Land use and development

Sunnymead Landfill redevelopment

The former township landfill on Sunnymead Road, now privately owned, has a redevelopment plan adopted in June 2026 that covers two lots of about 10.71 and 4.37 acres and allows solar and light industrial uses. The next step is a site plan application to the Planning Board; none has appeared on a Board agenda.

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

Plan adopted; no site plan filed yet Last moved

What happens next

No site plan for the site appears on Planning Board agendas through December 10, 2026. A site plan application requires public notice and a Planning Board hearing, where neighbours can testify.

The Sunnymead Road landfill (Block 182, Lot 7.02) is a former municipal landfill. The Township Committee declared it an area in need of redevelopment in 2007. Sunnymeade Ventures, LLC agreed to take on closure and monitoring of the landfill in exchange for the property and a redevelopment plan; the sale agreement was signed on June 27, 2023, and title has passed to the company.

In 2026 the township added the neighbouring 4.37-acre Lot 6 to the redevelopment area as a non-condemnation area, meaning the township cannot use eminent domain there. The township attorney said the owner wanted more acreage “to make the solar project financially feasible”. The Planning Board found the new Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan (Ordinance 2026-07) consistent with the master plan 7–0 on June 11, 2026, and the township lists the plan as adopted on June 23, 2026.

The plan is now the zoning for both lots. The township planner described it as “a hybrid of one of our industrial districts”. The owner’s next step is a site plan application to the Planning Board. Residents north of the site, where the area becomes residential, can watch Board agendas and testify at that hearing.

The Sunnymead plan, explained

Timeline

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

  1. Resolved Sunnymead landfill declared an area in need of redevelopmentThe Township Committee designated the former landfill on Sunnymead Road (Block 182, Lot 7.02, about 10.71 acres) an area in need of redevelopment.
  2. Resolved Township seeks a partner to close and redevelop the landfillThe township solicited statements of interest for closing the landfill and redeveloping the site. Sunnymeade Ventures, LLC offered to take on closure and monitoring in return for title and a redevelopment plan.
  3. Resolved Township sells the landfill site to Sunnymeade VenturesThe township and Sunnymeade Ventures signed a Redevelopment and Property Sale Agreement, and title to the landfill later passed to the company. The agreement anticipated adding the neighbouring Lot 6.
  4. Resolved Planning Board asked to study adding Lot 6 to the Sunnymead areaResolution R-255-2024 directed the Planning Board to investigate whether Block 182, Lot 6 (about 4.37 acres) should be designated a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment.
  5. Resolved Planning Board recommends adding Lot 6 to the Sunnymead redevelopment area, 9–0After a public hearing on the amended preliminary investigation report, the Planning Board voted 9–0 to recommend that the Committee designate Block 182, Lot 6 a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment.
  6. Resolved Planning Board adopts its written Lot 6 recommendation, 7–0The Planning Board adopted, 7–0, the written resolution of recommendation memorializing its January 22 vote to recommend that Lot 6 be designated and added to the Sunnymead redevelopment area.
  7. Resolved Committee expands the Sunnymead redevelopment area; no eminent domainThe Committee designated Lot 6 a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment, added it to the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Area and directed the planning director to prepare a redevelopment plan. The township attorney said the owner wanted more acreage "to make the solar project financially feasible".
  8. Resolved Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan introduced as Ordinance 2026-07The Committee introduced Ordinance 2026-07, adopting the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan for Lots 6 and 7.02 and creating a Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment District. The introduction was unanimous.
  9. Resolved Planning Board finds the Sunnymead plan consistent with the master plan, 7–0The Planning Board found the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan consistent with the master plan and recommended adoption, 7–0. No member of the public commented.
  10. Resolved Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan adoptedOrdinance 2026-07 was on the Committee's agenda for second reading and a public hearing, and the township's master plan page lists the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan as adopted on June 23, 2026.

Explainers

  • The Sunnymead Landfill Plan, Explained: From Township Dump to Solar Site

    A former municipal landfill on Sunnymead Road was handed to a private company in exchange for closing it, and in 2026 the township expanded the redevelopment area and adopted a plan that allows solar and light industrial uses. What a redevelopment area is, how this one got here, what the plan allows and what happens next.

Documents

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

Meetings

  • Township Committee — June 23, 2026

    The longest meeting of the year. The agenda carried the hearings on Ordinance 2026-07, the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan, and Ordinance 2026-06, plus a $41,600 contract for the Fox Chase Pond shoreline restoration. The minutes are not yet posted, so outcomes are not confirmed here.

  • Planning Board — June 11, 2026

    The Planning Board found the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan (Ordinance 2026-07) consistent with the master plan, 7-0, and recommended that the Township Committee adopt it. The Valley Road Realty housing application was carried to July 9.

  • Township Committee — May 26, 2026

    Ordinance 2026-07, the Sunnymead Landfill Redevelopment Plan, was introduced unanimously, along with an engineering-fees ordinance. The consent agenda renewed police body-camera service and approved a stormwater maintenance agreement.

  • Township Committee — March 24, 2026

    The Committee adopted Ordinance 2026-03, selling the Mindel tract's development easement to the state at $30,600 an acre. It approved three affordable-housing settlements, designated a Sunnymead Road lot an area in need of redevelopment, and sought bids to demolish the old municipal building.

  • Planning Board — January 22, 2026 (regular meeting)

    The Planning Board voted 9-0 to recommend that a 4.37-acre lot next to the former Sunnymead landfill be added to the redevelopment area, with no condemnation. The 303 Amwell Road warehouse application was withdrawn after the township acquired the property.

Sources for this overview

  1. Township Committee minutes, March 24, 2026 (designation resolution and its history) LocalWhy copy of Township Committee minutes, March 24, 2026 (designation resolution and its history) (opens in a new tab)
  2. Planning Board minutes, June 11, 2026 (consistency review of Ordinance 2026-07) LocalWhy copy of Planning Board minutes, June 11, 2026 (consistency review of Ordinance 2026-07) (opens in a new tab)
  3. Hillsborough Township: master plan information (plan listed as adopted 6-23-2026)
All issues The full timeline