U.F. still seeks input on master plan revisions Mayor considers planning an emotional issue for officials BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - Proper planning requires more than just making zoning changes on a township map. The township's Economic Development Committee (EDC) presented that opinion among others with regard to the current state of Upper Freehold's master plan at the May 17 Township Committee meeting. The township is now in its third year of trying to revise its master plan. EDC member Patrick Nolan said that the Township Committee appointed the EDC as an advisory body to provide input into the decisions governing entities make regarding commercial considerations and their economic impact on the town. According to Nolan, the EDC approached the Planning Board in March with an offer to assist "in what has become a lengthy review of our township's master plan." "We were excited when that body then reached out to us to ask us for opinions on land use and zoning," Nolan said. Nolan said that since so many things in the planning process are connected to one another, the EDC found it very difficult to fully evaluate the implications of the proposed land use and zoning changes without the supporting data necessary to make an informed decision. "It is our position," Nolan said, "that any master plan must take into account the desired outcome of the township on the bases of maximum population, mixture of municipal services offered, proportionality between residential and commercial land uses, and the resulting mix of residential and nonresidential tax receivables. "We should be charting our course based on the destination we choose," he continued, "not on one that is chosen for us as an unintended consequence of our actions. Only by committing to goals that are consistent with our desired outcome over time can the township truly measure its success in the planning process and provide ourselves with a unified direction toward what Upper Freehold Township should and will ultimately look like." When asked to evaluate the proposed placement of commercial zones in the town, Nolan said the EDC found itself asking questions, such as "What will this do to the traffic pattern in this area of town?"; "What changes should be made to the surrounding area to prepare for added traffic that will accompany this new commercial site?"; and "What will the economic impact be on this area of the township?" Nolan said, "Unfortunately, this type of supporting information was not provided to us for evaluation, and we were left merely to opine on the zoning change itself. Without these necessary studies on the topics of traffic, infrastructure and economic impact, we could not provide conclusions with any level of conviction." As for commercially zoned property, Nolan said the EDC has a strong conviction that any master plan revision should incorporate proportionality between residential and nonresidentially zoned sites. "Ratable chases occur when poor planning results in extraordinary residential building that creates a need for services at the township level beyond that which the residential tax revenues can provide," he said. Nolan also said that while some may think the EDC would be looking for as much commercially zoned property as possible in the town, the group's opinion is quite different. "The EDC feels that we should have as much commercially zoned property as our township needs in order to secure the proper balance between the number of residents we have and the number of services they will demand," he said. "By carefully considering this item, we can ensure that our township provides businesses that serve our residents, and business taxes that support our residential tax base as well." Nolan said the EDC wants the Planning Board, the Zoning Board and the Township Committee to carefully consider what mix of development the township is trying to attain and then make zoning changes accordingly. The revisions to the master plan currently include establishing village centers for higher-density development in certain areas of town. Nolan said the EDC believes in the need for a township standard on proportionality, which makes evaluating such high-density receiving areas difficult. "The lack of guidance on what kind of residential yield will occur inside the receiving area is problematic in attempting to ascertain how much commercial business should support it," Nolan said. Nolan said areas of high population density have the potential to skew the balance the EDC is recommending that the township should seek with its residential/nonresidential zoning. "These are also areas that we believe studies on traffic, infrastructure and economic impact should be obtained before any decisions are made on their potential viability in our town," he said. Nolan said the EDC cannot endorse the Planning Board's recent charge to the township planner to complete the commercial zoning aspect of the master plan revision. "Until the very serious questions we raise here can be addressed in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner, we are concerned that this course of action amounts to not much more than zoning, rather than true planning," Nolan said. Nolan said the EDC gave its opinion in writing to the Planning Board and that the committee intends to address concerns in a meeting format with the board as well. He said the EDC would assist the board and the Township Committee in any way it could. Mayor Stephen Fleischacker, a strong proponent of the newly proposed master plan revisions, said the revisions are an emotional issue and that the Planning Board is trying to balance what one half of the town wants against what the other half wants. Fleischacker said no decisions have been made yet regarding any changes to the master plan. He said the process has not moved forward because of various comments that have been made to the Planning Board. The Township Committee will ultimately decide upon any revisions to the master plan, but Fleischacker told Nolan that his "positive remarks" are an example of the kind of input the township wants.