Planning Board - Regular Meeting

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And while we are staying standing, I'd like a moment of silence for uh Mayor Richard Coochie. Okay. Thank you. [Music] Okay. In accordance with the open public meetings act, it is hereby announced and shall be entered into the minutes of this meeting that adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the following. Posted on the bulletin board of the office of the township clerk. PO posted on the bulletin boards with the municipal complex, printed in the Home News Tribune and Cranberry Press, posted on the Monroe Township website, and sent to those individuals have requested personal notice. May I have a roll call, please? Vice Chairman, Mr. Rothman here, Miss Bratzky here, Mr. Manesh Patel, Miss Damiani here, Mr. Slavichek here, Mr. Weiner, Dr. Kenzie, Councilwoman Cohen. Yes. Mayor's representative, Mr. Patel. Yeah. Chairman Gaffrey. Okay. Um, is there something I wanted to add? No. Okay. Uh, we had, uh, our previous meeting was May 22nd. You've all had an opportunity to review the minutes from that meeting. Uh, questions, comments? If not, may I have a motion to approve? So moved absent. And a sec. And second. Second. And all in favor say I. I. I.

Any nays? Abstain. Extension. Great. Thank you. Two. Two. Okay. Uh we are fortunate in terms of time that there are no applications to be heard this evening. We do have a memorialization and that was PB uh 126324 at 302 Splatswood Englishtown Road. Okay. Have we all had a chance to review that? And if we have uh motion to approve a motion. I second. Second. All in favor? I I I uh one comment on it. Um what is the appropriate date that should be on the sign off on that? I think you had it as June 24th and I'm thinking it's either today June 26th or May 22nd from the previous May 26th 26th. I I'll pick that up. I'll get that back up. Okay. So here the appropriate date should be on there briefly on here. Uh yes. Okay. Yeah. I'll just Yep. Okay. Great. Got it. Okay. Just going public portion. Anyone in the public uh care to be here at this time? Not seeing any. Uh we'll uh close the public portion and go to the discussion items. We have a review and recommendation to the housing element and fair share plan as an amendment to the current master plan. Uh the housing element and fair share plan details how Monroe Township will address its council

on affordable housing uh and affordable housing obligation and we may take formal action tonight. I believe you're coming to speak. Please introduce yourself. I'm Christine Bell. Um, I helped prepare this plan. I am a licensed planner in the state of New Jersey and American in a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a certified flood plan manager. I was hired, my firm was hired um by the township to prepare your housing element and fair share plan. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you. Um, so this housing element uh is for the fourth round of New Jersey's um affordable housing obligations which starts July 1st um and goes through 2035. Um in order to be granted immunity from builder's remedy lawsuits, the plan needs to be adopted by June 30th. So that is why we are here tonight. Um, the housing element is Did you say June 30th as in 4 days from today? Yes. Great. Um, okay. The housing element is a mandatory element of the master plan. Uh, it's required under the municipal land use law and um in the state constitution through the uh fair housing act. Um, the document is really split into two parts. The first part is the housing element and it includes an overview of population trends, an inventory and projection of housing stock, an analysis of demographics including including housing size, income and employment, and then a review of infrastructure, environmental and historic constraints, and existing land uses throughout the township. Then the meat of the document is really um the

fair share plan portion. Um and that discusses uh Monroe's um historic and current uh fair share obligations and compliance for um all prior rounds and this upcoming fourth round. So for the fourth round um the perspective need for Monroe was 460 um affordable units. Uh however um we are proposing well not however we're proposing to meet uh that fourth round um perspective need requirement through a number of existing units. Um the Cranberry Care Center will provide 70 affordable units. Um Monroe Township Valor Point will provide 43. Existing group homes will provide another 37. Rock rose glean manor I don't know if I'm saying Rocklean Manor will provide 44. Jamesburg manor will provide 43. Uh Wateride Villas will provide 13 affordable units. Um there are some additional bonus credits from those existing units and then we're proposing two new inclusionary projects. So, um, in total that'll be a total of 345 new units, um, 115 bonus credits to meet your 460 unit requirement. Um, and that's really the meat of the plan. You also have a present need obligation of 76 units, which is the rehabilitation um, requirement. And um when you say a present need as opposed to the 460 uh the 76 that has to

be done what by when? By the end of 2025. 2035. So you still have that same 35. You still have that same 10 11year period. But um the two are distinguished. The perspective need is uh that number comes from an analysis that the state does based on um projections of you know um development and populations that will occur. The present need is a number they determine of um units that exist within the township today that uh could house um people that meet the requirements for affordability and need to be re rehabilitated. So Monroe Township has a housing board that administers the existing rehabilitation program. um and you permit up to $100,000 per unit to be available for improvements to eligible um owner and renter occupied units. So that's how you're going to meet um that requirement through something you're already doing. That's basically it. If you have any questions, I can um certainly answer them. But that's plan. Well, quick summary. I I did uh struggle this afternoon reading the 103 page document. It is not a short document. Yes. So uh you did that very quickly. That's great. So let me go around and see if Sorry, Mr. Chairman, if I if you can indulge me just for a moment to just add a little bit to the uh to the summary that Miss Bill and and thanks so much to Miss Bell and her whole team for for putting this together. The township really appreciates it. And I I think one of the things to highlight which is really um really beneficial to the residents about this particular plan is um to sort of compare to where we were in round three and and I think that's an important um

historical perspective to have. Right. So, round three was a very different process driven in a very different way through the court system and uh through new legislation and through active um steps by the township to acquire more open space and more farmland preservation and to provide some sound planning and to really research um some affordable opportunities that were already here that already existed that um that we believe and that and that Miss Bell and her team were able to identify could be included in the plan uh to help us meet our constitutional obligation without building with with building as few new units as as possible. So, while it is true that there u we had a um an obligation of 460 with bonus credits that brought us down to 345, but even then I want the board to understand that we're not we're not zoning for 345 new homes or new units. Most of that is already here through the Cranberry Care Center, through veterans housing, all the things that Miss Bell had mentioned. The only new units that will be zoned for uh through this process are 30 units of 100% affordable housing that we're going to the township is going to construct in partnership with a nonprofit organization at the old what was called the Meadow View Care Center at 319 Spotswood Graal Hill Road that the township purchased several years ago. Um that'll be 30 units that doesn't require any market rate units on top of it. So, that's a real benefit to the township and plus that gave us significant bonus credits when you build 100% affordables under under the legislation. Um, the other project is an inclusionary project that includes 158 market rate units and 65 affordable

units at at two different sites, but the project is uh is is combined into one inclusionary project. And that's a 30% set aside, which is which is better than we've done in round three when we had mostly 20% set aside. So the big picture is that we're looking at about 253 new units to zone for. Again, not that the township has to ensure that they're built by 2035, just have to zone for and allow the opportunity for that to happen by 2035. and 253 total, both market rate and affordable. And again, I want to give the historical perspective. In 2016, when we settled our round three obligation, that obligation was 4,379 new units. We are at 253. And that didn't just happen. That happened because of a series of step. Miss Bell and her team working diligently, not just lately, but we've we engaged their services middle of last year and we've been working since then and they've been working since then. Um, new legislation that came out in 2024 and um and and and many other steps that many other stakeholders were a part of uh to bring us to this point. So, just from the township's perspective and the mayor's perspective, it's it's uh it's an incredibly uh good plan. and it's very beneficial to the residents, meets our affordable housing obligations with with minimal impact uh we believe to the uh to the infrastructure in the township and we know that that's important. So, thank you for indulging me for a moment. Oh, absolutely. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Okay. Um questions, members, questions. Yeah. No.

Public. H public. Yes. Public. anyone in the public care to Okay. Uh let's see. I did note as I struggled through it. Um you have both a for the quote lowincome ownerships it is a 50% of the median income and for the moderate uh uh income it's 80% of the median income. has that been standard all through? So those are numbers that are um put forth by the state. Um so those uh the moderate those numbers change each year. The state puts forth for the region you're in, which is region three. They tell us what um the income limits are for each of them. Okay. But it is a percentage of the median income. Yes. Gotcha. Gotcha. Um, when I finally made it to page 101, trust me, I was tired and many cups of coffee on the way. Um, I I was looking for the draft ordinance and I did not see a draft ordinance, either one or two. Is that in process or what is that? Yes, those are in process. So, that that's just a placeholder for now. Gotcha. Okay. Uh so is that that will be given to I assume the council. Um yes so those will need to be um introduced um and adopted like any other ordinance. So you know it'll go to the council for introduction. It'll come to the planning board for consistency determination. Um and then back to the council for the public hearing and adoption. Um I will note just one thing. I said the plans need to be adopted by

June 30th. uh right to be granted immunity. Um this fourth round has been um a bit expedited in its timelines overall. Um but uh so plan needs to be on file adopted by the end of this month. Um then there um is a period of time where any interested parties, objectors, you know, anything like that can comment on the plans and that's through the end of August. Um, so we're anticipating or hoping for a a slow summer, right? And then um probably uh in the fall, the winter or early 2026 is when um we'll start working on the compliance with the document. So you may not see those ordinances um for quite some time. Okay, gotcha. um uh from our professionals um engineering planning any comments. I think it's a great plan. Um then uh just based on what Kevin said in his summary, the numbers I mean they speak for themselves. So um yeah, I certainly support it. Great. Anyone else? Anyone? Our next motion is to approve. Move. Adopt. Y okay. Anyone want to make a motion? Mr. Vice Chairman, I'd like to make a motion to adopt the housing element fair share plan. Right. Second. Second over there. Great. Um discussion. If not, roll call. Mr. Vice Chairman, just if I can add, I do think the credit really needs to be given to the professionals and the people that worked on this this plan. Um obviously with the the the most important aspect with with the residents being put to the forefront to to lower to bring these numbers as low as as possible. Um I did skim

through the document uh briefly at my desk today and um the credit really needs to be given to the professionals and everybody who worked worked diligently on uh you know uh getting this achieved. Completely agree and please pass that on to your entire team. Thank you. And anyone else here uh who has participated in as well? Ready. Ready. Vice Chairman Rothman. Approved. Miss Brosky. Yes, I approve. Yes. Damiani? Yes. Mr. Slavichek? Yes. To approve. Councilwoman Cohen. Yes, I approve. Mayor's Representative Mr. Patel. Yes, I approve. Sounds like it's um Mr. Vice Chairman. Yes, if I may. Uh, as Miss Bell indicated, the uh plan needs to be filed um by the 30th. So, in light of that fact, I prepared a resolution memorializing the board's action, anticipating that the board would be adopting plan this evening. I would ask that the board consider adoption of that resolution uh at this time. I would move that we adopt the resolution, Mr. Chair. Huh? I would move, Mr. Chairman, that we adopt that resolution. Uh, she moves to adopt. Is there a second on that? I second. Seconds again. Okay. And further discussion. If not, roll call. Vice Chairman Rothman? Yes. Miss Bratzky? Yes. Miss Damiani? Yes. Mr. Slavichek? Yes. Councilwoman Cohen? Yes. Mayor's Representative Mr. Patel? Yes. Fabulous. Any further comments from the public? Um if not I move that uh to adjurnn. Motion to adjurnn. Make a motion to adjurnn. You'll make the motion. I second.

All in favor? I I. This may be the fastest uh most efficient um planning board meeting I've ever attended. So you and thank you very much for what you've done. The township. All right. Hey, there's