Officials question plan for 19 homes on Rt. 35
Builder to revise proposal before returning to board
BY MARLENE CANTY
Staff Writer

OLD BRIDGE - Concerns about the viability of a plan to build 19 homes on a 1.5-acre parcel in Laurence Harbor took center stage at last week's Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting.

At least four board members expressed concerns about the proposal for patio homes on a vacant seven-lot parcel at the intersection of McKinley Avenue and Route 35. The land is zoned for commercial use.

The board heard testimony on the application, proposed by Dennis Kessler, a South Amboy-based developer, during its Sept. 7 meeting. About 30 local residents sat on the sidelines with many questions and comments.

The builder's request for a use variance is described as the first in a two-part process. Michael Jovishoff, a planning and real estate consultant with Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates and one of four expert witnesses supplied by Kessler to address board concerns, said the plan is to bifurcate the application. This means the applicant first seeks board approval for a use variance, and later applies for the site plan approval.

Among the concerns raised by the 10-member board, chaired at this meeting by Harold Reck, were parking lot size, the height of the units, and whether the builder's plan provides a sufficient buffer from traffic on the highway side of the property.

Board members also expressed concerns about the number of occupants per square foot on the proposed site, the average increase in traffic on adjoining streets and thoroughfares, the overall number of units to be built, and whether the proposed development is the best possible use of the land.

In addition to Jovishoff, Kessler's experts included Kenneth Fears, a transportation engineer, and Thomas T. McGrath and Robert Larsen, both architect/engineers.

Fears devised a system to measure the amount of traffic the proposed site would introduce to the area, and Larsen and McGrath discussed their floor plan, designed to address how the buildings would appear and be perceived from streets outside the development.

Kessler's attorney, Kenneth Pape, presented the overall application for the 19 patio homes, a term Township Planner Sam Rizzo said is defined by ordinance as single-family, detached houses on a separate lot, but where the buildings may be adjoining. A patio or court is integrated into the building design.

Rizzo said the homes are thus far proposed as long buildings with a number of units, each of which has its own patio. In terms of their design, he said they fall somewhere between town homes and patio homes.

But Rizzo said what the township and the 30-plus residents present at the meeting were most concerned about is whether Kessler's plan will amount to too much development on too small a lot.

Jovishoff said the well-attended meeting is standard and the concerns of the residents and board members are welcome and expected.

"I think as a planner we have a good project, but those concerns and questions will help us in designing the details of what the space will eventually be."

Rizzo said the number of units, currently 19, is still a hypothetical figure.

"Kessler will seek a use variance for 19, but even if he is successful in getting that he may later decide to build a smaller amount on the site," Rizzo said.

In addition, Kessler has purchased two other adjoining lots that may subsequently come into play in the development plan.

Based on the board's questions and concerns, Kessler's team was granted a 60-day extension to revise its proposal and reconduct some of its tests. Township residents decided to defer questions until those revisions have been made.

Zoning Board Secretary Kim D. Silverman said Kessler has until Dec. 31 to apply for a longer extension.