Compromise shows voice of residents was heard

Old Bridge residents who fought an organized and vocal battle to make sure a developer wouldn't have his way in building new housing along with office and retail space on an apparently wet tract off Route 516 have emerged victorious. They may not have gotten all that they had hoped for, but when it comes to building applications and the successful lawsuits that often follow denials from local boards, the compromise reached last week can be considered a win for the residents.

The township's Zoning Board of Adjustment voted unanimously to approve T. Galante's application only after the builder removed all 16 townhomes proposed for the site. He had already stripped the plan of its retail uses, and now all that remained was an 11,840-square-foot office building on the 14-acre Angela Drive property.

Residents of the Whispering Pines development, which borders the back of Galante's property, argued that the site was unsuitable for the proposed development and raised concerns that construction would worsen flooding and cause groundwater quality in the area to deteriorate. They also suggested that the developer planned to circumvent state regulations governing environmentally sensitive properties, though the township argued the builder would need to abide by the state's direction.

Galante's representatives said stormwater would flow away from Whispering Pines and would be cleaned by on-site biofilters, thus avoiding any environmental implications. The builder also noted that only 4 of the 14 acres would actually be developed, and that the project would net the township $148,000 per year in new property tax revenue.

However, none of those reasons were enough to convince the residents or the board to grant approval for the development of property zoned for far less construction. Under township zoning, just three housing units would be permitted.

The end result is something that the township, the residents and the builder should all be able to live with. It brings a positive outcome to a controversial situation, and shows that the public, at least in this case, was heard loud and clear.