More affordable housing, sans sprawl
Twp. considers using Millstone House site for another group home
BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

Millstone Township wants to subdivide its property on Burnt Tavern Road for the creation of more affordable housing.

At the Aug. 8 Planning Board meeting, Township Planner Richard Coppola discussed the proposal, which would help the township satisfy its current Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligation.

Mayor Nancy Grbelja and Committeeman Steven Sico, who are both on the board, left the meeting due to a possible conflict of interest, since the township owns the land in question.

The 2-acre lot already houses the Millstone House, which is also referred to as the Canwright House. The facility includes a two-story building with 10 bedrooms that serve as affordable housing and a one-story manager's residence.

The township wants to subdivide the tract in order to take 1 acre to construct a 4,000-square-foot dwelling with five additional affordable-housing bedrooms. The new facility would be located on the western portion of the property and would share the existing driveway.

Coppola said the Planning Board adopted the new housing element and fair share plan of the township's master plan May 9. He said the board sent the document to the Township Committee and then on to COAH for substantiation on May 11.

According to the document, the township's current affordable-housing obligation is 69 units.

Coppola praised the township's COAH subcommittee, which came up with the idea to subdivide the Millstone House tract so that another group home can be put there.

In order for the township to follow through with the plan, it must go before its Zoning Board of Adjustment for a use variance, given that multifamily housing is not permitted in the township's business park zone, which is where the property is located.

Coppola told the Planning Board that he believes the location makes sense for another group home. He added that the project has been under discussion for the better part of a year.

Planning Board Chairman Mitchell Newman asked if there would be issues with having two septic systems on the property, saying that he would like the Zoning Board to make sure the septics could accommodate the number of users.

Township Engineer Matt Shafai said the existing septic system is maxed out for usage at 2,000 gallons per day, which is one of the reasons the township wants to subdivide the property. He added that two systems would be about 70-80 feet apart.

Coppola called what Millstone has done to fulfill its COAH obligation "remarkable." He said the COAH subcommittee has been very proactive in getting affordable housing unit credits for Millstone that do not require major development and do not disrupt the township's quality of life.

New COAH rules are rumored to come out at the end of the year, Coppola said. He said the new rules could cause Millstone's 69-unit obligation to grow to 100 or more units.

Coppola said the number of required units could rise for several reasons, one of them being that the state's overall affordable-housing obligation could increase. Whereas the state currently has to provide one affordable unit for every eight market-rate units, it may have to provide as many as one affordable unit for every five market-rate units, according to Coppola.

Coppola said every town without public water and sewer has had a difficult time figuring out environmentally sound plans for creating more affordable housing units within their borders.

Other township-owned properties that could contain COAH units in the future include land on Novad Court and the site of the Allen House. Coppola said the Burnt Tavern Road property would not have enough room for another building if the second home is created there.