Residents ask for help in battle against plans Handlin looks into concerns about wetlands, flooding on Rt. 516 site BY MARLENE CANTY Staff Writer A group of neighbors last week met with a state assemblywoman to raise concerns about a plan to build housing and offices on Route 516 property near their homes in Old Bridge. State Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-13) met with residents of the Whispering Pines development who have formed a watchdog group in an effort to regulate if not curtail an application by T. Galante Properties to build 16 age-restricted town homes and a two-story, 12,000-square-foot office and retail building on 4 acres of a 14-acre parcel on Angela Drive, north of Route 516. The group calls itself Old Bridge Residents Against the Angela Drive Proposed Development and is composed of 40 to 50 residents of Whispering Pines, which borders the back of Galante's site. Residents are concerned because the documents show that a substantial portion of the property is wetlands, and in order to realize the proposed plan, the developer would have to fill in and build on an acre of those wetlands. "Residents reached out to me because of space and [environmental] concerns," Handlin said. "My role will be to stay in touch with the DEP and make sure they provide information to the residents that addresses those concerns as soon as possible." Handlin is the first official to attend one of the group's meetings. Until now, Whispering Pines residents opposed to the project expressed concerns at Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on the application. Handlin said the residents took her on a tour of the area to view sections where they say development on wetlands has led to increased flooding. "I'm not aware that the flooding was caused by any improper development," Handlin said. "However, residents are concerned that additional 'intense' development will seriously aggravate flooding that already exists." Galante's representatives have vowed that such flooding will not occur, because the neighboring homes are upland from the builder's property. "Engineering consultants retained by T. Galante ... do expect stormwater to flow easterly along the property, prompting the company to invest in on-site biofilters," Galante stated in a question-and-answer sheet provided to the media. "These state-of-the-art devices would cleanse stormwater as it traverses the property, ensuring the run-off does not have any environmental implications and meets the highest standards imposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection." Local resident Lucy Chencinski noted that the area has been designated as "environmentally sensitive" by groups like the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Non-Game Species Program (ENSP). What that means, Handlin said, is that the general area could be composed of wetlands or could be a habitat for imperiled species or an area based on a sensitive ecosystem that could be critically impacted by improper development. According to Handlin, the Wellhead Protection Area, which is a wetlands area adjacent to T. Galante's site, is one such place. While Handlin said she has not seen Galante's plans, she shares residents' concerns that any problems that could result from how the site is developed be addressed before problems can arise. Among the concerned groups is the Old Bridge Environmental Commission, which has not attended any of the Zoning Board meetings but recently issued a statement that read in part: "This development would provide a quality of life inconsistent with the township of Old Bridge. ... Such an intense use of small parcels of land will have a negative impact on wetlands." The statement also questions violations of zoning restrictions in the application proposes. Accordingly, Handlin has been in touch with DEP Commissioner Lisa Jackson and has been acting as a liaison of sorts broaching residents' questions about what safeguards are in place given the protected status of the area. According to Township Planner Sam Rizzo, the suggestion that most or all of Galante's property is located on wetlands is simply unfounded. "If all of the [Galante] property were wetlands, he would not be able to build on it at all. The state would not allow it. If that were the case, his proposal would not even be coming before the Zoning Board in the first place," Rizzo said. "The issue is really black and white, and the state, who would have issued his LOI [Letter of Interpretation], makes the determination. They make the call about what percentage of the property is wetlands and what is buildable space," he said. Rizzo, who has not seen Galante's LOI, said that unless the state had given the builder an LOI that permitted him to build on the property, it would not make sense for him to come before the Zoning Board. Rizzo said that characteristically the Zoning Board acts on what is presented to them and that once the board has the LOI for Galante's property, it will act accordingly. He also noted, however, that if the developer has 1 acre or less of "isolated" wetlands, he is permitted by state law to fill that wetlands area and to build on it. Residents' other concerns with the project are that it calls for 16 residential units even though it is located in an R120 zone that would permit only three units on this property. In addition, the proposed office space exceeds commercial zoning limits by 700 square feet, they said. The restricted uses of the land will require Galante to obtain various building and land-use variances from the township and Zoning Board. The board, which heard partial testimony on the application Oct. 19, has held the matter over to its Jan. 4 meeting. Members of the Whispering Pines group are urging concerned residents to attend the January meeting and lend their support. Galante, in the media statement, said the company wants to maintain the natural, wooded area on 10 of the 14 acres, the area adjacent to the Glenwood Country Club. The builder said the $7.5 million development would bring the township $148,000 in net property tax revenue each year and would present no burden to the school system.