Planning Board - Regular Meeting

First motion is to salute the flag. I pledge algiance 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. In accordance with the open public meetings act, it is hereby announced and shall be entered into the minutes of this meeting that notice this meeting has been provided. Okay. Okay. It has been posted on the bulletin board in the office of the town

posted on the bulletin boards within the municipal complex printed in the home news tribune and cranberry press. December uh 2024 posted on the Monroe Township website and sent to those individuals requested personal notice. Okay. May I have a roll call? Vice Chairman Mr. Rothman right here. Miss Broky, I'm here. Mr. Vanesh Patel here. Miss Damiani here. Mr. Slaviche here. Mr. Weiner here. Dr. Kenzie, Councilwoman Cohen here,

Mayor's Representative, Mr. Patel, Chairman Gaffrey. Okay. Let me also add the following. Since this is being recorded, if all of you would turn off either you turn off or turn off the sound of your cell phones so that they don't go off in the middle. Thank you. All right. First order of business were the minutes from our August 28th meeting. You've all had a chance to review them. Does someone have a uh motion? I would move to adopt. Excellent. Do I have a second? Second. Okay. Uh any objections? If not, uh motion to approve. May have

favor. Call for action. Call to I so move. You second and a second. All in favor say I. I. I. abstain. I wasn't there. Okay. All right. One abstain and the rest arise. Okay. Um applications. There are none to be heard tonight. Memorial memorializations. There are no resolutions to be memorialized. We then turn to the public and there are no public present to speak. Is there anyone on a Zoom call that we would hear? Anybody want? We don't do that.

We don't do that. Gotcha. Okay. Just a thought. Okay. Uh move to uh close the public portion. So moved. Second. All in favor say I. I. Excellent. Okay. Um is there a engineering report? No. Okay. Not to my right.

No engineering report. Fine. Okay. There is one discussion item and that is the review and recommendation of ordinance number uh 012025 027. It's the ordinance of the Monroe Township Council amending chapter 108 zoning of the code of the township of Monroe to reduce the number of market rate units required pursuant to the township's third round of affordable housing obligation and to provide for affordable units to be applied to the township's fourth round obligation. Would Yes,

Mr. Chairman, if I could, I'll just briefly uh sort of explain from a 30,000 foot view here what what the township is is doing and and what their perspective is. Uh certainly our planner and professionals will get into the consistency review, which is the role um that the planning board has here. But um so as the mayor explained to the residents several months ago, um he successfully negotiated a muchneeded reduction in the township's round three affordable housing obligation uh by reducing what was previously settled to be a 1,479 unit development. Uh reducing that down to a,000. Uh so cutting 479 market rate units off of that number and then converting another 350 units into age restricted uh senior housing. Uh and what that does is it maintains our affordable housing obligation because the affordable units have not been reduced but it um it negotiated an agreement with the developer to reduce the number of market rate which reduces the impact on schools on infrastructure um and it also um adjusts where these units will be located in town per the affordable housing settlement. It it moves residential units to uh Mounts Mills and Spotswood Englishtown Road. It opens up um a large area that would have been residential on Route 33 for a warehouse where it's more uh appropriately located on a state highway. Um and it it um it adjusts bulk standards throughout uh these ordinances that make it uh more feasible and easier for the affordable housing inclusionary developments uh to be constructed. That's sort of the the big picture. Uh I just wanted to just remind the board the background that uh that the agreement uh that the that the

mayor negotiated with that developer was unanimously passed by the council in September. And this ordinance uh introduced um uh just a couple of weeks ago at the council meeting effectuates that third round affordable housing uh agreement. So thank you for indulging that. Appreciate it. Uh no, very much appreciated. Um any comments before I'll ask our uh new plener uh to any further comments you would like to say about it? Sure, Mr. Chairman. Um so just to add just a few items to Kevin's um presentation. Um has everybody met our planner at this point?

We have. Yes.

Okay. Uh so in terms of uh master plan consistency, the amendments primarily intended to move uh uh highway development uses to south of Route 33 uh shifting residential uses along Mount Mills Road and Spotswood Englishtown Road and then designating a new site uh at Applegat road and cranberry uh halfacre road for age restricted senior housing. And we find that um these proposed amendments are consistent with several goals and objective of the township uh master plan um including achieving a balanced mix of land uses um that maintains overall quality of life of township, promoting industrial development in areas appropriately designated for such uses. uh encouraging commercial development in locations with concentrated populations and where infrastructure can support um such development and developing and implementing policies that addresses the the township's agent population. Uh in addition um the ordinance amendments also um help with the uh township statutory obligation for affordable housing and we think uh they are consistent with the MA township master plan and the 2025 housing element and fair share plan.

Okay.

Thank you. Any questions, comments, members here? Um, I guess I'll just ask one. Uh, by the way, I appreciate it. There was a uh fivepage review that I believe you had um uh put together and I appreciate that because it gave me a better understanding of what it is. Uh the concern having been on this board for a couple of years um is that there may be people at the state level who are going to be reviewing this new ordinance where obviously we've reduced the obligation for the phase three and now moved it to phase four. How how strong will this be if somebody at the state level wants to challenge it? Um I think I think we've already or I think the township has already settled on the number. So I I don't think this would be would be challenged because you know it's kind of a set number that has already gone through the courts. So I think it's already been settled.

Mr. Chairman, um I believe you misspoke. We did not reduce our obligation. We're meeting our affordable obligation from round three. It's staying the same. Okay. We reduced the market rate, which is quote the bonus that the builder gets by building our affordable units. So, that number has dropped 479 market rate units. The affordable housing number still the same for round three. Okay. And and we're meeting the round four as well in this. So, we just only reduce the market rate that is quote the bonus that the builders get under that round three. All right. That that I wasn't clear on and I think

so I think based on that since we're our affordable housing number for round three hasn't changed. We're meeting our round four. I I don't see any any issue with the state. Okay. Any other questions, comments? Uh, I see that we were provided with a um the proposal is the the um

it's a draft resolution in anticipation of the board's action this evening. I prepared a draft resolution because uh the board is required to provide its recommendation concerning the ordinance within 45 days of referral. And if you waited until your next meeting, it would probably be after the next council meeting and it wouldn't be in in time for the council to consider it. Okay, that that explains it. Mr. Chairman, if yes, if I might, if if council indicates that this resolution draft is still in order, if it's appropriate, I would uh move that the uh board adopt it.

I would I would just uh uh Mr. Weiner, I would just say that I would ask for the action first and then we'll memorialize it with the resolution. So we still you know if we can have the recommendation to the extent there is no public here um we can acknowledge for the record that you know you can open to the public if you want but there is no one to open to the public for um

exactly um to that point the uh the public portion would be open and but unfortunately there's no one to provide that. With that said um what do we do first approve the resolution? First, you would recommend adoption of the ordinance as consistent with the master plan, and you'd have a vote on that, and then you would memorialize by the resolution. Okay. So, I need a motion that this is consistent with the master plan. It's my pleasure to offer the motion that this is consistent with Monroe Township's master plan.

Thank Thank you, uh, Council Chairman. Um, is there a second? I would second that. You would second rain. Any further discussion? If not, may I have a roll call? Miss Barrosky? Yes. Mr. Mesh Patel? Yes. Mr. Damiani? Yes. Mr. Slavichek? Yes. Mr. Weiner? Yes. Councilwoman Cohen? Yes. Vice Chairman Mr. Ro? Yes. And our next step would be to adopt the resolution. So, if I could ask someone to move the resolution. Okay. With that said, abolishing the resolution that uh I didn't realize you had prepared. That's great.

Move to adopt the resolution. May I have a second? Second. Second. Second. Okay. Uh discussion hearing none. May we have a roll call. Mr. Bronzky. I'm sorry. Just asking for your vote. Yes. Mr. Manash Patel. Yes. Mr. Damian. Yes. Mr. Slavichek. Yes. Mr. Weiner. Yes. Councilwoman Cohen. Yes. Vice Chairman, Mr. Roman. Absolutely. Yes. Okay, that's it. Um, is there any further business that we have before us at this point? I know.

All right. Question for um uh Mr. McGowan. Are we having a meeting on December 4th? Uh, Mr. Chairman, uh, as we sit here, I do not believe that any applications are ready for consideration on December 4th. Therefore, I I do not believe we would have be having a meeting.

All right, with that said, I want to thank all of you for a great meeting and and I listed everything. Uh, I hope you have a warm Thanksgiving on the 27th. I hope you have a happy Hanukkah starting December 14th. I hope you have a merry Christmas uh on the 25th. I hope you have a good Quanza on the 26th. A great New Year's Eve on the 31st of December and I'll see you all in 2026. Yes. Thank you. The dates date for the next meeting in January.

I have no idea what the meeting is in January. With that said, I assume it's the fourth Thursday of January, whatever that'll be. Enjoy all. Take care. You too. You too. Oh, yes. Motion to adjurnn. Move. So moved. Second. Yes. All in favor? I say no more.