56 homes sought
in new rural zone
Testimony on plans
for Tamarack Hollow
to continue March 5
By vincent todaro
Staff Writer

A developer has proposed a 56-home development off Fresh Ponds Road in what is one of the largest applications to come before the East Brunswick Planning Board in recent years.

The application is also the first time a builder has incorporated the guidelines of the township’s new rural preservation zone into a plan for a large development.

The board began hearing testimony earlier this month on the application for Tamarack Hollow, which would be built by Hazlet-based developer Matzel and Mumford. According to Steve Gottlieb of the township’s Department of Planning and Engineering, the development would be the largest since the January 2001 approval of Apple Ridge, an 81-home development on Milltown Road.

Tamarack Hollow involves four non-contiguous tracts that comprise a total of 209 acres, but the development would be condensed onto one primarily wooded parcel west of Fresh Ponds Road and north of Church Lane.

Two of the other parcels — one across Fresh Ponds Road and north Church Lane, and another south of Church Lane near Beekman Road — are about half wooded and half farmland, Gottlieb said. The fourth tract, north of Dutch Road near the Milltown border, is primarily wooded, but has some farmland.

According to the plans, the existing farmland on the three parcels will remain as is, under a deed restriction that is included with the plans.

"It will be preserved in its entirety," Gottlieb said. "The currently farmed areas would be retained."

The plans for Tamarack Hollow use a non-contiguous parcel cluster option that is permitted for developments in the township’s rural preservation zone. Under that option, the developer is permitted to build one house per 3.5 acres, but the homes will be closer together and at least 75 percent of the total land area must remain as open space.

The township was sued by a group of property owners after the Township Council adopted the rural preservation zone, but a state Superior Court judge allowed the zoning guidelines to take effect in 2001. The zone was amended to allow for the cluster option.

"The overall density has to be one unit per 3.5 acres," Gottlieb said of the cluster option.

The option allows developers to "build on a smaller area and preserve more area as open space," he said.

Out of the 209 acres, about 157 will remain as open space under the plan that was submitted, he said.

The "high end" homes are being planned for lot sizes of at least 30,000 square feet and the average house will comprise between 3,000 to 4,000 square feet, but Matzel and Mumford has not yet testified regarding the homes’ appearance and anticipated cost.

The development would include a community septic system.

At a Jan. 8 Planning Board hearing, Matzel and Mumford presented engineering testimony, as well as its general conceptual plans. The developer has yet to testify regarding environmental impact, community septic system, traffic and any other areas the board may require it to address.

The applicant is seeking preliminary site plan approval for the development and final approval for a subdivision of one house that is being built for one of the current landowners.

The application, which initially called for one bulk variance, is expected to be changed so that it complies with all township construction guidelines.

"Farmland preservation will continue to be one of the goals of the township ordinance and the state plan," he said. "The primary goal is the preservation of existing agricultural land."

Mayor William Neary said the development application shows the new zoning guidelines at work. He noted that the goals behind the rural preservation zone were to protect the environment by leaving areas undeveloped, to keep farms functioning, and to have developments condensed onto smaller parcels in order to avoid sprawl.

The next hearing on the Tamarack Hollow application is scheduled for the March 5 Planning Board meeting.