Land use and development

The former Belle Mead depot: solar lease and cleanup

Hillsborough subleases part of the former federal Belle Mead depot to a company that plans a solar facility. A lawsuit held the project up until the Committee approved a settlement in February 2026. The federal government is asking Congress for $33,652,000 to finish cleaning up contaminated groundwater and soil there.

Checked against the primary record on . Every figure on this page is sourced at the foot of the article.

Suit settled; solar sublease extended; cleanup funding requested Last moved

What happens next

No vote or application is scheduled. Watch Planning Board agendas for a solar site plan, and ask the Township Committee for the sublease terms and the construction schedule. The county authority that owns the land must finish its share of the cleanup by May 6, 2028.

The Army opened the Belle Mead depot in 1942 on about 868 acres. The federal General Services Administration (GSA) later used it to store supplies, including batteries, paint, petroleum, pesticides and solvents. The land now belongs to the Somerset County Improvement Authority (SCIA), and Hillsborough holds land there under a lease-purchase agreement with the SCIA. This is not the “Belle Mead Station” project in neighboring Montgomery.

In September 2023 the Township Committee subleased part of the land to Belle Mead Depot Solar, LLC to build and run a solar energy facility (R-342-2023). A first amendment in August 2025 defined the leased area (R-224-2025). A lawsuit over the property, Volkert v. Somerset County Improvement Authority, Township of Hillsborough and County of Somerset (SOM-L-001705-24), delayed the project. On February 24, 2026 the Committee unanimously approved a settlement (R-99-2026). The township attorney said Hillsborough and the SCIA each pay the plaintiff $50,000 and the solar company pays $150,000. On March 10 the Committee unanimously approved a second amendment extending the sublease’s deadlines “due to the delay in the Project associated with litigation” (R-118-2026).

The cleanup is a separate federal job. GSA’s 2026 budget request asks for $33,652,000 to treat groundwater contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) and carbon tetrachloride, remove battery debris from the soil, and monitor the site for 30 years, with work scheduled from 2026 to 2032.

The size of the solar array, its location on the site, its construction date and the rent the township receives are not in the public record. No Planning Board application for it has been found.

The Belle Mead depot, explained

Timeline

Each dated event on this issue, oldest first, linked to the full sourced entry.

  1. Milestone Army establishes the Belle Mead depotThe Army acquired about 868 acres for the Belle Mead depot and activated it on August 10, 1942. About 800 acres passed to the General Services Administration in 1958, which used it to store federal supplies.
  2. Milestone South Parcel of the depot goes to the county improvement authorityGSA transferred the remaining roughly 464 acres of the depot, the South Parcel, to the Somerset County Improvement Authority. The SCIA is responsible for cleaning up two areas on it.
  3. Milestone Federal investigation finds TCE in groundwater under the North ParcelGSA began a remedial investigation of groundwater on the North Parcel and found trichloroethylene (TCE) above New Jersey standards. Sampling to map the plume ran from October 2019 to February 2025.
  4. Resolved Township subleases depot land for a solar facilityThe Township Committee approved a Land Sublease Agreement with Belle Mead Depot Solar, LLC to develop, own and operate a solar energy facility on land the township holds under a lease-purchase agreement with the SCIA (R-342-2023).
  5. In court Lawsuit over the depot property filed against the township, county and SCIADonald J. Volkert, as Special Fiscal Agent on behalf of Hillsborough Properties, LLC, sued the Somerset County Improvement Authority, Hillsborough Township and Somerset County in Superior Court (SOM-L-001705-24).
  6. Resolved First amendment to the depot solar subleaseThe Committee approved a first amendment to the Belle Mead Depot Solar sublease, adding a metes- and-bounds description of the leased area and other changes to accommodate the project (R-224-2025).
  7. Resolved Committee approves settlement of the depot lawsuitThe Committee approved a settlement in the Volkert case (R-99-2026) as one of the consent items (1–3 and 5–14) approved unanimously. The township attorney said Hillsborough and the SCIA each pay $50,000 and the solar company pays $150,000 to the plaintiff.
  8. Resolved Solar sublease deadlines extended after the lawsuit delayThe Committee unanimously approved a second amendment to the Belle Mead Depot Solar sublease and easement agreement, extending certain timeframes because of the delay caused by the litigation (R-118-2026).
  9. Pending Deadline for the county authority to finish its depot cleanupGSA says the Somerset County Improvement Authority must finish cleaning up the Motor Pool Area and Battery Casing Area on the South Parcel by May 6, 2028, a regulatory deadline.

Explainers

  • 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.

Documents

The township's own records on this issue. Each links to the official copy.

Meetings

  • Township Committee — March 10, 2026

    Ordinance 2026-03, selling the Mindel tract's development easement to the state farmland program, was introduced unanimously. The consent agenda committed the township to adopt its Fourth Round housing ordinances and amended the Belle Mead depot solar sublease.

  • Township Committee — February 24, 2026

    The Committee awarded the $593,000 police department renovation, bought two police drones, settled the Volkert lawsuit tied to the former Belle Mead depot solar project, and adopted Ordinance 2026-01 on industrial-district uses.

Sources for this overview

  1. GSA, Fact Sheet: Belle Mead Depot Remediation (FY 2026 prospectus) LocalWhy copy of GSA, Fact Sheet: Belle Mead Depot Remediation (FY 2026 prospectus) (opens in a new tab)
  2. Township Committee minutes, February 24, 2026 (Volkert settlement, R-99-2026) LocalWhy copy of Township Committee minutes, February 24, 2026 (Volkert settlement, R-99-2026) (opens in a new tab)
  3. Township Committee minutes, March 10, 2026 (second sublease amendment, R-118-2026) LocalWhy copy of Township Committee minutes, March 10, 2026 (second sublease amendment, R-118-2026) (opens in a new tab)
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