is taken from the township’s recording at summary level and will be checked against the minutes once they are posted. LocalWhy has not reviewed the study itself.
What is not known
- The study’s findings, in its own words, and the Board’s recommendation (no vote yet).
- What the Committee would do with a recommendation, and any redevelopment plan’s terms.
- When and for how much the owner bought the property; it is not in the record reviewed.
What residents can do
- Attend Dec. 8. Members of the public “may, either directly or through counsel, and either orally or in writing,” be heard, the hearing notice says.
- Read the study. It is available for inspection at the Engineering Services Building, 277 South Maple Avenue, and the Municipal Building, One Collyer Lane.
- Speak to the Committee. Township Committee meetings have public comment.