SPECIAL WEST AMWELL TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE/PLANNING BOARD MEETING
July 12, 2004
Mayor Bleacher called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
Present: Mayor Bleacher, Committeewoman Palladino, Planning Board Members Shapella, Smith, Perri, Shute, Meader, Ent, Hunt, Greenwood (arrived 8:53 p.m.)
Absent: VanderVeen
Professionals Present: Shurts, Mercantante, and Clerico
Mayor Bleacher called the meeting to order and declared that the Open Public Meetings Act has been complied with by special notice having been faxed to the Lambertville Beacon and Trenton Times and posted on the Township bulletin board on June 23, 2004. The Municipal Building is handicapped accessible but the Office should be contacted 24 hours in advance for any special accommodations. The meeting began with the Flag Salute. Mayor Bleacher then noted that this is a joint meeting with the purpose being to discuss the proposed zoning ordinance.
Bleacher asked individual members to comment on the draft ordinance and the following points were made:
Shute:
- when deleted R2 zone, deleted non-contiguous clustering
- no bonus in blank under clustering
- don’t think applicants will do two full site plans -1 clustering and 1 conventional
- accessory building deleted as was included last year
- under chart, several things don’t jive with the text
- concerned with set-up of deleting certain sections and replacing with another
- need to add to definitions ie. stream, watercourse, lot coverage
Meader: No comments at this time
Hunt:
- engineer doesn’t review small Board of Adjustment applications if he is to be Administrative Officer for application completeness
- inclusion of fast food operation - board of adjustment didn’t allow these
- board said needed larger residential lots because of water & septic and yet HC for restaurants only need 2 acres
- should allow 2 family
- minimum of 5 acres doesn’t prevent mega churches but encourages them, community churches like Mt. Airy & Old Rocks are on smaller lots.
- mini cluster still limited to three, Buchsbaum, at a previous meeting, said should be more
- where is non-contiguous clustering
- hospitals from permitted to conditional use
Ent: Concerns already addressed
Palladino:
- wants conversation on non-contiguous clustering
- wants to address senior housing and woodlands conservation soon
Shapella:
- allowing of residential over commercial uses, was shown already included
Smith:
- need to spend more time on clustering and bonus number
Perri:
- typos
Mercantante noted that stone is not considered impervious coverage now but the Board may want to include it or it may be in the new stormwater regs.
Clerico said we need to consider increasing the frontage since the lot sizes are dramatically increased. Agreed to increase frontage SRPD 350, RR6 300, RR5 250.
Shute questioned why all the setbacks were increased creating a lot of non-conforming lots for the Board of Adjustment to have to deal with? Mercantante said there can be a provision to allow previous setbacks. It was also agreed to allow lots in existence at the time of this ordinance.
Public Discussion:
Bleacher opened the meeting to the public.
Tom King of 330 Mt. Airy-Harbourton Road noted the comment that Restaurants are allowed on 2 acres and asked for the justification of the need for larger residential lots? Mercantante said that restaurants are only allowed in small areas and septics are only part of the reason for increasing lot sizes. King said the new zoning is going to create a huge tax burden on existing residences. He said he is totally against increasing building lot sizes without justification and it’s economically unreasonable. He said we are opening ourselves up to another lawsuit.
Fia Pfeiffer of 74 Rocktown-Lambertville Road said people in other areas pay way more taxes than we do and she supports the changes in zoning.
Angela Clerico of the South Branch Watershed Association commended the Board on preparing a good Master Plan. She noted that the Association has ordinances and definitions of streams.
Marlin Bernstein soon to be moving to 117 Rocktown-Lambertville Road said the Board may want to re-consider the acreage for restaurants and places of worship. He also said that clustering can be “a slippery slope”.
Rob Fulper said he doesn’t support the Master Plan which said we support agriculture but it, in fact, doesn’t support agriculture.
Bill Comly of 49 Barry Road asked how they arrived at the six and eight acre zoning?
Mercantante said part of the Master Plan process was a hydrology study which showed the entire Township to be constrained. The densities were reached as a consensus. Large lots are impacted which is the reason for allowing clustering and mini-clusters.
Bleacher asked about TDR? Mercantante said it is complex and something that can be added.
In addressing issued raised, Mercantante noted:
- lot coverage is now high with the increased lot sizes, we could leave same percentage for agricultural properties and lower the percentage for residential.
- he thinks there is enough of a bonus by allowing the allowable density on the property
- non-contiguous clustering will be included
- will allow for informal review
- accessory building wording will be included
- chart will be re-worked
- definitions to be added
- wording will be changed to have administrative review of certain applications
- after discussion, board decided won’t allow fast foods
- can increase HC, LHC, NC if want to but most municipalities don’t
- after discussion, agreed to allow mother/daughter homes
- said churches can have a lot of septic use
- after discussion, will leave mini cluster limit at three
- hospitals will be conditional use
Renee Kiriluk Hill asked what the value is for a LI property vs. HC? She was told they are about the same but residential has less value that LI or HC..
Mercantante said he will have the revised ordinance for the Board next Tuesday. The Board will decide if or when they will need another special meeting at the regular meeting next week.
The meeting was unanimously adjourned at 11:05 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Betty Jane Hunt, RMC, Catherine Park, Secretary
Township Clerk Planning Board