Board reviewing changes to builder's housing plan
Developer to go before Planning Board July 1
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE — A developer will return to the Planning Board next week in its quest to building a housing development off Ernston Road in Parlin.

The board has held several hearings on the application from PRC Group, trading as Golden Age Development Inc. The next hearing is scheduled for July 1.

The 96-unit, age-restricted townhouse community called Windermere would be located on 13 acres of vacant land between Harbor Club condominiums and Spinnaker Pointe. The site is just east of the Garden State Parkway near Prusakowski Boulevard and Gondek Drive. The age-restriction requires that at least one resident of each unit be over the age of 65, and minors cannot permanently reside there.

PRC Group proposed 19 two-bedroom units; 54 two-bedroom units with a variety of designs; 19 one-bedroom units; and four units without studies or dens, according to figures provided by the Planning Board office. Backyards are proposed to be between 10 and 12 square feet. The development already has a swimming pool, and PRC Group is proposing to build an adjacent clubhouse.

Board Chairman Dr. John Misiewicz said the Planning Board decided to grant the developer a continuation, since the application was not complete at last week's hearing. The developer still must address issues regarding lighting, sidewalks and signage, he said.

Misiewicz said the applicant is seeking a waiver on a requirement that signage be 50 feet away from the corner of the property line, because the developer wants it to be closer. He said that lighting on Ernston Road is within the purview of Jersey Central Power & Light, since it is a county road, but residents have voiced concerns about the safety of pedestrians who walk to a nearby bus stop.

The state Department of Transportation resolved the issue regarding the intersection of Ernston Road and Gondek Drive when it determined that it did not meet its requirements for needing a traffic signal. This determination was based on the speed limit being below 40 mph; it was not based on the volume of traffic in the area.

"It could be necessary, but if the state doesn't require it, you're going to have a tough time getting a developer to do it," Misiewicz said.

The issue of greatest concern to area residents was sidewalks, since PRC Group agreed to construct sidewalks on the site as part of a former application from 2003.

"When they did that application, they agreed to put in sidewalks along Gondek Drive to Ernston Road," Misiewicz said. "… Now they want to change the application to not put sidewalks there."

This is not the first time that the developer has sought approval for changes to this plan. Approval was originally granted for an assisted living facility to be built on the site with 272 units, but that was not built, and the zone was later changed to allow 83 townhouse units.

The board voted to allow PRC Group to increase the number of proposed homes on the property by 13 last year, raising the total number of units to 96. The builder also amended the plan to address buffering concerns raised by residents who live in Spinnaker Pointe.

"PRC Group has been very accommodating," Misiewicz said. "They tried to reach agreements with Spinnaker Pointe residents about property lines and landscaping issues, so I'm confident that a favorable agreement will be reached on the outstanding issues."