Preservation project held up by COAH obligation Acreage wanted for open space could be only place for affordable housing BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - Many questions remain regarding the potential preservation of a 135-acre tract along Breza Road. Although Township Attorney Granville Magee cautioned Township Committee members against releasing specific details about the preservation project because negotiations are ongoing, some did voice concerns about the project at the Feb. 21 meeting. The property is located in the only area in the township designated for public water and sewer service. In June 2007, then-mayor Stephen Fleischacker said the site's landowner, Neil Van Cleef, is willing to sell the acreage for preservation "at a substantially reduced price." Fleischacker said that he could not reveal the price at that time, but said the township would work with the county, state and a nonprofit land trust to try to preserve the land. Potts Road resident Michael Renzulli asked about the status of the preservation project at the Feb. 7meeting.He distributed a list of questions to the committee, and asked for yes or no answers. Renzulli asked for an approximate timeframe for resolving issues with the project and for a date of completion for the land purchase deal.He also asked whether there was a consensus among the current Township Committee members, some of whom just took office in January, to preserve the land and whether the township has funds available for the preservation effort. He also wanted to know if the township is considering a new direction for the tract, including Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) and/or commercial development. Renzulli also questioned whether the township had ever precluded awilling landowner fromputting property into preservation and askedmembers of the governing body if they consider preservation a top priority. "After so many different agencies and individuals have put so much time and effort into this deal, based on positive votes last year, do you think these agencies will want to do business with Upper Freehold Township again if this deal is scuttled at this point?" Renzulli asked the committee. He also referred to changes in the plan as "junk zoning." Dionne Polk, a resident of the Four Seasons active adult community in town, said the state and county have offered a good deal of money for the preservation of the land. She said all of the current elected officials have campaigned in favor of open space preservation. "We would be crazy to turn down this money," she said. Committeeman Stanley Moslowski Jr., who was not a member of the governing body last year, tried to answer Renzulli's list of questions. He said COAH is part of the delay with the preservation project. "Unfortunately, the state has other ideas for the town," Moslowski said. "We have built homes, and in my understanding, our newCOAHrequirements are goingway up." Moslowski said thatwhile the Township Committee wants to preserve the land, it must reviewall options.He said other agencies have made a "great deal" of funding available to preserve the land but added, "We did build homes in the community that we have to provide affordable housing for." As for whether the township had ever denied any other willing seller's wishes for preservation, Moslowski said that the township would try to preserve every piece of land that an owner wanted to preserve if it had themoney to do so. Committeewoman LoriSue Horsnall Mount, also a new member of the governing body, said preservation is "absolutely a priority, but preservation at any expense is not an option." She said people who have spoken publicly about theBrezaRoad preservation issue "only [have] five pieces of a 100-piece puzzle." Mount said she would continue to ask questions about the project until she could decipher its full impact on the township. She said committee members were not given the opportunity to ask such questions last year. "We're all stepping up to the plate now and taking our responsibility to the maximum," she said. "I think it is appalling how this situation has turned out." She urgedmembers of the public to continue asking questions about the project as well. Committeeman David Reed said he voted for the preservation of the property, and that he has not changed his opinion. "This Township Committee wants to make sure we are covering every aspect of the deal thoroughly," he said. Mayor SteveAlexander said thatMount and Reed summed up his position on the project. He noted that two members of the 2007 Planning Board, Doug Raynor and Bob Freiberger, had stated that itwould not be the best plan to preserve the tract because it is the only property in town with a water/sewer option. Alexander said, "We are dotting every 'i' and crossing every 't' on this particular project." With regard to Renzulli's reference to "junk zoning,"Alexander said that there is a reason why the Department of Environmental Protection approved the area,which has highway access, for water and sewer service years ago. "It was planning," he said. Alexander hypothetically asked how residents would react if the township decided to put COAH on the Ellisdale Road site near the Four Seasons and Heritage Green developments. "How many people in Four Seasons or Heritage Green would be happy with that?" he asked. "The township has the responsibility and duty to make sure everything is done correctly for all interests of this town." Alexander said the Township Committee is not working to destroy the preservation project, but isworking tomake sure the township is in the best possible position.He added that the township has a long history of working well with preservation agencies.