By Kathy Shwiff
Representatives of Toll Brothers detailed revisions to its plans for a 118-unit townhome community at 300 Madison Ave. during Monday’s Morris Township planning board meeting.
And traffic experts for the developer and the Township agreed that the project would produce significantly less traffic than the previous JCP&L operations at that location.
The board will hear questions and comments from the public at its meeting next month. It is expected to vote on the project, which meets all Township zoning requirements, at that meeting.
Toll Brothers is not requesting variances for the community, which would have 24 units, or 20 percent, deemed affordable housing. The other 94 units would be sold at market rates. All the units, in 16 buildings, would be for sale.
The development is part of the township’s fourth-round affordable housing plan, which is mandated by the state.
At an informational meeting Sept. 1, Toll Brothers officials said the stacked townhomes likely will cost from $600,000 to $800,000 and the three-story townhomes from $1.1 million to $1.2 million.
TRAFFIC DECLINE PREDICTED
On Monday, traffic engineer Gary Dean, testifying for Toll Brothers, said he used earlier traffic studies and data to determine that the proposed residential development would have about 75 percent less traffic than what the site would have generated at its peak when JCP&L was operating there.
“Logically, we draw a conclusion that if the driveways and access points and intersections functioned adequately for what’s been on the site, certainly with a use that generates substantially less traffic, it will continue to work,” he said.
Dean estimated the proposed development would generate about 60 car trips in or out during a peak hour. “It’s a very low volume from a traffic engineer’s perspective.”
By contrast, 186,000 square feet of employment-based use, which is there now, would generate more than 200 car trips per peak hour.
He did not conduct a traffic count at the site, instead using industry standard traffic-generation estimates for both uses. “They’ve been proven to be accurate over decades of study.”
John Jarr, a traffic consultant hired by Morris Township, seconded Dean’s findings.
The housing development might increase pedestrian traffic because it is about a half mile from the Convent Station train station and there is a bus stop next to the property on Madison Avenue, he said.
When residents pointed out that the proposed development would generate more traffic than the now-closed JCP&L building, Dean said JCP&L could sell or rent out the building if the Toll Brothers project is not approved.
William “Bud” Ravitz, a Township committeeman who serves on the planning board, explained that municipalities cannot consider traffic and other impacts on infrastructure when approving a site for affordable housing. “What we can do as a Planning Board is to mitigate as much as we can the traffic flow.”
REVISIONS TO PLANS
Among the changes that Toll Brothers representatives announced Monday in response to comments at a previous Planning Board meeting:
- The dead-end areas of streets labeled Court A and Court B would be enlarged to allow garbage trucks to turn around. Court A has an emergency access to Old Turnpike Road for firetrucks.
- Lighting on walkways along Old Turnpike and Punch Bowl roads would be increased. Lighting on the public sidewalk next to Madison Avenue, a state highway, cannot be increased because of state law.
- The gate to the children’s playground would require a key fob, limiting access to the development’s residents and increasing the likelihood of parental supervision. More landscaping to screen the playground from Punch Bowl Road is planned.
- Parking spaces would be increased to 332 from 327, and eight spaces on the street would be assigned to nearby affordable housing stacked units. Those spaces would have signs saying they are reserved for a specific unit number. There would be 53 spaces on the street for visitors.
- The retaining wall at the intersection of Old Turnpike and Punch Bowl would have a significant number of evergreen shrubs and trees nearby.
- Stone would be used up to the top of the first floor on the sides of buildings facing Old Turnpike Road.
On Monday, Toll Brothers representatives said they would replace a vinyl fence planned along the west side of the property with a cedar one after board member Edward Benoit said he dislikes the look of vinyl.
In response to an earlier question, Eric Ballou, an engineer working for Toll Brothers, said the JCP&L building is 39 feet high. The highest point in the proposed development would be about 43.5 feet, architect Jim Dziegrenuk said.
Planning Board Chairman Richard Bye asked about an earlier suggestion that the playground be moved farther from Punch Bowl Road.
Ballou said moving it would be very disruptive because part of the planned stormwater management system is under the playground.
REMOVAL OF TREES
Asked about the planned removal of trees that reportedly are more than 100 years old and more than 100 feet tall, Ballou said, “Our position is they need to be removed so the site can be properly developed for this project that’s fully conforming.”
Toll Brothers plans to remove 70 trees and to plant 162 trees.
Replacement trees would be 8 to 10 feet tall at planting, he added.
Joshua Koodray, an attorney representing Toll Brothers, said, “We attempted … to preserve what we could, but as is often the case, the site is being redeveloped so the site is going to be disturbed. … To achieve the development, it’s unfortunate but the trees will have to be removed.
“I understand the height at planting is not going to achieve what’s out there, but over time it will grow. It’s not feasible. If it were, we would do it.”
Ballou said Toll Brothers still plans to retain the old cherry tree at the corner of Madison Avenue and Punch Bowl if it is possible.
Koodray noted that the planned stormwater management system makes saving the cherry tree “extremely difficult and it’s improbable.”
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