Board takes new look at zoning
Borough may seek more age-restricted housing, address density issues
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer

JAMESBURG - Officials are considering several ordinances that would put the borough's land use laws in concert with the master plan.

"What we're looking to do is make the town more comfortable for people, and provide avenues where people can really understand what they can do and what they cannot do," said Councilman and Land Use Board member John Longo Jr.

The Land Use Board was presented last Thursday with over 150 pages of ordinances for consideration. These include laws that would more clearly define permitted, accessory, conditional and mixed-use residential and commercial development guidelines.

"We'll be looking at rezoning, and the zoning map, to see how we can better accommodate residents, business, retail and office space and so on," Longo said. "Because right now, office space is underutilized in the area."

The timing of this process coincides with an impending re-examination of the borough's master plan. Officials will be looking to make sure the borough's ordinances reflect the master plan, which serves as a guide to development in town, but is not law.

"If we have something that's in the master plan, but there's not an ordinance to back it up - because it's a change from what it was - then you have an old ordinance, but a new master plan. You'd be hard-pressed to have the master plan overtake the ordinance," Longo said.

The Land Use Board will review the ordinances and make recommendations to the Borough Council. The board may amend the master plan, but the council must pass the ordinances to make changes to the land use laws and zoning maps.

The ordinances will not necessarily be passed on to the council exactly as they were presented to the Land Use Board, Longo said, but because the master plan will be re-examined as well, officials are making congruency between the master plan and the ordinances their top priority.

Then, Longo said, the master plan will be enforceable by the borough's zoning authority.

Longo provided a few examples of the ordinances under consideration.

They included requirements for a new mixed-use development law, redefining certain areas of town, such as creating a central business district instead of having a general business district, seeking more age-restricted housing and addressing density issues.

Density issues were raised at the May 10 meeting of the Borough Council, the night prior to the Land Use Board meeting, by Councilman Otto Kostbar.

"We're a very, very densely populated town," Kostbar said. "And density is a big problem - it puts a lot of pressure on your fire services, your police services, your parking, your traffic."

Kostbar mentioned the borough's R-75 zone, which allows for the construction of one unit per 7,500 square feet. That, he said, is a very small lot size, especially considering the fact that nearby towns are creating 6-acre residential zones.

He suggested turning the existing R-75 zones into R-100 zones, which would increase the minimum lot size to 10,000 square feet.

Kostbar said the density issue came to mind when a recent application came before the Land Use Board proposing to subdivide one lot into three lots for the construction of three houses. The application was made by Mid-State Realty, located in Monroe, and originally called for the demolition of an existing, 199-year-old historic home on the property.

When Mid-State's John Profaci found out about the home, known as the Abraham S. Davison homestead, he pulled the application, and changed the plans to provide for the preservation and possible restoration of the home.

That amended application was approved by the Land Use Board last Thursday.

The original plan was conforming, but the new plan required a couple of variances, Longo said, that were suggested by the board.

In order to preserve one of the older trees on the property, one house had to be moved closer to the property line, thus violating the required setback.

"And we thought saving the tree versus a couple of feet on the setback might be a little bit more aesthetic for the community," Longo said.

Longo added that the developer will be building the other two houses so they will be architecturally consistent with the neighborhood.

The Land Use Board members have their work cut out for them in the coming weeks. Longo said the council wants to pass the ordinances as soon as possible, so the Land Use Board will be reviewing the ordinances, the master plan and the borough's zoning maps to ensure they are consistent, and provide for the best interests of the borough's residents.

"There are things that are happening in the community right now that really give us the step forward we're looking for," Longo said.