Storm water management at issue in housing plan
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer

JACKSON - A plan to construct 19 homes offWhitesville Road has had a second hearing before the Planning Board. Pinerock Estates is a 22-lot major subdivision that was initially heard in September.

Additional testimony is expected to be heard at the board's Feb. 25 meeting.

The application includes 19 homes, one lot for storm water management and two lots for open space.

Previous concerns raised by the board centered on a connection between Pinerock Estates and an adjacent subdivision, according to Planning Board engineer Douglas Klee. It was noted that a 46-lot subdivision was approved prior to the Pinerock Estates application. Together, the two subdivisions would bring the total number of homes to 65.

Klee said the storm water management lot in Pinerock Estates will require variances and said the applicant also had to provide traffic impact testimony. Backyard drainage and swales, as well as traffic from Whitesville Road, were concerns that were mentioned.

Project engineer Brian Murphy said the rear yard lot drains in lots number 2502 through 2507 were disconnected and will be maintained by the individual lot owners.

"They will be self-contained," Murphy said. "There will be some drainage that leads to the basin, which will still be owned and maintained by the township along the west and south end of the property."

Board Chairman Kenneth Bressi asked how the developer can make an individual lot owner care for his own storm water drain.

Murphy said basically there is a recharge pipe, and as long it is maintained there should be no issues.

"If [the pipe] becomes clogged and overflows, they feed into each other and work their way down to the storm basin anyway," he said. "The town should not be burdened with maintenance. I never design something without a safety valve."

Klee said access for the township becomes a problem. He said the developer can attach a maintenance plan to the deed, but there is no guarantee the homeowner is going to follow it.

Bressi asked what would happen if the homeowner did not maintain the infrastructure.

Murphy said the recharge basins are on individual lots and each one is selfcontained. He said if a homeowner fails to maintain his own basin, there will be an easement giving the town the right to go in to make the repair. Additionally, there can be a lien placed on the lot, he said.

Bressi said he had a problem with the possibility that a homeowner would not be able to maintain the infrastructure and the township would have to get involved.

Murphy said the homeowner should be able to take care of the infrastructure.

Board Vice Chairman Todd Porter said some people might not be able to take care of the infrastructure.

"I don't see it working at all," Porter said.

One board member suggested reducing the number of homes being proposed at Pinerock Estates.

"We have to get rid of the water," Murphy said. "It is the lowest area. I have to get rid of it."

It was then suggested that township engineer Dan Burke, who was absent from the meeting, review the drainage issues.

"If Mr. Burke objects to this then we'll come back," said attorney Steven Leone, representing the applicant. "We [also] have to address the variance issue."

Murphy said there is a variance issue for lot frontage and lot width.

"The width is 25 feet where 100 feet is required," he said. "The lot frontage is 80. This is not a building lot.We are reducing the access drive to the basin area."

"You could remove the variance if you remove a house," Bressi responded.

Porter suggested moving the basin to the front for more visibility instead of having it in the back where children cannot be seen.

The board's planner, Anna Wainright, suggested that the landscaping, which is a visible barrier, would prevent children from being seen in the back. She said she did not see any benefit to having the basin at that location.

In another matter, Leone said the applicant will comply with the affordable housing ordinance and provide two lots for affordable housing.

Affordable housing as defined by the state is sold or rented at below market rates to people whose income meets regional guidelines established by the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing.

Wainright said she would like to see a more comprehensive plan and not just a reference to two lots. She said she would like the applicant to at least specify which two lots would be designated for affordable housing, at which point lots 2506 and 2510 were designated and noted on the map by Murphy.

Wainright said the two affordable housing units must be indistinguishable from the market price homes that would be built.

Leone said the designs satisfy the criteria of the municipal ordinances. He said the applicant tried to accommodate the recommendations of the township engineer.

Traffic consultant Jonathan Szap said all 65 homes in the two subdivisions that were discussed would use a Whitesville Road entrance.

"The 19 homes (at Pinerock Estates) will add 14 trips in the morning and 20 trips in the afternoon," Szap said.

For the total of 65 homes, he said there will be a total of 62 trips in the morning and 81 trips in the afternoon

Szap said there will be a good level of service. The county has approved the connection. There is good sight distance and there will be no traffic hazard created, he said.

Summing up, Leone said the applicant has tried to comply with the recommendations of the board's professionals and the township engineer as far as the storm water system is concerned.

"Apparently we differ in terms of the aesthetic benefit of the storm water basin," Leone said.

During the public portion of the meeting Greg Bury, a member of the Navy Encroachment Prevention team, said the project is about 1 mile from the Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst operational zone and about a half-mile from the military base's noise zone.

"In light of those facts we recommend to you that notification should be provided in the sales transactions associated with this project," Bury told the board.

Resident Beth Duke said as far as the Lakehurst military base is concerned, the proximity of new homes to the installation is a valid concern.

"I've lived there since 1994 and the air traffic is sometimes incredibly busy. Aircraft can go off every two minutes," she said.

Duke said the applicant should take into consideration that it will be selling homes to people who will probably not be aware they will have to deal with this type of noise.

Bressi noted that recent testimony connected to a re-examination of Jackson's master plan indicated that the U.S. military plans to go from 8,000 flights to 80,000 flights at Lakehurst in the near future.

Duke also questioned the traffic on Whitesville Road, particularly the traffic safety near Cannon Road and the depth of the storm water basins. She was told the basins will be 9 feet deep.

During his closing comments, Leone said if the board wishes, one house will be eliminated from the plan and a larger lot will be made for the storm water basin.

Two issues still remaining to be discussed are the application's Pinelands filing status and the resolution of the storm water drainage situation. The Pinerock Estates application was carried to Feb 25.