Articles Land use and development
The Former Belle Mead Depot: A Solar Lease, a Settled Lawsuit and a Federal Cleanup
The Army's former Belle Mead depot in Hillsborough is now owned by the Somerset County Improvement Authority; the township holds land there under a lease-purchase agreement. Hillsborough subleased part of that land to a solar developer in 2023. A lawsuit delayed the project until the Committee approved a settlement in February 2026, and the sublease deadlines were extended in March. The federal government is asking for $33,652,000 more to finish the cleanup.
Which Belle Mead
“Belle Mead” is a postal name that covers parts of both Hillsborough and Montgomery. This page is about the former federal depot, where Hillsborough holds land under an agreement with the Somerset County Improvement Authority (SCIA). It is not the “Belle Mead Station” project in Montgomery Township.
What it is
The Army set up the Belle Mead depot on April 29, 1942, on about 868 acres, and activated it that August. In 1958 about 800 acres passed to the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal agency that manages government property. GSA used the depot to store and ship federal supplies, including batteries, paint, petroleum products, propane, pesticides, solvents and strategic metals.
The land was later divided:
- The North Parcel, about 335 acres, went from GSA to a private owner in November 1986. It has had several owners since, and GSA says it is now controlled by the SCIA.
- The South Parcel, about 464 acres, went to the SCIA in 2009.
GSA no longer owns any of it, but under federal Superfund law it is still responsible for finishing the environmental cleanup. Its obligations are set out in an April 2000 agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).
Hillsborough’s role comes through a lease-purchase agreement with the SCIA covering the land, as the township’s own resolutions describe it.
The solar project
| Date | Action | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 26, 2023 | The Committee approves a Land Sublease Agreement with Belle Mead Depot Solar, LLC “to develop, own and operate a solar energy facility” on the property | R-342-2023 |
| Aug 12, 2025 | First amendment adds a metes-and-bounds description of the leased area and other changes “to accommodate the Project” | R-224-2025 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | Second amendment extends “certain timeframes” because of “the delay in the Project associated with litigation involving the Property”; approved unanimously on the consent agenda | R-118-2026 |
At the March 10 meeting the township administrator said the payments were being extended “because the solar field is taking longer to build.”
The public record does not give the size of the array, which parcel it is on, when construction will start, or what rent the township receives.
The lawsuit
The case is Donald J. Volkert, as Special Fiscal Agent on behalf of Hillsborough Properties, LLC v. Somerset County Improvement Authority, Township of Hillsborough and County of Somerset, Superior Court, Somerset County, Law Division, Docket No. SOM-L-001705-24. The settlement resolution says only that the plaintiff “makes numerous allegations and asserts various causes of action against the Township.” The complaint itself is not posted.
On February 24, 2026 the Committee approved a “Settlement Agreement and General Release” (R-99-2026) as one of the consent items (1–3 and 5–14) approved unanimously. The township attorney described the terms at the meeting:
| Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hillsborough Township | $50,000 |
| Somerset County Improvement Authority | $50,000 |
| The solar company | $150,000 |
The settlement agreement itself was not posted with the resolution.
The cleanup
GSA’s fiscal year 2026 prospectus asks Congress for $33,652,000:
| Part | Amount |
|---|---|
| Design | $2,109,000 |
| Estimated construction cost | $29,506,000 |
| Management and inspection | $2,037,000 |
What it pays for. GSA began investigating groundwater on the North Parcel in April 2019 and found trichloroethylene (TCE) above New Jersey’s standards. Further sampling ran from October 2019 to February 2025. GSA says TCE and carbon tetrachloride in the groundwater exceed state standards. The money would pay for chemical injections to treat groundwater on the North Parcel and at the Motor Pool Area on the South Parcel, the removal of contaminated battery debris at the Battery Casing Area, and 30 years of monitoring.
Schedule. Design and construction are planned from FY 2026 to FY 2032. The SCIA, which is responsible for the two South Parcel areas, “must complete the remediation by the May 6, 2028, regulatory deadline.”
Earlier money. GSA has already transferred $11,177,000 for design and permitting (FY 2015) and $66,079,000 for construction and inspection (FY 2017).
What is not known
- The solar facility’s size, location on the site, grid connection and construction start.
- The sublease rent and term, and how much the township has paid under the SCIA lease-purchase.
- What the lawsuit alleged, and the full settlement terms.
- Whether Congress funded the FY 2026 cleanup request.
- Whether a Planning Board or other land-use approval is needed or has been filed. None was found on the Planning Board’s agendas from October 2025 onward.
What residents can do
- Ask the Township Committee for the sublease, its amendments and the rent schedule. Public comment is open at every meeting; the remaining 2026 dates are November 10 (special, 6:30 pm), November 24 and December 15 (7:30 pm), at 379 South Branch Road.
- Watch the Planning Board. Agendas are on the township’s CivicClerk portal.
- Request the records. Through the Township Clerk (OPRA): the Volkert settlement agreement, the sublease and both amendments, and the SCIA lease-purchase agreement.
- Follow the cleanup through GSA’s prospectus and EPA’s site record for “GSA Depot-Belle Mead #1”.