Board opens hearings for 965-home project Hovbilt application in Jackson has been in the works for years BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer JACKSON - After years of discussion, a formal application for 965 homes to be built by Hovbilt has come before the Planning Board seeking approval. The age-restricted adult condominium community will be known as Jackson Valley. Attorney Donald Daines, representing the applicant, provided an overview of the project during the board's Sept. 11 meeting. "This application began on Dec. 13, 1999 when Hovbilt entered into a settlement at that time," he said. "Hovbilt maintained that it had a special use variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment for 2,500 units on the property." After a petition was filed by Jackson in regard to affordable housing in the development, the township and Hovbilt appeared in court in December 1999. A hearing was held and the judge approved a settlement. The township then adopted the zoning ordinance. Daines said the applicant submitted a General Development Plan (GDP). "The settlement anticipated approximately 950 homes, with the possibility of a golf course," he said. "The settlement also provided that the court order for the affordable housing would be satisfied by the applicant contributing funds" to the township's affordable housing trust fund. No housing in the development will be set aside to help Jackson meet its affordable housing obligation. All of the homes will be sold at market rates. In December 2005 a revised GDP was submitted to reflect updated information, plans, reports and analysis. "We respected the ordinance that the township adopted and we are seeking no variances and no waivers," Daines told the board. He said the present plan calls for 965 age-restricted units and no golf course. He noted that 60 percent of the property could be left undisturbed. Project engineer Jeff Szabo was the next to speak and he showed an aerial photograph which revealed the proposed development area: the Cassville section bordered by Perrineville Road, Cassville Road (Route 571), West Veterans Highway and Prospertown Road, with access into Colliers Mills Wildlife Preserve; and to the north, Interstate 195. The parcel is about 651 acres and is north of the Cassville section and north of the Pinelands District in the Planned Retirement Community zone, and it is in the New Jersey State Planning Area PA-3, also known as the Fringe Planning Area. The area is characterized by small communities and freestanding developments. Some of the physical features of the site include Cedar Branch, which runs east-west, and Pole Brook, which runs north-south. "They both converge on the south side of the property," Szabo said, adding that soil samples were tested and it was determined that the soil can be considered to be quick draining. "There were 113 soil samples taken at the site and 55 were tested for minerals," the engineer said. "The vegetation on the site is primarily pine, pitch pine, oak, maple and scrub shrubs." The current GDP contains 965 housing units in four sections and 260 acres of total disturbance, Szabo said. The sections are as follows: + In sections 1 and 2, all units are age-restricted. In section 1 there are 584 duplex, fourplex and sixplex buildings that have 2,300 to 2,500 square feet per unit. In section 2 there are 318 units that are duplex, fourplex and sixplex with the same square footage. + In section 3 there are 17 single-family detached units between 2,800 and 3,500 square feet. + In section 4 there are 46 single-family detached units between 2,800 and 3,500 square feet. There will be two condominium associations; one association for section 1, and a second association for sections 2, 3 and 4. "The density of the units proposed across the entire GDP falls within the number allowed by the ordinance per acre," Szabo said. Regarding open space, Szabo said there is 73 percent open space in section 1, 94 percent in section 2, 79 percent in section 3 and 80 percent in section 4. There will be recreation facilities in each section and the community center will be approximately 13,800 square feet with parking. There will be nature trails, bocce courts, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, a gazebo, other seating areas and pocket parks. Plans call for vacating Prospertown Road, which goes through the site, and having an easement which will allow access to Colliers Mills Wildlife Preserve from West Veterans Highway. "That would be limited to pedestrian traffic and limited to emergency vehicles," Szabo said. Other topics considered during the overview portion of the presentation included: the 32-foot asphalt roads; sidewalk locations; waste water, pump stations, drainage, potable water, and the location of a water tower in section 4. Signs at the entrance, swimming pools and water features were briefly discussed. Landscaping will be reviewed at another meeting. It was noted that there will be no encroachment on any wetlands buffer areas and that there is a seasonal high water table on site. During the public hearing, Jackson environmental commissioner Denise Garner questioned the soil samples and wanted the report to review. She said she never saw any report. She also questioned the ground water model and said it did not show the hydrology. She requested a specific report. "I'm concerned with the design and the pollution," Garner said. "It's a problem." Resident Janet Gearman questioned the names of the waterways within the site and asked if the property is environmentally sensitive. Szabo said he was not qualified to answer that question and said there will be an environmental consultant at a future meeting who will be able to answer those questions. Ellen Weisfeld, a non-resident, asked how many bedrooms will be in the housing units. She was told there will be three or four bedrooms. Weisfeld said that number is unusual for an adult community. She also wanted to know about the number of garages. "Two-car garages on the single-family unit," said Szabo. "A single garage on the duplex, [fourplex and sixplex] models. There is on-street parking for visitors." "That is approximately 1,800 vehicles going in and out on the roads in the area," Weisfeld said. Resident Jim Garth asked if there is a lot of wetlands on the property. He was told there is a large area of wetlands and environmentally protected areas. Upon further questioning by Garth, it was revealed that there will be no connecting road between the sections of the development. "Basically they will be two isolated communities," Szabo said. Theresa Lettman of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance questioned the open space plan. "What do the percentages really mean?" she asked. "You said 93 percent may be open space, but that's not what can be used by the residents." Szabo said the project planner will address that issue at a future meeting. Planning Board member Blanche Krubner said the area is environmentally sensitive with endangered species and said the developer will have to comply with any ordinances.