Sites have potential for large-scale development
Planner zeros in on Cox's Corner, land near proposed middle school
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD - The township planner continues to add properties to his list of possible receiving areas for high-density development.

The key to Township Planner Mark Remsa's proposed master plan changes is to designate certain properties in the township as areas that receive higher-density development so other areas of town can remain open space or farmland.

New Jersey amended its Municipal Land Use Law in 1996 to provide for the clustering of development between noncontiguous parcels. This density transfer tool can be used to engage landowners in a specific region of a municipality to change traditional land use patterns. For example, the development potential of four farms can be transferred to one farm, which accommodates township growth while permanently preserving four out of five farms, according to the state's Smart Growth plan.

At previous Planning Board meetings, Remsa identified several potential receiving areas for high-density development in the township. At the Oct. 12 Planning Board meeting, he added two more possible receiving areas to the list.

Remsa said Cox's Corner at Route 524 and Imlaystown-Hightstown Road, which is near Route I-195, could be a potential receiving area. Several years ago, the property received Planning Board approval for 11 commercial lots, but various factors have prevented construction from beginning.

Remsa also identified property near the proposed middle school site on Ellisdale Road as another potential receiving area. He cited the property as an extension of the Allentown village center area, noting that there is already extensive development in that vicinity.

The initial receiving areas Remsa identified consisted of what he calls "New Sharon," which are two separate parcels totaling about 131 acres off Old York Road. Those properties are currently owned by Robert and Carolyn Brunning and the Keleman family.

The second potential receiving area is White Birch Farm on Route 526 and I-195. Remsa referred to this location as "Imlaystown North," calling it "one of the most incredible horse farms in the state of New Jersey."

On Oct. 12, Remsa said he considers the White Birch Farm tract a lower priority receiving area because a lot of money was spent creating the equine infrastructure there. He is not encouraging that property to be developed, he said.

The third property, which Remsa calls "Imlaystown South," consists of acreage on Route 539 and Sharon Station and Davis Station roads. According to the township's tax map, this tract contains land currently owned by Ronald Taft, David Perlman and High Ridge Farm.

The Perlman property has already received final approval for 56 single-family homes, and the Taft property has received preliminary approval for 96 1-acre lots in a cluster development.

The fourth tract Remsa cited as a possible receiving area is the 110-acre Baier Lustgarten nursery near Hornerstown on Route 539.

On Oct. 12, Remsa said that both the Imlaystown South and Hornerstown receiving areas could have community sewerage systems. Such systems could solve the septic problems that have plagued the revitalization of the Imlaystown hamlet, according to Remsa, and could address future septic failures in the present Hornerstown village as well.

Planning Board member William Search said that Hornerstown may not be suitable as a receiving area due to its environmental issues, which include a high water table and marl and flood plains. He noted that it is also in the township's highway development (HD) zone.

In addition, Remsa had previously proposed that 55 acres near routes 537 and 539 could serve as a fifth suitable receiving area for the township's density transfers. However, at the Oct. 12 meeting, he said that acreage is now a low priority as a receiving area because it is highly fragmented, with many lots.

"It's more of a challenge for a developer to make it work," he said.

With regard to potential master plan changes, Remsa has also brought up the concept of a "floating hamlet," in which large landowners with several properties could designate one of their parcels as a receiving area from their other tracts. He said the land would have to meet certain criteria, such as frontage on major roads or crossroads and the ability to perc for septic systems.

As an example of a floating hamlet, Remsa said a landowner with 500 acres could put 100 of them into a receiving area and preserve the rest. He said such a property may or may not be next to an existing hamlet.

Remsa said the township could designate one hamlet for age-restricted development but also have commercial offices there. However, according to Remsa, the commercial component should be located on main roads rather than inside the hamlet.