Environmental commission weighs in on master plan
Official recommends closing existing
loopholes
By Ruth Calia Stives
Staff Writer

The Millstone Township Environmental Commis-sion is offering suggestions for improving the master plan from an environmental perspective.

Commission member Mark Cascella, representing the group at the July 24 Planning Board meeting, cited a report he prepared for the Planning Board in April.

Cascella highlighted the key issues of concern to the Environmental Commission, and asked for more definitive language in the master plan, to close what he called "the loopholes some applicants try to wiggle through."

Cascella alluded to the current application before the Zoning Board of Adjustment, that of Millstone Center Associates. The application involves building a shopping center at the intersection of routes 526 and 571, including 40,000 square feet to be leased by a supermarket.

The current law allows 4,000 square feet per use, not per business. The applicant defined the supermarket as a business comprised of many uses, such as a grocery, a pharmacy, a bakery, a fresh produce market and a florist.

Cascella spoke about the need for cooperation among the township agencies in order to deal with the wide range of applications that come under review, particularly with nonconforming use applications.

If applicants were asked to disclose which professionals would be testifying on their behalf, he said, the township could have the opportunity to have its own experts present to discuss contradictions or misinterpretations of the language in the master plan.

Referring to a 19-page report prepared for the board, Cascella spoke about the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to aid in preparing an inventory of resources, and to prepare overlay maps to augment the traditional zoning map.

The additional maps, printed on transparencies, would each contain coloration intended to represent information regarding restrictions on septic system placement, availability of water, noise and light restrictions, and other important information that would have an impact on plans for development.

By stacking the transparencies over the original map, the land available and suitable for development can be determined at a glance, Cascella said. Those spaces will be the areas not colored in by restrictions.

Cascella also pointed out that Millstone contains five of the state’s 20 watershed management areas, while most municipalities are usually contained in one.

The surface water from Millstone eventually flows to Raritan Bay, the Delaware River, Chesapeake Bay and Barnegat Bay, Cascella explained in his report. This causes the area to come under management by four separate state bureaus.

The township is the only area in New Jersey without significant streams, and contains a feature called a "convergence zone," where all water flows away from the township — to the northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest, he said.

The presence of a convergence zone means that pollution originating in Millstone would affect many other areas as well, Cascella said. Millstone’s unique situation should weigh heavily in any decision regarding the build-out of the township.

Mayor Evan Maltz, who sits on the Planning Board, agreed with Cascella’s assessment, and said that, in terms of fending off over-development of the township, the situation with the headwaters and watershed is Millstone’s "ace in the hole."

"If we destroy that, we will destroy surrounding communities," he said.

Joseph Barris of T&M Associates, who is assisting Township Planner Richard Cramer in gathering information regarding the re-examination of the master plan, was on hand to take notes. The information-gathering process will continue until the board feels it has enough input to make revisions and additions.

In other board business, Millstone Center Associates, represented by attorney Kenneth Pape, was granted permission by the board to lease a 4,000-square-foot brick building, adjacent to the proposed shopping center at Routes 526 and 571, to veterinarian Daniel Stobie, a surgeon who handles animals on a referral basis.

The applicants explained that the office would be open primarily for pre-scheduled animal surgeries. Animals requiring an overnight stay would be supervised, and there would be no outdoor runs or cages of any type.

In response to questions from Planning Board member George Zanetakos, Pape explained that a licensed hauler would remove surgical waste, and animal tissue.

Originally the building was constructed for use by St. Barnabas affiliates as a walk-in medical center connected to Paul Kimball Hospital in Lakewood. There are no interior load-bearing walls, according to Pape, which allows the occupant to position cubicles, equipment and other items wherever they wish.

The medical clinic was unsuccessful, and the building has been vacant, officials said. The attorney and the board agreed that the proposed new use for the property would not be a detriment to the area.