JACKSON – The Township Planning Board recently approved a 578-unit development between Grawtown and Bowman roads.
In the last two decades, plans to develop the 303-acre parcel were stalled but residents and Planning Board members recently listened to the plan that was unveiled and ultimately, unanimously approved.
The developer’s planner, Ian Borden, stated the development involves the building of 96 affordable housing units, which were required under a COAH settlement, and 482 five-bedroom single-family homes, with basements.
The Council On Affordable Housing requires a certain number of homes to be set aside for people with low to moderate income.
Borden commented, “This property is zoned for residential housing for relatively high-density housing and it has been that way for over 40 years.”
“We are a conforming use. We will not be asking for any variances,” Borden told the Planning Board.
The plan had been 189 single-family homes when it was first proposed in 2011 but the board rejected that plan under the township’s “conditional use” ordinance.
The ordinance had a provision that required developers to make sure traffic wouldn’t be “burdensome.” The courts rejected the board’s denial.
Borden said that due to a legal settlement that the township experienced in 2018, the Township Council “blended two issues into one master plan and land use ordinance and that is the requirement to provide affordable housing. There was an affordable housing shortage that had to be satisfied.”
John Rea, the developer’s traffic expert, was involved with the original proposal. He testified before the board that traffic or parking wouldn’t be an issue and that a traffic light would be installed at the corner of Grawtown Road and East Veterans Highway once 100 homes have been occupied.
Rea was involved with several traffic generation estimates that he said were done through actual traffic counts. He said the projections of those traffic reports extended to the design year of 2034 noting a requirement of a 10-year estimate.
“We have done quite a few traffic studies in the area,” Rea said. The county had already planned a traffic light at Bowman and East Veterans, which is 600 feet from the Grawtown intersection
“There are eight other projects in the area (that) we are familiar with and we included information from those other eight projects,” Rea added.
No recreational facilities will be featured as part of this development. Board members were told that such facilities were not permitted by the Pinelands Commission on the undeveloped portion of the property. Critics of the development questioned why they were not added to the developable portion of the site.
A small audience came out to this session and only five residents spoke during the public comment period.
Bowman Road resident Evon Clemente asked about a “little curve on the road where there has been a good number of accidents. I think it is important you look at that area. There is a lot of speeding at night in that area and it is very dark there. Was that considered that there are houses of worship there on Bowman”
Rea said yes, “Bowman Road is under the jurisdiction of the county. You probably should ask the county if they are aware of the problem.”
A Board member noted that the resident should notify county officials about the darkness issue.
She also asked about schooling of the students who would living in the housing provided in the project and was directed to ask that question to the Jackson Board of Education as to where the students would go to school within their district areas.
Jeff Riker, the environmental chairman for the township responded to Clemente’s question about whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department had been consulted about the project. “Typically, we do not contact them. We look at overlay maps and data bases and the DEP (New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection) has people who listen to bird calls and other things. This is one of the most restricted sites (by the Pinelands Commission) in Jackson Township.”
Board Attorney Robert Shea II responded to a question about tree removal stating that trees couldn’t be removed until the developer received approval from the township zoning officer, the Pinelands Commission and the State Department of Environmental Protection.
Resident Ed Bannon asked if one of the homes planned for in the project could be eliminated in order to create additional parking and was told that was a possible option.
Jim Silecchia wanted to know how “deep are the driveways?” His answer was 30 feet from the right of way.
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