Flemington's Main Street Is Changing, and

 It's Good News If You Own a Home in Hunterdon County

What is happening with Courthouse Square in Flemington, NJ? The Courthouse Square redevelopment project in Flemington, New Jersey is a 443,291-square-foot mixed-use development anchoring downtown Main Street, featuring the restored historic Union Hotel, 206 residential apartments, a 100-room boutique hotel, and approximately 22,000 square feet of new retail and dining space. The project welcomed its first residents in December 2025 and continues to transform the heart of Hunterdon County's county seat.

If you've driven down Main Street in Flemington lately, you've noticed something different. The scaffolding is coming down. Residents are moving in. A celebrity chef is setting up shop. And the streets themselves are being redesigned, with Main Street and Court Street currently closed for the installation of a new decorative traffic calming feature, the latest visible sign that downtown Flemington is finishing something it started a very long time ago.

For anyone who owns a home in Flemington, Raritan Township, or the broader Hunterdon County area, or for anyone who has been thinking about buying here, this is worth paying close attention to. Downtown revitalization doesn't just change the feel of a neighborhood. Over time, it changes the numbers.

Here's what's happening, what's already done, and why it matters for real estate in Hunterdon County.

The Courthouse Square Project: What It Is and Where It Stands

A Decades-Long Story, Finally Coming to Life

The Union Hotel has stood on Main Street in Flemington since 1814. It served as the hub of civic and social life for two centuries, and it stood directly across the street from the Hunterdon County Courthouse, where reporters from around the world gathered in 1935 to cover the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann for the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's son. That trial put Flemington on the national map.

The hotel closed in 2008. For years it sat vacant, its interior deteriorating behind a historic facade, while the community debated its future. Plans came and went. Lawsuits were filed. The process was long.

Then it moved forward.

Developer Jack Cust of Cust Investments ultimately secured approval for a scaled plan that would honor the building's history while transforming the block into something genuinely new. Construction firm March Associates took on the build. Architect Minno & Wasko designed the adaptive reuse.

What Courthouse Square Looks Like Today

The completed development is a 443,291-square-foot mixed-use project anchored by the restored Union Hotel. Here is what it includes:

• 206 residential rental apartments, available as studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, with amenities including a fitness center, outdoor courtyard with fireside lounges, outdoor kitchen and BBQ, work pods, and residential storage
• A 100-room boutique hotel with a fine-dining restaurant and bar
• Approximately 22,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor
• Additional parking designed to increase foot traffic and support nearby businesses
• An inviting open courtyard replacing the former Flemington Furs footprint at 82 Main Street

The development welcomed its first residents at the end of December 2025, a milestone that quietly signaled the beginning of a new chapter for downtown Flemington.

Celebrity Chef David Burke Is Coming to Main Street

One of the most talked-about elements of the Courthouse Square project is the culinary component. Celebrity chef David Burke, who lives near Flemington, has been tapped to run two restaurants within the development. The flagship is Union Steak, a fine-dining steakhouse planned for the ground floor of the restored Union Hotel. Burke's presence signals the kind of dining destination that draws visitors from well beyond Hunterdon County and establishes Flemington as a legitimate regional food destination.

The Other Half of the Story: The Historic Hunterdon County Courthouse

Directly across Main Street from Courthouse Square stands the building that gave the square its name: the Hunterdon County Courthouse, built in 1828 and one of the oldest surviving county courthouses in New Jersey.

A $4 Million Restoration

The courthouse underwent an extensive two-phase restoration. Phase one covered exterior restoration and interior rehabilitation of the historic courthouse itself. Phase two addressed the attached jail and warden's house, with cells restored as exhibit areas and a newly designed connection link adding handicapped accessibility, including an elevator serving both structures.

The more than $4 million renovation was partially funded by a $1,497,000 grant from the Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund. The restoration was completed by architect Clarke Caton Hintz, who returned the main courtroom to its 1934 to 1935 appearance using extensive photographic documentation, restoring it to the way it looked during the Trial of the Century.

The courthouse reopened in July 2024 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on its steps attended by more than 150 residents, county officials, and community leaders.

What the Courthouse Is Doing Now

Since its reopening, the restored courthouse has been hosting a growing calendar of public events, including exhibits, lecture series, concerts, and community programs. In February 2026, the building hosted both a Black History Month exhibit and a "Seven Stories of Old Hunterdon" concert. The county is also actively pursuing a grant to fund public tours of the building and is exploring expanded programming as part of a broader effort to draw visitors to downtown Flemington.

Commissioner Director Jeff Kuhl described the courthouse restoration explicitly as a catalyst: "We are proud to be home to the oldest surviving county courthouse in New Jersey, and our Board hopes that the recent preservation efforts will serve as a catalyst combined with the pending Courthouse Square project for the revitalization of Flemington's downtown."

What's Happening on Main Street Right Now

This week, Main Street and Court Street in Flemington are closed while crews install an inlaid decorative traffic calming structure as part of the Courthouse Square redevelopment agreement. The closure is expected to last approximately seven consecutive days beginning May 11.

This is not a disruption to worry about. It's a finishing touch on a years-long project. The infrastructure improvements being installed are designed to slow traffic, encourage pedestrian activity, and create the kind of walkable downtown experience that Flemington has been working toward.

For anyone who has been watching Flemington from the sidelines, this week's street work is a visible marker that the project is in its final stages of outdoor completion.

Why This Matters for Real Estate in Hunterdon County

Downtown Revitalization and Property Values

Revitalized downtowns have a documented effect on surrounding residential property values. When a neighborhood transitions from dormant to active, with dining, hotels, residential density, foot traffic, and programming, nearby homes tend to appreciate faster than comparable homes in areas without that activity.

Flemington is not a speculative bet. The investment is already happening. Residents are already living in Courthouse Square. A celebrity chef restaurant is in the pipeline. The courthouse is already drawing events and visitors. The street infrastructure is being improved. The Flemington Borough Council declared "redevelopment" their official theme and is actively pursuing zoning and business development to support the momentum.

This is a market with visible, confirmed tailwinds.

What This Means for Sellers in Flemington and Raritan Township

If you own a home within walking distance of Main Street, in Flemington Borough or Raritan Township, the market story you can tell is getting stronger, not weaker. Buyers who might have hesitated at Flemington's quieter chapter are now looking at a downtown with real energy, a landmark hotel, fine dining, and a restored courthouse serving as a community hub.

Your home's location is becoming an asset in a way it hasn't been for at least two decades. Listing timing and positioning matter. This is a moment where the narrative around your neighborhood supports asking prices at the higher end of the range.

What This Means for Buyers Considering Flemington

Flemington has long offered some of the most competitive price points in Hunterdon County. Victorian homes, tree-lined streets, proximity to Route 202 and Route 31, and access to the natural beauty of Hunterdon County have always been here. What was missing was a downtown with enough energy to match the surrounding lifestyle.

That piece is now arriving. Buyers who purchase in Flemington today are buying in advance of the full effect, before the hotel opens, before Union Steak opens its doors, before the complete retail lineup fills in. That positioning, historically, is where buyers tend to see the strongest long-term appreciation.

Broader Context: Hunterdon County's Investment in Its Own Future

The Courthouse Square story doesn't exist in isolation. Hunterdon County has been making deliberate investments in the quality of life and infrastructure that support long-term property values across the region:

• In April 2026, the county purchased land and development rights for 297 acres of open space across three municipalities, protecting the rural character that makes Hunterdon County desirable.
• In December 2025, restoration projects and land preservation in three towns received over $354,000 in county grants.
• The 2026 county budget includes significant investment in senior center renovations, emergency services, and advanced manufacturing workforce development.

The pattern is consistent. Hunterdon County is actively protecting what makes it distinctive while investing in the infrastructure that supports a high quality of life. That is exactly the kind of governance backdrop that supports residential real estate values over time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Flemington's Courthouse Square Redevelopment

What is Courthouse Square in Flemington, NJ? Courthouse Square is a 443,291-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment project in downtown Flemington, anchored by the historic Union Hotel on Main Street. The development includes 206 residential apartments, a 100-room boutique hotel, and approximately 22,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and dining. The project was developed by Cust Investments and construction was managed by March Associates. The first residents moved in at the end of December 2025.

Will Courthouse Square affect home values in Flemington and Raritan Township, NJ? Historically, completed downtown revitalization projects with residential, hotel, and dining components have had a positive effect on surrounding residential property values. With first residents now in place, a celebrity chef restaurant in progress, and ongoing infrastructure improvements to Main Street, Flemington is entering the phase where that effect typically begins to register in the market. Homeowners in Flemington Borough and Raritan Township are in a strong position to benefit from this momentum.

Is the Union Hotel in Flemington, NJ open? The Union Hotel is currently undergoing its final transformation as part of the Courthouse Square redevelopment. The residential apartments within the development welcomed their first residents in December 2025. The hotel component and restaurant spaces, including Union Steak, the planned fine-dining steakhouse from celebrity chef David Burke, are expected to open as construction and tenant buildouts are completed. The historic facade of the Union Hotel, which has stood since 1814, has been preserved as the architectural centerpiece of the development.

Ready to Talk About What This Means for Your Home?

Whether you're thinking about selling into this momentum, buying before the full story plays out, or simply curious about what your home is worth right now, I'd love to have that conversation.

I'm Jenn Stowe, founder of Apogee Real Estate Advisors at Compass, and I've been working with buyers and sellers across Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris, Monmouth, Mercer, and Ocean Counties for more than 15 years. Flemington is my backyard. I know this market at a street level, and I know how to position your home to take advantage of the story that's unfolding here.

Reach out to schedule a Strategy Call. No pressure, just a real conversation about where you stand and where the market is heading.

Apogee Real Estate Advisors at Compass | Serving Flemington, Raritan Township, and Hunterdon County, NJ