Crossway Creek plan now calls for 83 units
Residents do not all have to be over 55, but no children
BY MICHAEL ACKER
Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE - An 83-unit upscale townhome community recently got the recommendation of the borough's Planning Board as part of the Crossway Creek Redevelopment Plan.

The board voted unanimously to recommend that the Borough Council approve an amendment to the redevelopment plan, which allows one resident per unit to be under the age of 55, after a public hearing last week.

The development would be located just east of the Garden State Parkway, near Prusakowski Boulevard and Gondek Drive.

Residents from the area where the project is proposed attended the meeting to ask questions of the board and the redeveloper, PRC Group. Board Attorney James P. Hoebich said residents who live within 200 feet of the roughly 14-acre site were given adequate notice of the Oct. 4 hearing. He noted that the board only has the power to make recommendations to the governing body on this matter.

PRC Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Joel S. Brudner presented the plan to the public and said that the market demand for what was originally proposed is no longer economically viable.

Instead of the site being an active senior community with services similar to those offered at assisted living homes, the amendment would allow one resident to be at least 55 years old, and another to be younger. However, children will not be permitted to reside there, board Chairman John Misciewicz said.

PRC is looking to build 83 units for a more upscale and less densely populated community than it originally presented, Brudner said. He added that 83 units is one-third of the 272 housing units originally approved for the redevelopment site.

The entrance to the community will include a bridge over a detention basin area, and fountains will beautify the landscape, which he said is more of a courtyard concept drawing inspiration from Cape Cod.

A private clubhouse is also planned for the community's residents, as well as a pool, Brudner said.

He noted that the new plan is only conceptual, and more details will be put into the plan as the process moves forward.

Board member and council President Thomas Pollando assured residents that those under the age of 55 cannot be children. PRC representatives said they will have a policy in the master deed allowing children to visit residents for up to two weeks.

Each residence will have its own garage units and at least one space in front of it, Brudner said, adding that parking will be available on the roadways as well.

While the plan is only in the conceptual stage, Brudner noted that Gondek Road will be the only entrance and an exit for the community. A gated emergency entrance at Prusakowski Boulevard will keep regular traffic out.

Misciewicz said that if the council agrees with the board's recommendation, PRC will return with its engineers to work out the specifics of the plan.

Board Planner and Architect John Leoncavallo said the amendment would allow for more varied types of housing, including townplex units, which are larger since they accommodate residents with needs for an elevator to get from floor to floor.

"[This amendment] is only adding housing types," Leoncavallo said.

Pollando said that by approving this amendment, the council would be allowing nothing else on this property but the 83-unit community PRC has proposed.

Board member Thomas Tighe said that he thinks the plan will benefit the town since it will not impact the school systems. He added that residents attending the hearings do have an impact on the outcome of the project.

"The more input you have, the greater number of you coming, the more the [redeveloper] will listen," Tighe said.