Settlement shows town
made the right decision

A court settlement reached between Old Bridge and a local developer was described by a township official this week as a "win-win situation." And, we have to say — he’s correct.

The settlement shows that the Old Bridge Zoning Board of Adjustment made the right call in November 2002 when it rejected an application to build Nobility Crossings at Old Bridge, which would have comprised 99 age-restricted housing units.

Board officials said at the time that there simply seemed to be no real need for the new housing and that no undue hardship was shown on the part of the applicant.

It seems that most times a building application is rejected these days, an appeal soon follows and a judge sitting somewhere else tells the town it can’t deny a landowner’s right to develop a property.

Thankfully, that didn’t quite happen this time.

Instead, the result of this challenge is the preservation of a tract that the community did not want to see developed and the payment of money to Old Bridge for its open space fund.

Of course, it will also mean Old Bridge will have to give a little — Jerald Development Inc. will get to build 66 age-restricted housing units as part of another development, the Crossings at Old Bridge, which has already been approved at Route 516 and Cottrell Road.

The additional residences there won’t be very noticeable and will help to sustain the commercial uses also included in that development.

This settlement will also save money on legal bills for both the township and the developer, who no longer have to meet in New Brunswick for a trial that was scheduled to begin shortly.

While landowners and developers certainly have many rights when it comes to land use, a municipality should never lie down and allow the testimonies of highly paid representatives convince them that they have to approve every application.

This was one that at least some residents didn’t want, and despite the fact that the developer had a prior approval from the township for a single-family home development on this very site, the board members didn’t buy into it.

And their decision has paid off for their community.