YES. GOOD EVENING. TONIGHT IS THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF OUR CONTINUED TOWN HALL MEETINGS [Town Hall on August 25, 2025.] [00:00:20] THAT ARE DESIGNED TO GIVE THE PUBLIC THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT MONTGOMERY'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN. AND TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE PUBLIC. BUT BEFORE WE OPENED THE MEETING TO MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, I'D LIKE TO REITERATE MY PERSPECTIVE ABOUT WHERE WE ARE WITH OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN. THEN I WILL TURN IT OVER TO OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF. TO PRESENT UPDATES THAT HAVE EVOLVED SINCE OUR LAST TOWN HALL PLAN. AS PROMISED THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AND STAFF HAVE CONTINUED TO LOOK FOR OTHER OPTIONS. AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NEW JERSEY IS A DIFFICULT ISSUE FOR SEVERAL REASONS. NEW JERSEY IS A HIGH-COST STATE, AND HOUSING IS THE SINGLE LARGEST EXPENSE THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE. THE HIGH COST OF HOUSING MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR MANY ESSENTIAL WORKERS. TEACHERS, FIRST RESPONDERS, GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AND SERVICE EMPLOYEES OF ALL KIND TO LIVE AND WORK IN THE SAME COMMUNITY. THE HIGH COST OF HOUSING ALSO MAKES IT DIFFICULT FOR OUR SENIORS TO REMAIN IN MONTGOMERY AFTER THEY RETIRE. FOR MANY IN THE TOWNSHIP WONDERING WHY WE ARE BUILDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. 50 YEARS AGO, THE NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT DECLARED IT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE IN NEW JERSEY THAT TOWNS MUST PROVIDE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AT THE SAME TIME, THE WAY AFFORDABLE HOUSING WORKS IN NEW JERSEY FORCES MUNICIPALITIES TO MAKE SOME DIFFICULT CHOICES VERY QUICKLY. AND THE ROUND 4 RULES HAVE PUT MUNICIPALITIES IN A NO-WIN SITUATION. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STATE MANDATE. MUNICIPALITIES IN NEW JERSEY FACED A DEADLINE OF JUNE 30TH TO SUBMIT THEIR PLAN TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROGRAM. BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, THE 3RD ROUND PLAN WAS WORKED ON AND AMENDED OVER THE COURSE OF 13 YEARS, AND THIS PLAN WE HAD 3 MONTHS. THE STATE'S HOUSING RULES ARE FAR FROM PERFECT, BUT WE MUST PAY THE HAND WE ARE DEALT, OR WE CAN FIND OURSELVES WITH SOME VERY BIG CHALLENGES. IT WASN'T THE TOWN'S BEST INTEREST TO CONTINUE. AND PROTECT OUR IMMUNITY FROM BUILDERS' REMEDY LAWSUITS TO BE COMPLIANT WE HAD TO IDENTIFY LOCATIONS THAT COULD PROVIDE A REALISTIC, AGAIN, I EMPHASIZE A REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. MONTGOMERY COMPLIED WITH THE JUNE 30TH STATE MANDATE BECAUSE FAILING TO DO SO WOULD HAVE RISKED LOSING CONTROL OF DEVELOPMENT IN OUR TOWN DUE TO THE BUILDERS' LAWSUITS. WE HAVE SEEN THE IMPACT OF THESE TYPES OF LAWSUITS IN SOUTH BRUNSWICK AND HILLSBOROUGH NEXT IN NEIGHBORING TOWNS WHERE THEY WERE FORCED TO BUILD HUNDREDS OF UNITS. MORE RECENTLY, THE BOROUGH OF ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS WAS NOT ONLY FORCED TO ALLOW FOR BUILDING OF OVER 500 UNITS BUT ORDERED BY THE COURTS TO PAY OVER $8 MILLION OF TAXPAYER FUNDS IN FEES TO THE DEVELOPERS FOR FIGHTING AGAINST THE CONSTRUCTION. WHILE WE WERE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A PLAN BY JUNE 30TH UNDER THE FAIR HOUSING ACT'S LAW. WE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OUR OPTION TO MODIFY THE PLAN IN A MANNER CONSISTENT WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW. ANOTHER RISK WE FACE AS A TOWN ALMOST REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DO IS LITIGATION FROM ONE PARTY OR ANOTHER. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY, NOT EVERY DEVELOPER, NOT EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING ISSUES WE FACE IN MONTGOMERY, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING BEHIND THE SCENE. LORD OF FLEET HOURS AND WEEKENDS TO GET TO THIS POINT. AT A PRIDE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE, I ADDRESSED A SPECIFIC CONCERN ACQUISITION I WOULD LIKE TO CALL IT AGAINST ME THAT I WANT TO REPEAT TONIGHT. SOME HAVE SAID THAT I'M SEEKING TO PROFIT FROM THE SALE OF THESE NEW UNITS BUILT UNDER AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO BE A LOCAL REAL ESTATE AGENT JUST TO REMOVE ANY DOUBT, I HAVE COMMITTED THAT I WILL NOT SERVE AS THE LISTING AGENT ON ANY NEW UNITS CREATED UNDER THIS PLAN EITHER WHILE I'M IN OFFICE OR EVEN AFTERWARDS. AS THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE HAS STATED NUMEROUS TIMES AND WILL CONTINUE TO STATE WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO LISTENING TO OUR RESIDENTS. ON HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE PLAN. TO THIS EFFORT WE DID HAVE A LISTENING SESSION WITH THE RESIDENTS OF MONTGOMERY RIDGE, WHICH IS NEXT TO 23 ORCHARD, AND THEY HAD SHARED WITH US SPECIFIC TRAFFIC CONCERNS AND THEY HAD ASKED IF WE WOULD ARRANGE A MEETING WITH OUR SENATOR, STATE SENATORS WICKER, AND WITH OUR ASSEMBLY, UH. ASSEMBLY MEMBERS, UH, [00:05:02] FREMAN AND UH ANDREW LES AND WE DID SEND A LETTER OUT, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WE COULDN'T GET IT ARRANGED FOR THIS WEEK BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WITH THE HOLIDAY COMING UP THEY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. WE HOPE TO GET THEM, UH, IN HERE TO LISTEN TO THE RESIDENTS HOPEFULLY THE WEEK AFTER LABOR DAY. YOUR PARTICIPATION UP TO THIS POINT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING US DO THAT. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE PEOPLE OF MONTGOMERY WHO HAVE EMAILED US, COME TO OUR TOWN HALLS, SEND MESSAGES, AND EVEN CHATTED WITH US AT THE GROCERY STORE WITH YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR SUGGESTIONS ON HOW WE CAN MEET OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING MANDATE. WE SEE YOU, WE HEAR YOU, AND YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND CONCERNS ARE IN THE FOREFRONT OF ANY DECISION THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MAKES. AT THE LAST TOWN HALL WE ANNOUNCED SOME NEW OPTIONS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE OUR PLAN. AN OPPORTUNITY WAS PRESENTED TO US FOR ADDITIONAL EXTENSIONS OF AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS. IF REALIZED, IT WILL MEAN FEWER TOTAL UNITS GENERATED BY OUR PLAN THAT BASICALLY MEANS LESS CONSTRUCTION. I'M VERY PROUD OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE ON THE PLANNING BOARD AND ESPECIALLY OUR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF ADMINISTRATOR LAURIE SAVARON, WHO HAVE SERVED AS OUR DIRECTOR OF PLANNING FOR MANY YEARS FOR THEIR DILIGENCE AND DEDICATION TO OUR TOWN. AT THIS POINT, I WOULD LIKE MY COLLEAGUES AND FELLOW RESIDENTS ON THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AND THE PLANNING BOARD TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. WE'LL START WITH YOU, PAT. GOOD EVENING. I'M PATRICIA TAYLOR TODD. I AM A TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBER AND A PLANNING BOARD MEMBER. GOOD EVENING, MIKE MARTIN, COMMITTEE MEMBER. HI DAVE CAMPUS, UH, CHAIRMAN OF THE PLANNING BOARD. HELLO, THIS IS ARUN MANI, VICE CHAIR OF THE PLANNING BOARD. AND THEN WE HAVE ON THE OTHER SIDE, PLANNING BOARD. TONY GLOCKLER. I AM IN A MEMBER OF THE PLANNING BOARD. GOOD EVENING, AL TARIQ BATTLE. MEMBER OF THE PLANNING BOARD THANK YOU. AND NOW I'LL ASK OUR STAFF AND PROFESSIONALS TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. MICHAEL SULLIVAN, CLARK K HINTS, TOWNSHIP PLANNING CONSULTANT. UH, LAURIE SABOR, THE TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATOR AND PLANNING DIRECTOR FOR MONTGOMERY. GOOD EVENING, WENDY RUBENSTEIN QUIROGA. I'M THE TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY AS WELL AS THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ATTORNEY. UH, THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO TURN THINGS OVER TO LAURIE, OUR ATTORNEY AND OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING ADVISOR. THEY WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE SLIDES AND THEN WE CAN TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. UM, WE HAVE A SHORT PRESENTATION TONIGHT BECAUSE WE DO WANT TO GET TO PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, ANY FEEDBACK ON THE TRANSIT COMMERCIAL SITE, BUT I CREATED A FEW SLIDES JUST TO GO OVER A FEW THINGS WITH YOU, SOME INFORMATION. UM, THIS SLIDE IS A LITTLE HARD TO READ KIND OF THE POINT, UM, THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT, THERE'S BEEN 5 DECADES OF BUILDING OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING LAW LEGISLATION, UM, UH, REGULATION, LITIGATION ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NEW JERSEY. SO THIS SORT OF JUST SUMMARIZES EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE 1970 HERE IN NEW JERSEY BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WONDERED WHAT, WHAT IS THE WHY DO WE HAVE TO DO THIS AS A MUNICIPALITY. SO SOME OF THE WORDS THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED ARE SOME OF THE WORDS THAT ARE BUZZ WORDS THAT YOU'VE HEARD BEFORE, UM, BACK IN THE 1970S, MOUNT LAUREL TOWNSHIP WAS SUED. UM, THIS COURT RULED THAT THEY NEEDED TO PROVIDE FOR A REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND YOU CAN SEE AT THAT TOP LINE PROHIBITING EXCLUSIONARY ZONING. SO A LOT OF THAT WAS ABOUT SINGLE FAMILY, LARGE LOTS, AND NOT HAVING MULTI-FAMILY ZONING. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE ORIGINS OF WHERE THIS IS. ALL COMING FROM. THEN THROUGH 1980S WE ACTUALLY HAD A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT WITH THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, AND THEN THAT SET FORTH A WHOLE ANOTHER, UM, WHAT WE CALL THE FIRST ROUND, THE 2ND ROUND, THE 3RD ROUND, AND THEN NOW WE'RE IN THE 4TH ROUND. SO THIS LAST 4TH ROUND, UM, IS A 10-YEAR PERIOD FROM 2025 THROUGH 2035. AND WE'LL HAVE THIS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE, UM, SO YOU CAN REVIEW IT A LITTLE BIT MORE. UM, ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WE GOT AT THE END OF THE TOWN HALL, THE LAST TOWN HALL WE DID WHERE THE NEXT DEADLINES COMING UP. SO THESE ARE ALL OF THE ROUND 4 DEADLINES, THE JANUARY 31ST DEADLINE, WHICH WAS WHETHER A TOWN WAS GOING TO UM ACCEPT THE [00:10:02] DCA'S OBLIGATION NUMBER, UM, AND THEN A STRING OF THINGS HAPPENED THEREAFTER, BUT AUGUST 31ST IS THE DEADLINE FOR ANYONE TO CHALLENGE THE VALIDITY OF THE TOWNSHIP'S HOUSING ELEMENT AND FAIR SHARE PLAN. SO WE ADOPTED OUR PLAN BY JUNE 30TH, WHICH WAS THE REQUIRED DEADLINE, AND UM THAT WAS TO MAINTAIN OUR IMMUNITY FROM A BUILDER'S REMEDY LAWSUIT. SO DECEMBER 31ST COMING UP, THAT'S THE DEADLINE FOR A TOWN TO SETTLE ANY CHALLENGES THAT THEY MAY GET BY THAT AUGUST 31ST DATE. UM, AND WE THEN WOULD COMMIT TO REVISING OUR FAIR SHARE PLAN AND IF NOT, THEN WHY WE NEED TO LET THE COURT KNOW. AND THEN MARCH 15TH OF NEXT YEAR 2026, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT, THE DEADLINE FOR WHATEVER YOUR ULTIMATE PLAN IS TO ADOPT THE ZONING THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT'S IN YOUR PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD, UM, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW A MASTER PLAN ELEMENT DOESN'T ESTABLISH THE ZONING. SO NOTHING IN THE PLAN CAN HAPPEN UNTIL THE ZONING IS ENACTED. SO IT'S THE PLAN IS THE WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING? BUT NOT THE ACTUAL LAWS THAT ALLOW IT TO HAPPEN. SO ONE OF THE SLIDES THAT I JUST WANTED TO CARRY FORWARD. IF YOU WEREN'T HERE, UM, WAS AFFORDABLE HOUSING UH, IS FOR OUR TEACHERS, OUR SENIORS, UM, COLLEGE GRADS, OTHER PROFESSIONALS, A FAMILY OF 4, MODERATE INCOME UNIT IS EARNING A SALARY OF $122,000. A SINGLE PERSON MAKING A SALARY OF $86,000. ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAD THAT HAD COME UP, UM, AS WELL. WE HAD THIS, UH, SIMILAR SLIDE AT THE LAST TOWN HALL WAS MINIMIZING IMPACT TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT NEW DEVELOPMENT. SO HOW WE PLAN TO DO THAT WAS THROUGH MAXIMIZING OUR BONUSES. SO ESSENTIALLY OUR NUMBER IS 260. WE HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF CREDITS THAT WE CAN, UM, ALLOCATE TOWARDS BONUSES FOR DOING CERTAIN TYPES OF UM MECHANISMS IN THE PLAN, AND THAT'S A TOTAL OF 65 MAX, SO WE HAVE MAXED THOSE OUT SO RIGHT OFF THE BAT, WE'RE NOT DOING THOSE 65 AS NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS. THOSE ARE COMING IN AS CREDITS. THE SECOND THING WAS MAXIMIZING SENIOR CREDITS ALLOWED. SO THE STATE SAYS THAT UP TO A CERTAIN NUMBER, I THINK IT WAS 58, MICHAEL, I'M BUT 30%, BUT I THINK IT WAS 58. OF OUR CREDITS CAN BE ALLOCATED TO AGE 55 AND OVER, SO WE MAXIMIZE THOSE NUMBER OF UNITS AND THEN FOR THE FIRST TIME, THERE'LL BE A FEW SLIDES AFTER THIS. WE WERE ABLE TO UTILIZE EXTENSION OF CONTROLS. SO 30 YEARS IS THE DEED RESTRICTION ON THE UNITS THAT IT CURRENTLY IN MONTGOMERY, AND MANY OF THOSE ARE COMING UP IN THIS NEXT 10-YEAR PERIOD. SO IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXTENDING THOSE CONTROLS, AND THERE'S A PROCESS THAT YOU GO THROUGH IN ORDER TO DO THAT. AND SO WE WANTED TO FOR THIS ROUND TO FOCUS ON EXTENDING AS MANY CONTROLS AS POSSIBLE, UM, THAT HELPS, UH, THE MONTGOMERY FAMILIES THAT ARE ALREADY LIVING IN TOWN AND THAT MEANS NO NEW UNITS CREATED. SO THE THREE DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE EXTENSIONS OF CONTROLS THAT ARE EXPIRING. THERE'S 210 UNITS AT PIKE RUN, WHICH IS UP IN BELLE MEADE, 95 UNITS AT MCKINLEY COMMONS. THAT'S A MIX OF FOR SALE FAMILY RENT UH FOR SALE FAMILY UNITS AND SENIOR RENTALS. THAT'S OFF OF BLUE SPRING ROAD AND 19 UNITS AT MONTGOMERY WALK. THOSE ARE FOR SALE UNITS, CONDOS, THOSE ARE OFF OF, UM, IN THE PRINCETON AVE, BLUE SPRING ROAD AREA. SO ONE OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE LAST MEETING WAS THAT PRIOR TO JUNE 30TH, WE DID NOT HAVE, UM, THE ABILITY TO INCLUDE THE EXTENSIONS AT PIKE RUN. BUT AFTER ADOPTING THE PLAN BY JUNE 30TH, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH AND ARE CURRENTLY IN STILL ACTIVE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE OWNER OF THE PIKE RUN UNITS TO LOOK TOWARDS HOW WE CAN EXTEND CONTROLS THERE. SO THOSE UNITS, THERE'S 210 OF THEM, UM, THEY EXPIRE BETWEEN 2028 AND 2031. SO THERE WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL 30 YEARS THAT WE'RE NEGOTIATING FOR AND UM THAT WOULD BE DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME. SO ONE OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE LAST TOWN HALL THAT WE WANTED FEEDBACK TONIGHT FROM RESIDENTS ON IS THIS ALTERNATIVE, UM, PLAN FOR THE TRANSIT, WHAT WE CALL THE TRANSIT COMMERCIAL SITE. SO THIS PROPERTY IS NEAR THE [00:15:02] BELLEMEADE, OLD BELLEMEADE TRAIN STATION. IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THAT. IT'S ON THE BELLEMEAD CO OP SIDE OF THE TRAIN TRACKS, SO THE CURVE RIGHT BEFORE YOU GET TO BELLME CO OP, THERE'S SOME LAND ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE AND SO EXTENSIONS, UM, DO REQUIRE A PAYMENT TO EXTEND BECAUSE THAT'S UM RENTAL INCOME THAT THE OWNER WOULD NO LONGER BE RECEIVING IF THEY WERE CONVERTED BACK TO MARKET, CONVERTED TO MARKET UNITS. AND SO THERE'S A PAYMENT THAT COULD BE MADE OR IN THIS CASE, THE PROPERTY OWNER OR THE OWNER IS IS REQUESTING TO BUILD SOME ADDITIONAL UM FORCE UM UH MARKET RATE APARTMENTS IN THAT LOCATION. THERE'S ANOTHER, UM, OPPORTUNITY, IT'S A, IT'S A SMALLER OPPORTUNITY, BUT WE FELT THAT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO EXPLORE. AND THIS IS SOMETHING, UM, OF A, A NEW TYPE OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO IT WOULD BE FOR A NEURODIVERSE COMMUNITY, UM, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS IF, YOU KNOW, FOR THE, FOR THE MOST PART WHAT WE WOULD CALL LIKE A GROUP HOME. UM, BUT THIS HOUSING OPPORTUNITY INTRIGUED US BECAUSE WE DO HAVE EXISTING GROUP HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN CREDITED THROUGH OUR, UM, THROUGH OUR ROUND 3 PLAN, BUT THIS OPPORTUNITY ALLOWS FOR MEMBERS OF THE NEURODIVERGENT COMMUNITY TO LIVE IN A SMALL KIND OF INCLUSIONARY, UM, VERY RESIDENTIAL LOOKING BUILDING FOR NEURODIVERGENT AND NEUROTYPICAL RESIDENTS. SO THEY WOULD LIVE TOGETHER. NOT ALL OF THOSE UNITS WOULD BE, UM, AFFORDABLE UNITS. SOME WOULD BE MARKET RATE. SO WE'RE JUST AT THE BEGINNING STAGES OF LOOKING AT WHAT THAT COULD BE. SO ONE OF THE LOCATIONS WE'VE IDENTIFIED IS ACTUALLY A SIX ACRE PARCEL THAT IS AN OUT PARCEL OF SKILLMAN PARK. SO IF YOU'VE BEEN HERE A WHILE AND REMEMBER THE NORTH PRINCETON DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER, MAPLEWOOD HOUSE WAS WHERE THE UM PHYSICIAN FOR THE PROPERTY LIVED, UM, IT WAS A HISTORIC BUILDING. THE TOWNSHIP CARVED IT OUT FROM THE SALE TO SOMERSET COUNTY BECAUSE WE HAD HOPED TO PUT A HISTORIC PRESERVATION EASEMENT ON IT AND THEN SELL THE PROPERTY AS A PRIVATE LOT WITH THE HOUSE WITH THE HISTORIC EASEMENT ON IT. UNFORTUNATELY, IT BURNED TO THE GROUND, SO IT'S A, IT'S A VACANT LOT NOW. IT'S UNRESTRICTED. UM, SINGLE BUILDING LOT. SO THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY PERHAPS FOR THIS TYPE OF, UM, PROJECT TO LOCATE HERE, UM, IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH SKILLMAN PARK. IT'S AT THE SOUTH, UH, EAST END OF THE PARK, THE CURVE OF BURNT HILL ROAD AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO IDENTIFY HERE. ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE SLIDE, THERE'S AN EXISTING GROUP HOME THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION, ONE OF OUR ROUND 3 PROJECTS BY MONARCH HOUSING. IT'S, UM, IT'S 6 BEDS FOR UM MEDICALLY, UM, INTENSIVE MEDICAL, UM, RESIDENTS THAT NEED ME HAVE HIGH MEDICAL NEEDS. AND SO THAT BUILDING ON THE RIGHT IS THE DEPICTION OF WHAT THAT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE AND THAT'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW. AND THE ORANGE BLOCK REPRESENTS SOME SKILLMAN PARK IS OWNED AND MAINTAINED BY SOMERSET COUNTY PARK COMMISSION AND THEY'RE PUTTING IN A MAINTENANCE BUILDING TO HELP MAINTAIN, UH, YOU KNOW, THE EXTENSIVE LAND THAT'S THERE. AND SO IT'S IN THAT GENERAL VICINITY. WE, UM, TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT 23 ORCHARD ROAD, WHICH IS THE OFFICE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET. UM, THAT PROPERTY PART OF THAT PROPERTY WAS ACTUALLY IN OUR ROUND 3. WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT LAST TIME. IT'S 112 MARKET RATE TOWN HOMES AND 40 AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS THAT EXISTS RIGHT NOW. THERE'S A BUS STOP FOR THE NEW JERSEY TRANSIT 605 LINE. IT TERMINATES UP AT TOP OF ORCHARD, UM, TOP 206 AND ORCHARD ROAD RIGHT THERE. THAT'S WHERE IT TURNS AROUND TO HEAD BACK SOUTH. AND SO IN OUR PLAN RIGHT NOW TO LOCATE LAND, UH, FIND LAND ALONG THE BUS ROUTE. THERE IS A PLAN, UH, THERE'S A PROJECT IN THE PLAN RIGHT NOW FOR, UM, FOR A AN A MARKET INCLUSIONARY, UH, RENTAL COMMUNITY. SO NEXT STEPS, UM, AUGUST 31ST WOULD BE DEADLINE FOR ANY INTERESTED PARTIES TO CHALLENGE OUR PLAN. DECEMBER 31ST WOULD BE THE TIME PERIOD WHERE THE CHALLENGES ARE BEING SETTLED, UM, BEFORE THE COURTS. WITH THE PROGRAM, UM, AND THERE'S A, A DEADLINE TO COMMIT TO WHETHER YOU WILL AND BASICALLY REACH A NEGOTIATION WITH ANY OF THE CHALLENGERS IN YOUR PLAN. AND THEN MARCH 15TH OF NEXT YEAR IS THE DEADLINE TO ADOPT WHAT THOSE IMPLEMENTING ORDINANCES, WHICH IS THE ZONING THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THESE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE IN THE PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD. SO WE ARE STILL IN PROCESS OF RECEIVING FEEDBACK. UM, WE DID ADOPT THE PLAN BY JUNE 30TH TO. [00:20:21] CONTINUE OUR PROTECTION FROMBUILDERS REMEDY IMMUNITY. WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE EVERYONE WHO'S REACHED OUT AS THE MAYOR HAD SAID THROUGH MEETINGS OR PHONE CALLS OR EMAILS, UM, I DID WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT I WAS NOTIFIED BY, UM, THE OWNER, UH, I'M SORRY, UH, THE ELI KHAN DEVELOPMENT, WHO IS THE UH CONTRACT PURCHASER FOR THE KENVIEW PROPERTY, AND THEY WILL BE ATTENDING THE SEPTEMBER 8TH PLANNING BOARD MEETING. SO OUR ORDINANCE, UM ALLOWS FOR SOMEONE TO COME TO THE PLANNING BOARD FOR AN INFORMAL REVIEW OF A PLAN THAT THEY HAVE. AND SO THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING AND WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME OUT ON SEPTEMBER 8TH. UM, THAT MEETING IS IN THIS ROOM. IT'S AT 7 O'CLOCK, UM, AND THE PLANNING BOARD CHAIR IS DAVE CAMPUS IS SHAKING HIS HEAD. YES, PLEASE COME OUT. COME HEAR WHAT THEY WILL PRESENT TO THE PLANNING BOARD. AGAIN, THAT IS AN INFORMAL REVIEW. IT'S UNDER, UM, OUR SECTION 16-8.2D. 4D, I THINK, IF YOU WANTED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT SECTION OR IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME OR SHERRY CRUZ, OUR ASSISTANT PLANNING DIRECTOR. I THINK THAT WAS ALL WE HAVE FOR TONIGHT. YEP. OK. UH, THANK YOU, LAURIE, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND PRESENTATION YOU'VE JUST GIVEN US. UH, IT'S NOW TIME FOR PUBLIC FEEDBACK BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE TONIGHT. I'D ASK EVERYONE TO LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO 3 MINUTES. PLEASE AVOID REPEATING COMMENTS OTHERS HAVE MADE AN INSTANT INDICATE AGREEMENT WITH THE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS. FINALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK ONE FAVOR PLEASE FOCUS YOUR REMARKS ON THE PLAN ITSELF AND NOT ON THE MOTIVATIONS OF THE STAFF OR THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY TO DEVELOP OUR PLAN. SOME PEOPLE HAVE MADE WILD, UNSUBSTANTIATED ACCUSATIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT ARE TOTALLY UNTRUE BUILT ACRIMONY AND ARE DETRIMENTAL TO MAKING GOOD DECISIONS FOR OUR TOWN. DEBATE IS HEALTHY CHARACTER ASSASSINATION IS NOT. EVERYONE SITTING HERE WITH ME CARES PASSIONATELY ABOUT MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP AND ENSURING THAT IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE AND RAISE A FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME, SO AT THIS TIME I GUESS WE'RE OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. I THINK WE DID 3 MINUTES. 3 MINUTES IF YOU WANT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW, YEAH, I. OH, I'M SORRY. YOU UH, WHOEVER WANTS TO BE FIRST. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, UM. SO WITH THIS PIKE BOOK. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU PAY THEM FOR EXTENSIONS. THERE'S ONE POSSIBILITY, AND THAT IS THERE'S A PROCESS THERE WHICH I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND. BUT YOU KEEP THE MIC. OK, OK, SO DOES THE OWNER OF PIKE BROOK HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE THIS. IN OTHER WORDS EXACTLY HOW DOES THIS WORK? YOU SAID THERE'S THIS PROCESS THAT YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH TO GET THESE EXTENSIONS, AND I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT PROCESS IS SO I THE PROCESS IS DEPENDENT ON WHAT EACH. INDIVIDUAL PROJECT'S DEED RESTRICTION SAYS DEED RESTRICTIONS HAVE CHANGED AT DIFFERENT TIMES, UM, BY VIRTUE OF, OF THE STATE AND THE DCA. SO IT DEPENDS FOR EACH PROJECT IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, WHETHER IT'S A FOR SALE PROJECT OR WHETHER IT'S A RENTAL PROJECT, IT IS REALLY DEPENDENT ON THE LANGUAGE IN THE INDIVIDUAL DEEDS. MICHAEL, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOMETHING MORE YOU WANTED TO ADD TO THAT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND CASE THAT YOU KNOW. YOU KNOW, YOU SAID THERE COULD BE A LAWSUIT THERE IF WE TRIED TO EXTEND THESE WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION. SO IF YOU WANT SPECIFIC TO THE PIKE BROOK, UH, I'M SORRY, PIKE RUN. I WROTE DOWN PIKE BROOK. I APOLOGIZE, UM, SPECIFIC TO, TO PIKE RUN. THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE CANNOT UNILATERALLY EXTEND IT. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THE ACQUIESCENCE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER. SO IN ORDER TO DO THAT, HE HE'S AGREEING IF YOU LET HIM BUILD THESE ADDITIONAL UNITS THEN HE WILL EXTEND THE UH THAT IS WHAT IS BEING NEGOTIATED. HI [00:25:01] BARBARA PRESTON, MONTGOMERY NEWS. I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS UM, ONE, THE DEVELOPER OF PENVIEW, IS THAT A CONTRACT PURCHASER OR DOES HE ACTUALLY OWN IT NOW? AND SINCE ROUND 4 BEGINS IN 2025 AND KENVIEW IS IN THE PLAN. UM, I UNDERSTAND THIS IS AN INFORMAL. REVIEW THAT HE'S SEEKING FROM THE PLANNING BOARD, IS THAT CORRECT? UM, IT'S A, IT'S IN OUR ORDINANCE RIGHT NOW THAT UM SOMEONE CAN COME WITH AN INFORMAL PLAN TO THE PLANNING BOARD. SO THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT, THAT THEY'RE ELECTING TO DO. WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF THIS INFORMAL REVIEW? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT. IT'S ESSENTIALLY THEY COME WITH A PLAN AND THEY SHARE IT WITH THE PLANNING BOARD. THE PLANNING BOARD CAN GIVE FEEDBACK OR, UM, NOT GIVE FEEDBACK. THEY CAN PAY AN ESCROW AND HAVE IT REVIEWED BY OUR PROFESSIONALS LIKE OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER, OUR CONSULTING ENGINEER, OUR PLANNER, UM, IT'S, IT'S A WAY TO GAIN FEEDBACK USUALLY EARLY ON IN A PROCESS TO, TO GATHER COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK ON A PLAN THAT'S IN CONCEPT FORM. BUT THIS DEVELOPER DOES NOT OWN THE PROPERTY. THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW PERMITS THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR UH A DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL PRIOR TO THE SUBMISSION OF AN ACTUAL APPLICATION. SUBMIT. FOR THE INFORMAL REVIEW FOR FOR THE. AFTER, I MEAN, WHEN CAN THAT DEVELOPER PRESENT HIS PLAN TO THE PLANNING BOARD SO FOR AN OFFICIAL APPLICATION, THE ZONING WOULD, THERE'S NO ZONING THAT WOULD SUPPORT AN APPLICATION THAT FOR WHAT'S IN THE HOUSING PLAN RIGHT NOW. SO THERE WOULDN'T BE AN APPLICATION TO SUBMIT TO THE PLANNING BOARD BASED ON THAT. THIS THIS INFORMAL REVIEW, UM, WOULD, WOULD BE SHARING WHAT YOU'VE SEEN SORT OF IN OTHER SLIDES I BELIEVE FROM WHAT WAS SUBMITTED TO THE TOWNSHIP. IF THE 417 UNITS UM, I, I DON'T WANNA TAKE UP ALL THE QUESTIONING TIME, BUT DOES HE OWN THE PROPERTY YET WHERE HE'S THE CONTRACT PURCHASER STILL. MY UNDERSTANDING IS CONTRACT PURCHASER. SO THAT WOULD MEAN HE DOES NOT OWN IT RIGHT NOW. RIGHT. CORRECT. OK, AND I JUST HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION. THE NEURODIVERGENT COMMUNITY ON THE SIX ACRES OVER AT SKILLMAN PARK. I WONDER HOW MANY UNITS COULD BE BUILT THERE. AND HOW MANY AFFORDABLE CREDITS WOULD BE POSSIBLE THERE. WE'VE JUST STARTED TALKING ABOUT THAT, BUT WE'RE THINKING SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF 12 UNITS FOR CREDITABLE UNITS. OR UH 88 CREDITABLE OR NOT A MARKET RATE. I'M SORRY, SO WHAT WAS THAT NUMBER AGAIN? HOW MANY UNITS POSSIBLE AND HOW MANY POSSIBLE AFFORDABLE. SO THAT IT WOULD BE A SMALL SCALE PROJECT, UM, MORE THAN LIKELY 8 SUPPORTIVE, UH, NEURODIVERGENT. UM, AFFORDABLE UNITS, AND THEN PERHAPS 4. OF THE MARKET RATE, WHICH COULD EITHER BE FOR OTHER MARKET RATE, UM, HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISTIC NEURODIVERGENT, OR IT MIGHT BE SOMEBODY THAT WANTS TO LIVE WITHIN THAT POPULATION AS WELL. UM, THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE NEURODIVERGENT MODEL THAT WE'VE JUST BEGUN LOOKING AT IS IT'S NOT PUTTING HIGH FUNCTIONING INDIVIDUALS INTO A GROUP HOME SETTING WHERE THEY'RE FORCED TO LIVE WITH STRANGERS. IT'S GIVING THEM MORE OF THEIR INDEPENDENT LIFESTYLE WITH A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA HELP IN THEIR LIFE PLANNING. SO IT'S, IT'S A REALLY NEAT MODEL. I, I CAN'T THINK OF ANOTHER WORD BUT NEAT, BUT YEAH, IT'S, IT'S A VERY NICE UNDERUTILIZED COMMUNITY OR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. SO A TOTAL OF 12 UNITS, 8 POSSIBLE AFFORDABLE CREDITS SO EARLY. I DON'T WANT TO COMMIT TO A NUMBER, BUT THAT'S KIND OF THE IDEA OF WHERE WE'RE SAYING MAYBE 2/3 WOULD BE, UH, ON THE AFFORDABLE CREDITING 13 WOULD NOT. TO PUT A NUMBER TO IT AT THIS POINT WOULD BE A LITTLE IRRESPONSIBLE, HONESTLY. OK. BARRY MASSON EAST BRIDGE ROAD. I'M KIND OF NEW TO THIS, BUT MY QUESTION IS IF THERE'S ENOUGH VACANT LAND IN THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WHY WOULD THE TOWNSHIP ENTERTAIN GIVING UP REAL ESTATE TAXES ON A ON A BUSINESS PROPERTY TO CONVERT IT TO UH RESIDENTIAL. [00:30:19] WELL, THE, THE RESIDENTIAL WOULD ALSO BE PAYING PROPERTY TAXES, UM, BUT I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. YES, THE TOWNSHIP'S PREFERENCE WAS TO HAVE AN IN-KIND, UM, UH, A COMPANY MOVE IN IN THE SAME VEIN THAT KENVIEW WAS THERE. THAT WAS OUR, THAT IS OUR PREFERENCE, UM, THAT WAS NOT YOU KNOW, IN THE CARDS FOR US RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE JUNE 30TH DEADLINE, UM, BUT THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE HAD WANTED TO SEE. ONE OTHER QUESTION, UH, THE OWNER OF PIKE RUN, IS HE INVOLVED IN THE, UH, PROJECT AT UM KENVIEW. NO. HI. UM, SO I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE EXTRA EFFORT AND WORK THAT YOU GUYS PUT IN. UM, I AM. I WAS HOPEFUL COMING TODAY THAT YOU GUYS WOULD HAVE SORT OF LIKE WE'VE CONCLUDED NEGOTIATIONS AND, AND THIS WAS THE RESULT. I'M SURE THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS WERE HOPING FOR ALSO. SO MY QUESTION TENDS TO NOW BE GIVEN THIS TIMELINE AND GIVEN THAT NEGOTIATIONS ARE NOT COMPLETE. ISN'T WHAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE STATE WHAT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE STATE AND ALL THESE LIKE PROPOSALS AREN'T ACTUALLY IN THE DOCUMENT THAT THE STATE SEES AND SO LIKE WILL THAT. ARE THOSE CHANGES IN THERE ALREADY? LIKE THE PROPOSAL CHANGES OR IS THIS LIKE, IS IT, IF NOTHING IS DONE, NOTHING CHANGES, THEN EVERYTHING GOES THROUGH THE WAY THAT IT IS. FROM THE JUNE 30TH DOCUMENT. IF I COULD JUST TROUBLE YOU FOR YOUR NAME. OH, HI, MY NAME'S PAUL. OK, THANKS, PAUL. UM, SO THE THE. THE PLAN CANNOT BE AMENDED WITHOUT ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE PLANNING BOARD, UM, SO THE PLAN RIGHT NOW IS THE SAME WAY IT WAS ADOPTED IN JUNE 30TH. WE HAVE NOT DONE THAT PUBLIC HEARING. UM, THE TOWNSHIP IS BEING CAREFUL TO HAVE. ALL ASPECTS LOOKED AT BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE JUNE 30TH DEADLINE IS A DEADLINE THAT WAS PROVIDED THROUGH WHAT'S CALLED THE FAIR HOUSING ACT, WHICH IS ONE SET OF LAWS. UM, THERE'S A WHOLE OTHER SET OF LAWS THAT GOVERN MUNICIPAL LAND USE, WHICH IS THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW, WHICH CONSIDERS A MASTER PLAN ELEMENT SUCH AS THIS TO BE A LIVING DOCUMENT THAT CAN BE UPDATED AT ANY TIME, BUT AT A MINIMUM, EVERY 10 YEARS. SO HOW THE TWO COME TOGETHER IS A GREAT QUESTION. WE SHALL SEE, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, NO AMENDMENT HAS BEEN MADE TO THE PLAN UNTIL WE GET TO A NEW PLAN THAT WE HAVE FULLY BROKERED. IT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY THAT SINCE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PIKE RUN OWNER ARE NOT FINALIZED THAT. LIKE IN ORDER FOR CHANGES TO BE MADE, THIS ADDITIONAL LIKE CHALLENGES BASICALLY WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE. IN ORDER TO LIKE ENCOURAGE CHANGES TO THE PROPOSAL THAT WAS SENT TO THE STATE. NO. BUT, BUT THEN DON'T DOESN'T THE PLAN STAY THE SAME? WELL, NO, AGAIN, UNDER THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW WE CAN ADOPT CHANGES TO THE PLAN AT ANY TIME. SO. IT IS TWO DIFFERENT SETS OF LAWS THAT HAVE, ONE HAS A FIRMED TIME, ONE DOES NOT. SO THERE'S ALWAYS THE OPPORTUNITY TO AMEND YOUR HOUSING PLAN, UM, EVEN LOOKING BACK, FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRIOR ROUND IN ROUND 3, THAT PLAN WAS AMENDED SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT FROM 2008 UNTIL 2021, THERE WERE AMENDMENTS MADE TO THAT PLAN. SO, BUT THEN IF MARCH 15TH COMES AND GOES, AND THE ZONING CHANGES ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN. THEN LIKE DOESN'T THAT SORT OF MAKE THE. WELL, UH, YOU, THE MARCH 15TH, THE TOWNSHIP HAS TO TAKE ACTION TO CHANGE THE ZONING, NOT THE STATE, RIGHT? SO THEY'LL BE, YOU'LL KNOW IF WE'RE APPROACHING MARCH AND WE HAVEN'T CHANGED OUR ZONING. THAT WILL BE AN ISSUE BECAUSE WE'LL BE SUBJECT TO POTENTIALLY LOSING OUR IMMUNITY AND THEN ALSO THERE'S A PROCESS WHEN YOU'RE GOING THROUGH CHANGING THE UM ZONING TO UM HAVE HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS. HI, I'M CANDY WILLIS. UM, I JUST HAVE BASICALLY QUESTIONS, ALTHOUGH I DO WANT TO SAY I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE NEURODIVERSE COMMUNITY RIGHT THERE IN MAPLEWOOD IT'S. JUST WHAT IT USED TO BE, UM. BUT I THOUGHT THAT THE TOWNSHIP [00:35:05] WAS JOINING 27 OTHER MUNICIPALITIES TO FIGHT THE OTHER THE NUMBER REQUESTED OR OF UNITS. UH REQUESTED OR FIGHT SOMETHING. I DIDN'T START FOLLOWING IT UNTIL JUST ABOUT A MONTH AGO, SO IS THAT FIGHT STILL GOING ON? YES, THAT, THAT'S A SEPARATE, UH, LAWSUIT THAT IS A CONGLOMERATION OF DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES THAT IS CHALLENGING THE AMENDMENT TO THE FAIR HOUSING ACT THAT PUT ALL OF THIS INTO MOTION. THE WAY THAT THE NUMBERS WERE CALCULATED, UM, AND IF THAT IS TO BE SUCCESSFUL, IT WOULD REALLY DO AWAY WITH EVERYBODY'S PLANS AND START ALL OVER AGAIN. OK. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS UM. THE TRANSIT COMMERCIAL PROPERTY, UM. MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT IT'S WAY TOO MUCH INTENSE DEVELOPMENT RIGHT IN THAT PARTICULAR SPOT AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT GOES RIGHT UP TO THE TRAIN TRACKS. AND THAT DEFINITELY IS IN THE DELAWARE AND BOUNDBROOK, UM, HISTORIC AREA, AND I'M WONDERING MATTAWA, I KNOW SOMEBODY SAID SOMETHING ABOUT SANITARY SEWERS AND SO WE CAN'T HAVE IT THERE. MATTAWANG IS LITERALLY IN MY BACKYARD AND I WOULD BE FINE WITH IT BEING HERE, SO, UM, IF IT WAS JUST A QUESTION I THINK THAT THAT AREA HAS TO BE DEVELOPED IN SOME WAY AND EVENTUALLY THE WHOLE TOWN HAS GOT TO BE DEVELOPED SO BUT WHY PUT IT RIGHT THERE ON 206 IN THAT COMMERCIAL TRANSIT AREA THAT'S HISTORIC. SO, UM, THAT'S I GUESS A RHETORICAL QUESTION. OK, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'M CHRISTINA, UM, GOOD EVENING. UM, BEFORE JUNE 30TH WHEN WE WERE HERE, IT SOUNDED LIKE THOSE WERE THE ONLY OPTIONS WE HAD WERE TO INCLUDE CAMBU. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LOOKING FOR OTHER OPTIONS. UM, MY QUESTION IS JUST BACK TO THE TIMELINE WITH LIKE HOW FAST DO ALL THESE AMENDMENTS HAVE TO OCCUR TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN IF THE DEADLINE FOR THE ZONING IS MARCH 15TH DOES IT HAVE TO OCCUR BEFORE MARCH 15TH? LIKE THIS IS THE CONFUSING PART YES, THE, THE PLAN WOULD BE AMENDED IN ADVANCE OF THE ZONING BEING ADOPTED. SO IN THE PHASE 3 OR STAGE 3, YOU SAID THERE WERE MULTIPLE AMENDMENTS. DID ALL THOSE AMENDMENTS TAKE UM PART LIKE ALL THOSE OCCURRED WITHIN NINE MONTH PERIOD AS WELL. NO, THE ROUND 3 PROCESS GAVE US A LOT MORE TIME. THAT, THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE THE LEGISLATION FOR ROUND 4, YOU KNOW, IN ROUND 3, YOU HAD FROM 2008 ESSENTIALLY TILL 2021 FOR THE COURT TO CONTINUE TO GIVE YOU IMMUNITY AND APPROVE THE MODIFICATIONS YOU WERE MAKING. HERE YOU HAD 3 MONTHS TO ADOPT A PLAN IN JUNE 30TH. SO IT, IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF, WELL, IT'S SUBSTANTIALLY A DIFFERENT PROCESS, UM, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING UNDER THESE NEW RULES. SO THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO GIVE YOU BECAUSE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO SEE HOW IT PLAYS. OK. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. UM, I DO HAVE A QUE ELLEN ROBBINS. I DO HAVE A QUESTION IN REFERENCE TO I LOVE ALL THE IDEAS THAT HAVE NOW COME UP OF. AVAILABILITY AVAILABLE SPACES. BUT WHAT ABOUT US AS THE RESIDENTS? WHERE IS OUR SAY IF WE FEEL IT'S FEASIBLE, NOT NECESSARILY NOT TO BACK UP TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS, NOT NECESSARILY TO BACK UP TO THE PARK. HOW DO WE AS A RESIDENTS AGREE OR DISAGREE? FOR THE SEPTEMBER 8TH PLANNING BOARD MEETING. IF SOME OF US CAN'T BE HERE. THIS DEVELOPER IS GONNA COME IN AND GIVE US A PLAN. WHAT IF WE AS THE AS THE RESIDENTS DON'T WANT 400 HOMES BUILT ON THAT KEN VIEW SITE. HOW, HOW DO THE RESIDENTS FIGHT THAT? SO THE SEPTEMBER 8TH MEETING IS AN INFORMAL PRESENTATION. IT'S NOT AN ACTUAL APPLICATION. SO EITHER THE DEVELOPER IS GOING TO DECIDE THAT. [00:40:23] THEY'RE GOING TO ADDRESS WHATEVER COMMENTS THEY HEAR AND THEN SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, WHETHER IT BE TO THE PLANNING BOARD, IF THERE IS ZONING FOR WHAT IT IS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR, OR TO THE ZONING BOARD, IF THE ZONING IS NOT IN PLACE FOR WHATEVER IT IS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. THAT APPLICATION PROCESS WILL ALSO BE PUBLIC OR WILL BE PUBLIC HEARINGS WHERE THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT AND LET THE BOARDS KNOW HOW, HOW YOU FEEL, UM, THAT IS ONE OPPORTUNITY AS FAR AS WHAT YOU WERE SAYING WITH THE HOUSING. PLAN FOR RESIDENTS SAY WHETHER THEY BELIEVE IT'S REALISTIC OR NOT. REALISTIC IS A, A DEFINED TERM UNDER THE STATUTE. SO IT'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT WE WOULD THINK IN NORMAL EVERYDAY LANGUAGE, WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE REALISTIC VERSUS WHAT THE LAW SAYS IS REALISTIC. BUT IN THAT RESPECT, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING THESE TOWN HALLS AND INDIVIDUAL LISTENING SESSIONS FOR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ASKING THE MAYOR AND LAURIE TO COME OUT AND LISTEN TO THEIR CONCERNS. THIS AGAIN BETWEEN. APRIL WHEN WE GOT OUR COURT ORDER SAYING YOUR NUMBER IS APPROVED, AND JUNE 30TH WAS A VERY SMALL TIME FRAME AND DIDN'T GIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR A LOT BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SCRAMBLING TO TRY TO SEE WHAT OPPORTUNITIES WERE THERE. SOME OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES WE'RE PRESENTING NOW WE WERE LOOKING AT THEN WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE THEM AGREEABLE IN THE PLAN. SO. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE TO BE VERY, UM, SLOW MOVING IN ANY AMENDMENT SO THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE AS MUCH FEEDBACK AS POSSIBLE FROM THE, THE TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS. AND THIS IS HOW YOU GIVE IT. SO THANK YOU. BUT I THINK JUST ALSO TO ELLEN'S POINT, IF SOMEONE CAN'T MAKE IT HERE TONIGHT. WE'RE TRYING TO PUT EVERYTHING UP ON THE WEBSITE SO THEY CAN LOOK. THEY'LL ALSO, THIS IS ALSO RECORDED SO THEY CAN, THEY CAN WATCH IT ON, ONLINE, UM, AND THEN, UH, THEY CAN REACH OUT BY EMAIL OR PHONE TO ME OR SHERRY CRUZ. SO YEAH, I UNDERSTAND NOT EVERYBODY CAN MAKE A WEEKNIGHT, UM, AND SO THAT WAS A GOOD, GOOD THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ELI KHAN, PRESIDENT OF ECO DEVELOPMENT CORP. THIS IS MY PARTNER MATT ADAMS. UH, WE ARE THE EQUITABLE OWNER OF THE KENVIEW PROPERTY. IN SKILLMAN WE PUT THE SKILLMAN PROPERTY UNDER AGREEMENT IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR. UH WE DID SO AFTER KEN VIEW SPENT A YEAR A GOOD PORTION OF 2023. UNTIL AUGUST OF 2024. INTERNATIONALLY MARKETING. THE KENVIEW CAMPUS AS YOU ALL KNOW IT. TO BIG INDUSTRY, BIG TECH. ANYBODY THAT WAS WILLING TO COME IN. AND PURCHASE THE FACILITY. TAKE THE SIGN DOWN TAKE KENVIEW DOWN AND PUT ABC CORP. ON THE SIGN TO FUNCTIONALLY USE THE PROPERTY EXACTLY THE WAY IT WAS. THEY HAD DOZENS AND DOZENS OF BIG CORPORATIONS LOOK AT THE PROPERTY, INSPECT THE PROPERTY. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY NOBODY WANTED. MATT AND I SPECIALIZE IN FUNCTIONALLY AND REDEVELOPING FUNCTIONALLY OBSOLETE ASSETS. UH, IN PRETTY MUCH THE TRI-STATE AREA IN NEW JERSEY, DELAWARE, AND PENNSYLVANIA. WE ARE REALLY GOOD AT WHAT WE DO AND WE STAND IN FRONT OF THESE TYPES OF COMMUNITIES ROUTINELY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE FIRST APPROACHED MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP IN SEPTEMBER OF LAST YEAR. WHAT YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT AT 417 UNITS WAS NOWHERE IN OUR MIND. WHEN WE FIRST PURCHASED THE PROPERTY OR AGREED TO PURCHASE THE PROPERTY. THE PROPERTY WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE MID-70S AS A DIAPER MANUFACTURING PLANT. WITH. PROBABLY 12.5 TRUCK DOCKS. AND A RAIL SIDING IT WAS USED AS USED END ZONED AS A MANUFACTURING FACILITY. UNDER THAT UNDERLYING ZONING AS A MANUFACTURING FACILITY AND PRIMARILY THE THE STRUCTURE AND AND VITALITY OF THE DIAPER MANUFACTURING PLANT IS THE REASON WE CHOSE TO BUY THE PROPERTY. WE PRESENTED IN ESSENCE I WRITE UNDER YOUR CURRENT ZONING. AN ADAPTIVE REUSE OF THE PROPERTY AS A MANUFACTURING CAMPUS. AND WE PRESENTED THAT WE PRESENTED THIS TO YOUR STAFF AND MAYOR AND AS INITIAL FEEDBACK HAD IT THEY DIDN'T LIKE THAT PLAN. AND YOU KNOW I GUESS AT THE END OF THE DAY THERE WAS SOME TRUTH TO THAT IT WAS VERY INTENSE PLAN. ON A PIECE OF PROPERTY THAT HAS BEEN ZONED FOR INDUSTRIAL USE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. WE HAVE OTHER PLANS THAT WE PRESENTED THE COMMUNITY. YOU [00:45:11] FOLKS ARE UPSET BECAUSE YOU'RE SEEING 417 UNITS. ON 368 ACRES OF LAND. UH, AND YOU LOOK AT IT AS BEING VERY INTENSE. THERE'S 800,000 SQUARE FEET OF COMMERCIAL SPACE ON THIS PROPERTY. THERE'S 1400 PARKING SPACES ON THIS PROPERTY. WE THANK THE TOWNSHIP FOR WORKING WITH US OVER THE LAST YEAR. TO GET TO WHAT WE REALLY THOUGHT WAS A VERY LOW INTENSITY PLAN. OF 417 EXCUSE ME, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT WE'VE AFFORDED EVERYBODY 3 MINUTES, SO IT'S, IT'S THE RESIDENTS OK WITH YOU SPEAKING THEN, THEN WE CAN CONTINUE, BUT I JUST DON'T WANT ANYBODY ELSE TO SAY WE WERE ONLY GIVEN 3 MINUTES AND HOW COME? I, I'M LEAVING IT UP TO THE PUBLIC. OK THE GENTLEMAN SAID? OK. I'M GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF. I'M GONNA BE VERY BRIEF. I WOULD LIKE TO UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEPTEMBER 8TH. PRESENTING EVERYTHING WE'VE PRESENTED TO THE TOWN, TO THE COMMUNITY. WE WOULD ALSO, WE SENT AN EMAIL TO THE SAVE MONTGOMERY. UH WEBSITE, UH, FACEBOOK FOLKS. UM WE. ALSO LIKE TO HOST FOLKS. OVER AT THE SITE PRIOR TO THE 8TH IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO COME. UH TO PRESENT OUR PLAN OUR NUMBERS, TRAFFIC. SEWER, IMPERVIOUS COVERAGE, STORMWATER, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE ANALYZED ON THIS PROPERTY TO DATE. WE WILL BE IN THE PARKING LOT AFTER THIS MEETING. IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN INFORMAL PRESENTATION ON WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'VE SPENT A YEAR WORKING WITH THE TOWNSHIP GOING DOWN THIS ROAD. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH THE PUBLIC. AND WE ONLY ASK THE PUBLIC TO. UH GIVE US A CHANCE TO PRESENT WHAT THIS PROPERTY, THE OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO DEVELOP THIS PROPERTY BEFORE YOU MAKE A JUDGMENT ON WHETHER THIS PROPERTY IS RIGHT FOR 400 UNITS OR ANYTHING ELSE FOR THAT MATTER. THIS PROPERTY IS GOING TO GET REDEVELOPED. PENVIEW IS MOVING AND NO OTHER LARGE CORPORATIONS STEPPED UP TO PURCHASE THE PROPERTY. AND WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON PARTNERING WITH HOST COMMUNITIES. YOU MAY NOT LIKE WHAT WE DO THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN HERE PROBABLY LONGER THAN MOST OF THE FOLKS IN THIS ROOM. AND IT'S GOING TO GET REDEVELOPED AND WE'D LIKE TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY. THANK YOU, MR. KHAN. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THE REST OF THE RESIDENTS. HELLO, MY NAME IS SEAN BUCKLEY. I LIVE AT 100 PIN OAK ROAD. I'D LIKE TO THANK MR. KHAN FOR THE FIRST BIT OF TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE LAST YEAR. I THINK THE RESIDENTS IN THE AREA OF KENVIEW SHOULD HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THE PROPOSALS COMING TO THE TOWNSHIP. I'VE BEEN TOLD BY THE TOWNSHIP THAT THESE ARE DIFFERENT PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN SET BEFORE THEM. AND LET THE RESIDENTS OF LEASE HAVE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS. I'M A LAWYER. OK? I HAVE A DUTY OF TRANSPARENCY TO MY CLIENTS, OK? I WOULD THINK AS ELECTED OFFICIALS, YOU HAVE A DUTY OF TRANSPARENCY TO YOUR ELECTED, UH, YOUR RESIDENTS WHO HAVE ELECTED YOU TO OFFICE. I'M VERY UPSET ABOUT THIS. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? I JUST NEED SOME CLARIFICATION. MARCH 15, 2026 IS WHEN THE TOWN NEEDS TO COME UP WITH ZONING TO PROVIDE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO MEET. UM THE 4TH 4TH LEVEL, RIGHT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT HAS TO BE APPROVED. JUST HAS TO PROVIDE LAND TO UH ZONING TO ACCOMMODATE IT. SO COULD I JUST GET YOUR NAME BARRY BARRY, THANK YOU. SO, UH, BARRY, FOR THE MARCH 2026, IT'S ADOPTING [00:50:03] THE ZONING ORDINANCE, WHICH. YOU KNOW, PROVIDES THE, THE MECHANISM BY WHICH SOMEBODY HAS THE RIGHT TO BUILD, UH, BUT IT DOES NOT REQUIRE APPROVAL OF AN APPLICATION BEFORE THE PLANNING BOARD TO BUILD. JUST THE ZONING OK, THANK YOU. THE WAY IT STANDS RIGHT NOW MIKE RUN, PIKE RUN IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. THAT'S THE ONLY OTHER ALTERNATIVE. IS THAT WHERE WE ARE EVERYDAY NEW THINGS COME FORWARD. THAT IS WHERE WE WERE AS OF JUNE 30TH, UM YOU KNOW IF SOMETHING ELSE COMES FORWARD, YES, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE, NOTHING ELSE OF THAT SIZE HAS COME FORWARD TO THIS POINT. OK, SO IT'S PRETTY MUCH UP TO THE OWNER OF PIKE BROOK WHO GIVE HIM THIS ADDITIONAL LAND IF HE ACCEPTS THE TERMS OF THIS THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT HE ACTUALLY OWNS THE LAND. WE'RE NOT GIVING HIM ANY LAND. HE'S LOOKING FOR A CHANGE IN ZONING ON LAND HE ALREADY OWNS. NO, IT'S WITHIN YOUR POWER TO DO THAT. AND THAT WOULD THAT WOULD SATISFY HIM. HE'S TOLD YOU THAT? I'M NOT ACTIVELY SPEAKING WITH HIM, BUT YES, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE REZONING OF HIS, UM, TRANSIT COMMERCIAL SITE, WHICH IS VACANT RIGHT NOW. OK, THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, UH, JANICE BARTH, 137 CHERRY BROOK DRIVE. THAT SOMEONE IS ABLE TO, COULD YOU PLEASE RESPOND TO THAT GENTLEMAN'S COMMENTS. THAT HE APPROACHED THE TOWN WITH SEVERAL. IDEAS AND AND I'M USING THIS TERM LOOSELY WAS SHOT DOWN. SO CAN WE HEAR FROM SOMEONE ON THAT COMMITTEE OR PLANNING BOARD AS TO WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE PROBLEM. UH, I WILL SAY THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLANS THAT WERE LOOKED AT AND THAT WERE DISCUSSED. THEY WERE ALL PRESENTED AT OUR LAST TOWN HALL AS PART OF THE SLIDES. UM, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE HIDDEN, AND THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER COMPETING CONCERNS ON DIFFERENT PLANS, INCLUDING A HOUSING PLAN THAT HAD EVEN HIGHER DENSITIES, UM, A PLAN AS OF RIGHT THAT WOULD BRING IN SUBSTANTIAL TRUCK TRAFFIC. OBVIOUSLY WITH MANUFACTURING, UM, AND IT WAS ALL BROUGHT BEFORE THE MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE. OK. THANK YOU THE WEBSITE YOU CAN SEE THEM. OK. BY THE WAY, THAT MEETING IS STILL AVAILABLE TO WATCH ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL AS THE SLIDES DECK IS AVAILABLE. NEWMAN, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE COMMENTS. WHAT I THINK IF WE'RE THE TOWN WAS THINKING OF MAKING SUCH A HUGE CHANGE IN WHAT THAT PROPERTY WOULD BE USED FOR. THAT MORE NOTIFICATION COULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN THAT DISCUSSIONS WERE BEING HELD. THAT'S THE FIRST THING. SECOND THING IS THAT PROPERTY'S BEEN USED FOREVER. IT'S BEEN USED FOR, FOR HOWEVER LONG IT'S BEEN THERE AND THE TOWN HAS BEEN FINE WITH IT. SO TO SAY THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND IT'S BEEN HERE LONGER THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE AND THAT YOU LOOK AT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING. I THINK IT'S KIND OF CONDESCENDING. YOU'RE GONNA BUILD IT AND LEAVE. WE HAVE TO STAY HERE AND LIVE WITH IT. UM, I'D BE SURPRISED IF YOU LOOKED AT ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING BECAUSE THERE'S VERY, UH, NARROW ROAD TO GET OUT OF THERE ON ONE SIDE. IT'S NOT IDEAL FOR, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS YOU CAN'T WALK ANYWHERE ON THAT ROAD. UM, EMS WILL BE VERY MUCH AFFECTED BY THAT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WILL BE VERY MUCH AFFECTED BY THAT, SO I, I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF YOU THOUGHT OF ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE VERY GOOD AT YOUR JOBS. UM, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE HAVE THOUGHT OF A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS DEVELOPMENT AND IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE BEING THREATENED WITH, WELL, WE CAN USE IT FOR WHAT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN USED FOR, OR YOU CAN HAVE THIS, WHICH DO YOU WANT? AND IT SEEMS LIKE NOBODY BOTHERED TO ASK ANYBODY, ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND, AND THE FINAL THING I'LL SAY IS IT WAS FOR SALE FOR A YEAR AND NOBODY WANTED IT. YOU KNOW WHAT? HOUSES AREN'T FOR SALE FOR A YEAR AND NOBODY WANTS THEM. YOU KEEP IT ON THE MARKET. UM, THAT'S JUST WHAT HAPPENS. [00:55:14] HI BONNIELY. I ACTUALLY WORKED IN THAT AREA AND IT WAS NOT JUST A DIAPER PLANT, UM, AS SOMEBODY IN HERE SAID AT THE LAST MEETING, THE WOMAN OVER THERE, UM, THERE'S A VERY BEAUTIFUL BUILDING IN THE FRONT, AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND YOU WANTED TO TAKE THAT BUILDING DOWN AND LEAVE THE IA PLANT, SO I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. MM IS THERE ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, PLEASE JUST RAISE YOUR HAND. IN THE FRONT. BARRY MASSON, WHICH WROTE. SO THIS PROPERTY TECHNICALLY IS UNDER CONTRACT, BUT UH IT UNLESS THAT CONTRACT'S FULFILLED. IT'S STILL OWNED BY KENBY AND IT'S ZONED COMMERCIAL. SO IT'S THEIR OBLIGATION TO FIND SOMEBODY THAT MEETS, IN MY OPINION, THE TOWNSHIP IS ZONING THE WAY IT IS. AND MEETS THE TOWNSHIP'S REQUIREMENTS. AND IF NOT, THEN THEY CAN KEEP PAYING TAXES ON IT AND HOLD IT AND MAINTAIN IT UNTIL THEY FIND SOMEBODY. SO WHY CONVERT THE ZONING ON THAT PROPERTY. WHEN WE CAN LOOK FOR, OR THEY CAN LOOK FOR, IT'S THEIR OBLIGATION TO FIND SOMEBODY TO PURCHASE IT AS IS WHY. I'M SORRY, THERE WAS A SIDE DISCUSSION THERE, UM, NO, SO OBVIOUSLY IF SOMEBODY OWNS A, A PIECE OF PROPERTY, THEY CAN. YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY LOOK FOR SOMEBODY THAT'S GOING TO PURCHASE IT. I'M NOT SURE HOW I CAN RESPOND. I'M NOT KENVIEW. SO I'M, I'M STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT WITH GIVING YOU AN ANSWER BECAUSE THAT IS. NO, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT IT FROM THE TOWNSHIP'S POINT OF VIEW. WHY DOES THE TOWNSHIP FEEL IT NEEDS TO ADDRESS ITS ZONING CHANGE. AND FORFEIT REAL ESTATE TAXES BEING PAID BY KENVIEW RIGHT NOW. AND INCREASE RESIDENTIAL CAPACITY IN THE COMMUNITY WHEN IT'S CAN USES OBLIGATION TO FIND IT A A BUYER WHO FULFILLS THE ZONING AS IS. 11 OF THE THINGS WE WERE, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN AT THE PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING, UM, WAS PUTTING THE PLAN TOGETHER, WHAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME, AND THEN WHAT ARE THE, THE, THE, THE THREATS OF WHAT WE COULD SUSTAIN IF IT WASN'T IN THE PLAN. SO, UM, TO SOME EXTENT BECAUSE THE PLAN HAD BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD. UH, THAT DOESN'T THE RULE REQUIRES US TO TO CONSIDER IT. DOES THE STATE RULES REQUIRE US TO CONSIDER ALL THE PLANS THAT WERE SUBMITTED. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR UH THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING REQUIREMENT. SO THAT'S HOW THIS HAPPENED. THIS IS CHRISTINA. I'M SORRY, THIS MAY BE A REALLY STUPID QUESTION, BUT WHO'S THE ONE WHO CALLED IN THE REDEVELOPMENT. COMPANY IS IT KENVIEW OR THE TOWNSHIP? HERE FOR THE PROPERTY WE DO BE SOLD. I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? THERE WAS A PHONE RINGING AND I THINK I MISSED PART OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. RIGHT, SO THE PROPERTY WAS FOR SALE FOR ONE YEAR, RIGHT? IS WHAT WAS SAID AND AFTER ONE YEAR MR. KHAN AND HIS COMPANY WERE CALLED IN OR CAME IN. TO REDEVELOP THE SITE. WHOSE IDEA WAS THAT THE TOWNSHIPS OR VIEWS OR KENVIEW VIEW BUT THE TOWNSHIP HAD TO OK THAT OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK? I'M SORRY, I'M UNDERSTAND. SO JUST LIKE YOU CAN SELL YOUR HOME TO SOMEBODY ELSE WITHOUT THE TOWNSHIP HAVING TO OK, KENVIEW CAN PUT AN OPTION OUT OR CAN SELL THEIR PROPERTY DIRECTLY TO ANOTHER ENTITY. UM, THAT, THAT'S THEIR RIGHT AS A PROPERTY OWNER JUST AS YOU HAVE YOUR RIGHT WITH, WITH YOUR HOME OR YOUR BUSINESS. BUT THE SALE IS CONTINGENT ON THE ZONING CHANGES, THAT WOULD BE AN ASSUMPTION WE ARE NOT PRIVY TO WHAT THEIR OPTION CONTRACT IS. HI, A H M A D. SO I AGREE WITH MY NEIGHBOR'S COMMENT, RIGHT? IF WE ARE, IF I HAVE TO SELL MY [01:00:07] HOUSE TODAY. RIGHT? I CANNOT FORCE THE TOWNSHIP TO CHANGE THE ZONING. AND ALLOW MORE HOUSE BUILDING JUST BECAUSE I WANT TO SELL THE HOUSE. RIGHT? SO I HAVE TO SELL THE HOUSE WITH THE WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT I HAVE TO CONTINUE WITH THE SAME ZONING. UH, I CANNOT INFLUENCE THAT. UH, I HAVE TO SELL MY HOUSE UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS. SO, SO I AGREE WITH, WITH THOSE POINTS. UH. ONE QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS UH AMONG ALL THE DIFFERENT PLANS THAT ELII KHAN DEVELOPERS, UM THEY, THEY PRESENTED WAS ONE OF IT, UH IN COMPLIANCE WITH ZONING IN COMPLIANCE WITH LIGHT MANUFACTURING. UH, CAN I HAVE SOME DETAILS AROUND THAT, PLEASE? YES, UH, AND AGAIN, LAURIE SHOWED THAT AT THE LAST TOWN HALL. THERE WAS A COMPLIANT AS OF RIGHT PLAN THAT THEY COULD MOVE FORWARD WITH. SHOW THAT UM, I DON'T HAVE IT ON THIS. I COULD FIND IT ON ANOTHER, ANOTHER SLIDE, BUT I I. IF WE CAN DO THAT TONIGHT, I JUST, I THINK THAT THERE'S A BIGGER CONVERSATION THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN BY THE DEVELOPER AT THE PLANNING BOARD MEETING ON THE 8TH. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A, A, A BETTER OPPORTUNITY, BUT YOU WANT TO SEE THE BUY RIGHT LIGHT MANUFACTURING PLAN. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE LIKE WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS PRESENTED, RIGHT? IF 8 IS THE RIGHT DAY, FOR SURE I'LL COME AND, AND, AND, AND SEE YOUR NEIGHBORS. I DEFER TO ANY UH THE OTHERS ON THE COMMITTEE IF. SO AGAIN, IT, IT'S IN THE PRESENTATION FROM THE, THE LAST TOWN HALL, YOU CAN CERTAINLY FIND THAT ONLINE. IT'S STILL POSTED. I DON'T THINK WE WERE PREPARED TO DISCUSS THAT TONIGHT. WE WERE REALLY MOVING ON TO GETTING FEEDBACK ON THE TRANSIT SITE, UM, THAT WOULD BE IN EXCHANGE FOR EXTENSION OF CONTROLS ON PIKE RUN, BUT YOU CAN LOOK ONLINE. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TO THE SEPTEMBER 8TH PLANNING BOARD MEETING. ALRIGHT, SO PAUL, PAUL SHAO AGAIN, UM, SORRY, SO I JUST WANT TO GET CLARIFICATION. THE TRANSIT UM DEVELOPMENT BIT. IS INTIMATELY LINKED WITH THE PIKE RUN CREDITS DISCUSSION THEN. YES. YES. OK, ALL RIGHT, AND SO THE OWNER OF THE SITE IT OWNS, UH, THE INTEREST IN PIKE RUN TO BE ABLE TO AGREE TO THE EXTENSIONS. OK, AND SO THE TOWNSHIPS. BUT SINCE NEGOTIATIONS AREN'T COMPLETE. IS THAT BECAUSE THERE IS AN IMPASSE OF SOME SORT, OR IS THERE JUST A SLOWNESS IN COMMUNICATION EXCHANGE. OF DISCUSSION OR LEGAL PAPERWORK OR SOMETHING. IT'S A DISCUSSION OF NUMBERS, UM, HOW MANY UNITS MAY POSSIBLY, UH, BE SUPPORTED AT THE NEW SITE AS WELL AS HOW MANY EXTENSIONS. ARE THEY WILLING TO PROVIDE IN EXCHANGE. SO IT'S A NEGOTIATION. I CAN'T SPEAK SPECIFICALLY ON THE NEGOTIATIONS, BUT IN GENERALITIES IS THE CONCERN THAT WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR IS ALSO NOT GOING TO BE SUPPORTED BY EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE AND OR STRAIN EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE IS, IS, IS THAT. YEAH, SO FOR A SITE TO BE REALISTIC, TO INCLUDE IN THE PLAN, THE INFRASTRUCTURE HAS TO BE THERE ALREADY. SO SOMEONE HAD MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, MATAWAN. MATAWAN WAS NOT IN THE SEWER SERVICE AREA, SO ALTHOUGH THE TOWNSHIP CONSIDERS EVERY SITE THAT IS BROUGHT FORTH IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WAS MOVED FORWARD WITH BECAUSE IT IS NOT IN THE SEWER SERVICE AREA. SO THIS TRANSIT SITE IS IN THE SEWER SERVICE AREA. AND HAS WATER AND ETC. SO THAT, THAT'S A CONSIDERATION HAS TO BE STEP ONE IN THE DEFINITION FOR REALISTIC. RIGHT, BUT THEN SO BUT. BEING DONE ARE LIKE ON TOP OF THE CREDITS THAT WOULD BE EXTENDED, RIGHT? LIKE SO WHATEVER IMPACT IS BASED ON LIKE THE ADDITIONAL BUILDING STUFF AND SHOULD BE THEN COMPARED TO THE IMPACT OF KENVIEW REDEVELOPMENT. DIRECTLY, RIGHT? SO WE'RE TALKING IF YOU GET 200 SOME ODD CREDITS IT'S ALL BEING CONSIDERED. THEN YOU HAVE TO BUILD AN ADDITIONAL, I DON'T KNOW, 30, 40 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS AND THEREFORE LIKE I DON'T. [01:05:10] 100 TOTAL UNITS IN THAT AREA OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN THAT'S STILL LESS OF AN IMPACT THAN 400 SOME ODD FOR KEN VIEWS, CORRECT? AND THAT'S WHY THE EXTENSION OF THE CONTROLS HAS, HAS BEEN THE FIRST PRIORITY. RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT. AND, AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT. I JUST WANT TO LIKE MAKE SURE THAT, OK, ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE UNDERSTANDING. GREAT, FANTASTIC. THANK YOU MR. EMMETT, I JUST, JALAN AHMED, I'M MR. ERMAN. I WOULD LIKE THE PLANNING BOARD UM CHAIR TOO BECAUSE YOU'D ASKED FOR THE SLIDE SO I THINK HE WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING. UM LAURIE WASN'T PREPARED TO SHOW THAT TONIGHT. BUT WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS PLEASE COME OUT ON SEPTEMBER 8TH TO THE PLANNING BOARD MEETING, THE DEVELOPERS, POTENTIAL DEVELOPERS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING THEY'D LIKE TO. I CAN ASSURE THE PUBLIC EVERYONE WILL HAVE THEIR SAY IF WE HAVE TO STAY HERE TILL 2 IN THE MORNING THE NEXT DAY WE WILL UM. BUT YOU KNOW, LET, LET'S, LET'S GIVE THE DEVELOPERS A CHANCE TO TALK AND THEN I PROMISE EVERYONE IN THE PUBLIC'S GOING TO GET A CHANCE TO TALK AS WELL. SO LET, LET'S FOCUS THAT FOR SEPTEMBER 8TH. ANYONE CAN'T COME AS LAURIE HAD SAID, IT'S GOING TO BE RECORDED. SO ANYONE CAN SEE IT AFTERWARDS. OK. I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION ABOUT ZONING. I THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS A LIKE A 35 FT HEIGHT FOR ANY BUILDING AND A LOT OF THESE BUILDINGS THAT ARE BEING CONSTRUCTED LOOK TALLER THAN THAT. IS THAT MY IMAGINATION OR HAS THAT, UM, ZONING VARIANCE BEEN? ABOLISHED SO, UM, 35 FT FOR A RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY, UM, BUT YES, SOME OF THE BUILDINGS HAVE ZONING THAT ALLOWS IT TO EXCEED THAT HEIGHT. UH, IT, IT'S INDIVIDUAL, THEY'RE CALLED SITE SPECIFIC INCLUSIONARY ZONES. THEY WERE PART OF THE ROUND 3 PLAN, SO EVERY LOCATION IS DIFFERENT DEPENDING ON THE TOPOGRAPHY AND THE NUMBER OF UNITS AND THE LAYOUT. WE CAN CERTAINLY ASK FOR THAT. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE DEVELOPER HAS ASKED TO DO, UM, WE DID NOT ASK FOR THE INFORMAL, UH, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING WHEN THE ZONING WOULD BE COMING FORWARD, WE WOULD, WE, WE ASKED DEVELOPERS TO PROVIDE A RENDERING AND SOME KIND OF A DESIGN BEFORE THE ZONING'S ADOPTED. THANK YOU. ANTHONY GATTO. UM, MY QUESTION FOR THE TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS IS, UH, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT PIKE RUN, BUT WHERE IS THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE WITH NEGOTIATIONS ON MCKINLEY COURT AND MONTGOMERY WALK. ARE THERE ARE ANY DETAILS THAT CAN BE SHARED ABOUT THOSE, THOSE, THOSE PROPERTIES. WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE LAST TOWN HALL THAT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING ON THAT WE HAVE NOT YET BEGUN STARTED. I, NANCY MASSON FROM EAST RIDGE ROAD. UM, MY QUESTION IS REGARDING THE HOW THE LAWS WORK IF THE TOWNSHIP DOESN'T COME UP WITH THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT'S REQUIRED. WHAT ARE THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THAT? AND THE SECOND PART OF MY QUESTION IS HOW MUCH PRESSURE ARE YOU UNDER? TO ACCEPT A DEVELOPMENT THAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE NUMBER THAT YOU NEED. ONE OF THE RAMIFICATIONS IS THE BUILDER'S REMEDY LAWSUIT THAT WE, WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, AT A PRIOR TOWN HALL WE DIDN'T REALLY GET INTO IT TONIGHT TOO MUCH, UM, THAT'S WHEN A DEVELOPER CAN SUE THE TOWN WITH A PLAN THAT SAYS, I CAN SATISFY YOUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING OBLIGATION WITH THIS PLAN. AND THEN IT, IT'S KIND OF WORKED OUTSIDE OF OUR HANDS. IN TERMS OF OUR SATISFYING OUR NUMBER. I THINK WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW EXTENSION. OF CONTROLS WAS, WAS ONE OF OUR MAIN GOALS. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE WERE ABLE TO USE THEM. SO THAT'S REALLY THE, THE PATH THAT WE WANTED TO FOLLOW. BY [01:10:02] JUNE 30TH, WE DIDN'T HAVE EVERYTHING LOCKED DOWN, UM, AND BUT, BUT NOW NEW INFORMATION HAS COME AND WE'RE WORKING ON TRYING TO DO THAT. SO, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, OUR TOWNSHIP ATTORNEY EXPLAINED THAT IN ROUND 3, WHICH WAS, UH, THERE WAS A MUCH LONGER PERIOD OF TIME. WE CHANGED OUR PLAN MANY TIMES. UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT UNCOMMON, UM, UNTIL THE ZONING IS ADOPTED, IT'S A LIVING AND BREATHING MASTER PLAN THAT CHANGES AS NEW INFORMATION COMES TO LIGHT, NEW OPPORTUNITIES, AND ALL THAT, SO WE'RE ALL COMMITTED TO ENSURING THAT THE PLAN THAT WE ULTIMATELY ADOPT ZONING FOR, WE CAN ALL FEEL GOOD ABOUT AND IS THE BEST FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S WHY WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE. WE DIDN'T JUST SHUT DOWN AND SAY THE PLAN IS THE PLAN, YOU KNOW, AFTER THAT FIRST PLANNING BOARD HEARING IN JUNE BEFORE IT GOT ADOPTED, WHEN, WHEN NEIGHBORS HAD COME OUT AND TALKED ABOUT THE CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE UNDER THAT DEADLINE AND A DEADLINE THAT WE'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING HERE IN NEW JERSEY, RIDICULOUS. UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UH, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN'T SHUT DOWN. WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT IT, WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER, WE'VE GOT TO WORK HARDER, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE THIS OUT. AND SO THAT'S, I HOPE, IS MESSAGE IS COMING THROUGH. ELLEN ROBBINS. SO I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE PLANNING BOARD AND THE AND THE DEVELOPER, YOU KNOW, THERE IS AN ARCHITECTURALLY RENOWNED BUILDING, HISTORICAL BUILDING SITTING ON THE PROPERTY THAT WAS KENVIEW IS OUR PLANNING BOARD GONNA TRY AND HELP PRESERVE THAT BUILDING THAT'S THERE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE PUT INTO CONSIDERATION? THERE'S A FAMOUS BUILDING ON THAT PROPERTY. I KNOW THAT OUR LANDMARKS COMMISSION DISCUSSED IT AT THEIR LAST MEETING. I THINK THEY'VE, UH, SHERRY, DON'T LET ME SPEAK BUT I WRONGLY, BUT I THINK THEY'VE, UM, RETAINED SOMEONE TO DO SOME ANALYSIS OF THE BUILDING RESIDENTS HAD COME FORWARD. I AM PAY IS, YOU KNOW, WORLD RENOWNED ARCHITECT. AND SO WHAT CAN WE FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BUILDING IN PARTICULAR. UM, ADAPTIVE REUSE OF BUILDINGS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE, UM, DONE HERE IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, OUR OWN COMMUNITY CENTER, AUTO T TO KAUFMAN, IS AN ADAPTIVE REUSE PROJECT, UH, SO THAT I DON'T THINK WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT THE PLANNING BOARD WOULD BE ADVERSE TO EXPLORING. I CAN ANSWER FOR THE PLANNING BOARD. NO, SORRY, DAVE. OH, THAT'S OK, LAN UM, I RECENTLY RECEIVED THE EMAILS OF THE FOUR PRINCIPALS OF THE IMA COMPANY. WHO NOW ARE IN CHARGE SINCE HE PASSED AWAY I THINK IN 2019, I BELIEVE. UM. TO SEE IF I CAN GET INFORMATION ABOUT. ANY HISTORICAL HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, WHO ACTUALLY DID THE DESIGN, ETC. ALL OF THAT WILL COME INTO PLAY IN ANY PRESENTATION, OF COURSE. KIRSTEN, YOU AND I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION OR OBSERVATION, I GUESS. UM, I'M, I'M A LITTLE BIT STRUCK BY THE FACT THAT THE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES HERE AND THE PLANNING BOARDS HERE. BUT WE REALLY, EXCEPT FOR MR. CAMBIZ, HAVE ONLY HEARD FROM THE EXPERTS, WHICH I APPRECIATE HAVING EXPERTS HERE TO EXPLAIN IT TO US, BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO WE ELECTED. FEEL ABOUT THIS, AND I'M KIND OF INTERESTED IF THEY WOULD GIVE US THEIR OPINION ON THIS PROJECT AND UM. YEAH, WHAT YOU THINK I, I'M JUST GONNA JUMP IN HERE I. ANTICIPATE THAT NO MATTER WHAT IS DONE, THERE'S GOING TO BE LITIGATION INVOLVED. SO SOME OF THAT IS BY DESIGN, UM JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE, YOU CAN CERTAINLY GIVE A HIGH LEVEL, BUT PLEASE BE CAREFUL ON ANYTHING THAT YOU'RE SAYING BECAUSE IT WILL. MOST CERTAINLY BE LITIGATION SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE. I THINK WHAT WE WERE TOLD CHRISTINE. YEAH, I MEAN, CHRISTINE, WHAT WE WERE TOLD IS ANYTHING WE ARE SAYING, EVEN WHAT IS IN THE NEWSPAPER, EVEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA IS BEING LOOKED AT BY THE DEVELOPERS, ANYTHING THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE SAYS ELECTED. GETS USED IN LAWSUITS AGAINST US, SO WE HAVE TO BE REALLY CAREFUL WHAT IS OUR OPINION AT THIS POINT. WE BE ELECTED AND I'LL LET THE OTHERS SPEAK. OBVIOUSLY WANT TO DO THE BEST FOR THE TOWN. I'VE LIVED HERE 29 YEARS AND I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND, AND I PLAN TO LIVE HERE TILL THEY TAKE ME OUT, DAD, BUT UM, BUT MY, MY POINT IS, YES, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT AND PEOPLE HAVE BROUGHT UP THAT YOU SHOULD DISCUSS THINGS WHILE THEY'RE HAPPENING IF I'VE LIVED HERE 29. YEARS, I'LL BE VERY HONEST. I'VE NEVER SEEN IN EVEN THE THIRD ROUND THINGS BEING DISCUSSED AS THEY ARE BEING DISCUSSED NOW. SO I WANT THE TOWNSHIP, UH, RESIDENTS TO KEEP [01:15:01] IN MIND, PLEASE, I'VE LIVED HERE. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE 3RD ROUND WHEN I'M SEEING SHAR BELL DEVELOPMENT. WELL, MAYBE I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT, BUT YOU KNOW WAS THAT SOMETHING THAT WAS PASSED THAT I LIKE? NO. BECAUSE LOOK AT THE CONGESTION THERE SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'M MAYBE SHOOTING MYSELF IN THE FOOT, BUT, UM, MY POINT IS AS ELECTED WE LIVE HERE AND CERTAIN THINGS WHEN THEY ARE STATE MANDATED, AND, AND WE KEEP ON SAYING, AND, AND I'VE HEARD FROM THE STATE. THEY HAVE NOT LIKED MY COMMENTS WHERE I HAVE SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE FORCED INTO A SITUATION I'VE HEARD FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. I HAVE HEARD FROM THE ART STATE REPS AND MAYBE I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT EITHER, BUT THEY'VE ALL SAID, MAYOR, YOU'RE SPEAKING AGAINST AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOW ARE YOU ALSO JOINING A LAWSUIT SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE CARE AND WE ARE LISTENING TO EVERYBODY, AND IT'S REALLY DISHEARTENING WHEN PEOPLE WOULD. SOME POLITICAL ASPIRATIONS ARE DISGRUNTLED WHATEVER THEY ARE WHEN THEY HIJACK THE CONVERSATION. LET'S ALL WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE THIS IS OUR TOWN. DOESN'T MATTER, SO I'M, I APPRECIATE CHRISTINE YOU, ELLEN HAVE WORKED IN THIS TOWN FOR EONS. I'VE SEEN YOU EVEN WHEN MY KIDS WERE YOUNG, RUNNING AROUND DOING THE WORK, SO WE APPRECIATE ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS, BUT, UH, HOPEFULLY I DIDN'T SAY TOO MUCH BUT YES WE REALLY DO WANT TO TALK, BUT WE ARE TOLD THAT MY TIME IS UP. UM, WE'RE ALSO TOLD THAT THERE'S ONLY CERTAIN THINGS THAT WE CAN SAY PUBLICLY BECAUSE ANYTHING WE SAY WILL BE HELD AGAINST US, BUT I'LL LET THE OTHERS SPEAK. SO VERY, VERY BRIEFLY BECAUSE I DIDN'T ANTICIPATE GETTING THIS QUESTION TODAY, PARTICULARLY WITH THE INTERESTED DEVELOPER IN THE ROOM, UM. I'M GONNA FOLLOW OUR LEGAL ADVICE AS AN ATTORNEY MYSELF AND NOT SAY ANYTHING, UH, SUBJECTIVE. I BELIEVE THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UM AT OTHER MEETINGS BUT WHAT I WILL SAY IS MY INTEREST IS IN US AVOIDING BUILDERS REMEDY LAWSUITS. AND, UM, AND US BEING COMPLIANT SO THAT WE CAN KEEP CONTROL OVER THE PROCESS. WE'VE SAID TIME AND AGAIN THAT THIS IS NOT A PERFECT PROCESS, BUT IT'S A LONG PROCESS AND YOU'VE HEARD TONIGHT THAT WE HAVE OPTIONS AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO EXPLORE OPTIONS. UM, OUR INTEREST IS IN WHAT'S DOING WHAT'S BEST FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE TOWN. YES, WE LIVE HERE TOO. WE ARE AFFECTED BY EVERY DECISION THAT WE MAKE AND WE ARE DOING OUR VERY, VERY BEST TO MAKE DECISIONS IN GOOD FAITH. UM, I, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO HAVE CLEARER COMMUNICATION PRIOR TO UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE, BUT AS YOU HEARD, WE HAD A VERY, VERY SHORT TIME FRAME AND WE'RE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS. THIS IS NOT PERFORMATIVE. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY. AS LONG AS THIS PROCESS IS GOING ON, AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT I'M COMMITTED TO THAT. GOOD EVENING. SO I'VE SAID THIS IN TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEFORE, YOU KNOW, UM OUR GOAL WAS TO FIND A TENANT FOR THAT PROJECT A LONG TIME. UM YOU KNOW YOU TO BUILD THE PROPERTY TO WHO THEY FEEL WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO SELL THE PROPERTY TO. WE HAVE SOME. CONTROL THAT. UM, BUT. THE COMMUNITY DID COME OUT AND OBVIOUSLY THE, THE ROUND 3 HOUSING AND COMPARED TO THE TIME FRAME OF HOW MUCH WE HAD TIME TO PLAN COMPARED TO ROUND 4, WHICH WE IS WHY WE'RE GOING TO THIS LAWSUIT BECAUSE WE FELT THAT IT WAS REALLY, REALLY SHORT TIME. UM, YOU KNOW IS IS THE ISSUE RIGHT NOW. AND YOU KNOW, I REALLY STRONGLY FEEL THAT THE RESIDENTS CAME OUT AND WE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE DISCUSS THEIR CONCERNS AND THEIR THOUGHTS. PRESERVING THE BUILDING, UH, WAS ONE OF YOUR MAJOR THOUGHTS, UM. BECAUSE IT IS, IT IS CONSIDERED HISTORIC FROM IN A LOT OF PEOPLE'S MINDS AND EYES. UM, AS WELL AS TRANSPORTATION AND THE TRANSPORTATION CONCERNS THAT UM THAT THAT COMMUNITY BASE. IS ANOTHER CONCERN OUR COMMUNITY CAME UP AND TALKED TO US ABOUT. SO, I BELIEVE IT'S OUR JOB TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THOSE UH CONCERNS. AND UM YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE MAJOR, MAJOR CONCERNS RIGHT NOW THAT I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON AND HOPEFULLY THE DEVELOPER EITHER CAN SOLVE OR I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE UH THE DECISIONS WOULD BE, BUT UM, I GREATLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING OUT HERE TONIGHT. AND DISCUSSING THIS WITH US. AND IF YOU CAN COME TO THE PLANNING BOARD MEETING TO DISCUSS IT FURTHER. IT'D BE VERY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU YEAH, SO I'M, I'M PRETTY NEW TO THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE I, I CAME OUT IN FEBRUARY AND UM CLEARLY THIS WAS UH VERY RUSHED, AND I, I FELT THAT AND. UM SO IT'S BEEN SPOKEN TO AND I'M JUST GONNA SPEAK HIGH LEVEL. I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO SOME OF THE SPECIFICS OF, OF THE, I DON'T, I WASN'T [01:20:07] PART OF THE THE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPERS SO. UM, MY, MY, UH, ROLE AS A MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE BUT NOT ON UH LIAISON TO PLANNING OR ZONING WAS TO LISTEN, HEAR, UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS, AND. AS THOSE A CAME FORWARD, UH, ASK QUESTIONS, UM, SEEK POTENTIAL OTHER UH SOLUTIONS AS POSSIBLE, AND THAT'S WHAT WHERE WE WERE BY THAT JUNE 30TH DEADLINE. UM. BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIVISM BECAUSE OF YOU'RE COMING FORWARD AND AND PUTTING PRESSURE THE WE NOW HAVE A DIFFERENT UH OPTION WITH THE PIKE RUN DEVELOPER NOW WILLING TO UM CONSIDER. UH. TO GIVE US SOME UH EXTENSION OF THOSE UNITS, AND THAT IS HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY, IN MY BOOK, THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOME BECAUSE INSTEAD OF BUILDING 100 UNITS AND GETTING 20% AFFORDABLE, YOU CAN EXTEND THE ONES THAT ARE ALREADY BUILT. THAT'S A LOT LESS CONSTRUCTION, A LOT LESS HUMAN IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY WHERE WE WANT TO MAINTAIN PRESERVE GREEN SPACE, AND, AND CLEARLY THAT CHEM YOU SITE IS, IS JUST A A A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL PLACE. UM. SO, UM I, I'M, I'M HAPPY THAT IT'S COME. TO WHERE IT'S COME AND I, AND I'M, I'M, I'M, I'M JUST, I'M, I'M, I'M GRATEFUL TO THE COMMUNITY AND I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE'LL, WE'LL BE IN A BETTER PLACE ONCE THIS IS ALL OVER. 8 I THINK THE PLANNING BOARD MAY WANT TO SAY SOMETHING OR IT'S, YOU KNOW. YEAH, COME ON. UH, NON-ELECTED PERSON HERE, UM, YEAH, PLEASE, PLEASE COME ON THE 8TH. UM. I, I GOT TO SEE THE INITIAL CHOICES OF PLANS AND UM REMINDER, NON-ELECTED PERSON HERE. UM UH. I GOT IT WRONG. I DON'T LIVE ON GRANDVIEW. I DON'T LIVE OFF OF GRANDVIEW. BUT THE THOUGHT OF HUNDREDS OF TRUCKS. GOING UP AND DOWN GRANDVIEW, UM. A DAY JUST SEEMED TO BE A LOT. BUT AGAIN, I, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I GOT IT WRONG BECAUSE THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A CONCERN. SO PLEASE COME OUT TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD. GIVE THE DEVELOPERS A CHANCE TO, TO SAY THEIR PIECE. YOU KNOW, IF THEY'RE GONNA BUY THE LAND, THEY'RE GONNA BE OUR NEIGHBORS. AND THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO BUILD SOMETHING ON IT. SO PLEASE COME OUT, LISTEN HEAR THEM OUT, AND PLEASE, YOU KNOW, LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IN A VERY CONTROLLED AND BUT PERSONAL WAY. SO. AGAIN, JUST A PLUG TO COME OUT ON THE 8TH. SORRY, ONE LAST QUESTION, BUT THE HUNDREDS OF TRUCKS AND ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SEWERS AND TRAFFIC AND EVERYTHING WAS THAT NOT COMING FROM THE DEVELOPER HIMSELF. OR WAS THAT AN INDEPENDENT STUDY THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAD, WHEN I SAY THAT IT WAS MY PERSONAL OPINION THAT IF THERE WAS GONNA BE A MULTI-USE MINI WAREHOUSE MAXI WAREHOUSE. INDIVIDUAL. I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER OF TRUCKS WERE, BUT IT CERTAINLY WOULD BE MORE. THAN IT IS TODAY SO, BUT. JUST TO CLARIFY ALL THE INFORMATION REGARDING TRAFFIC TRUCKS, ETC. HAS UP UNTIL THIS DATE COME FROM THE DEVELOPER. IS THAT TRUE? RIGHT, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T PUT AN APPLICATION IN NOW IF THEY DO PUT AN APPLICATION IN WHETHER IT'S ZONING, BORDER OR PLANNING BOARD, TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, UM. THEN OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER WOULD DO OUR OWN STUDY AS WELL, RIGHT? SO WE WOULD HAVE BOTH. WE'D SEE BOTH. THANK YOU. UH, DIANE TAORIC, I HAVE TO LIVE ON GRANDVIEW ROAD. UM, MY FATHER SOLD THE PROPERTY TO THE ORIGINAL J&J. BECAUSE HE DID NOT WANT TO SEE HOUSING THERE. HE WANTED TO PRESERVE WHAT'S THERE. UM. I UNDERSTAND THAT CAM YOU CAN SELL TO WHOMEVER THEY LIKE HOWEVER THE ZONING BOARD DOES NOT HAVE TO. ZONE IT FOR THAT MANY UNITS. THEY CAN ZONE IT. 57, OR 10 ACRES AS THE SAROIN MOUNTAINS ARE. SO I'D LIKE YOU TO TAKE TATION. AND NOE AFFORDABLE HOUSING THERE BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. UM, AND WITH A COMMENT ABOUT THE TRUCKS. I GREW UP NEXT TO J&J. UM. I SAW J AND J [01:25:07] BE BUILT. AND EVEN WHEN THEY WERE IN FULL SWING. THERE WAS NOT HUNDREDS OF TRUCKS, NONE OF THEM WENT UP GRANDVIEW. THEY ALL WENT DOWN GRANDVIEW AND THE UTILIZED THE RAIL. SO THAT IS STILL A POSSIBILITY FOR MANUFACTURING TO DO THE SAME THING. NO TRUCK. LOADED IS GOING TO MAKE GOING UP GRANDVIEW, THEIR PRIMARY UH, ROUTE SO I ASK IF YOU'RE GOING TO REZONE IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO REZONE IT. TO THAT NUMBER OF HOUSING. HELLO, MY NAME IS BETSY CAVANO, AND I LIVE IN HOLLOW ROAD IN SKILLMAN. AND I HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING FOR JOHNSTON JOHNSON FOR SEVERAL YEARS. AND I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THERE WAS VERY LITTLE TRUCKS THAT WENT IN AND OUT OF GRANDVIEW WROTE. DELIVERY IS YES, BUT THERE WAS NOT A BIG MASSIVE TRUCKS I, I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 50+ YEARS. I REMEMBER BEFORE JEAN G WAS BUILT. MY HUSBAND USED TO GO SLIDING DOWN JAMES VIEW AND WHEN WE HEARD THAT JOHNSON AND JOHNSON WAS COMING IN, WE WERE PETRIFIED. WE WERE ACTUALLY PETRIFIED WITH INDUSTRIAL WAS COMING INTO OUR LOVELY COUNTRY ZONING. IT WAS A PLEASURE THEY WERE A FANTASTIC NEIGHBOR. THE BUILDINGS IN THE GROUND WERE MAGNIFICENT. THEY WERE AN EXCELLENT EMPLOYER. I HATE TO SEE THAT LAND. TURNED INTO 40 HOMES. 400 HOMES, SORRY. IT WOULD TAKE AWAY THE WHOLE ESSENCE OF LIVING IN SKILLMAN. I ADORE. I LOVE SKILLMAN. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU LIVE IN SKILLMAN. BUT I WOULD ABSOLUTELY HATE TO SEE THAT CHANGE. ON A PERSONAL NOTE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS SONIA HUNT. I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 50 YEARS. I'M ON LANDMARKS COMMISSION AND I SERVED AS THE HEAD OF THE HARLEM AND HARLINGTON HISTORIC SOCIETY. I. HAVE NOTHING AGAINST AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND I THINK MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT ISN'T REALLY THE QUESTION AS MUCH AS THE LOCATION OF. PROPERTY THAT THEY'RE CONSIDERING TAKING AN INCREDIBLE LANDMARK THAT IM PEI, WHO'S SO WORLD FAMOUS DESIGNED ONLY INCREDIBLE BUILDING THAT WE HAVE IN THE TOWNSHIP. AND. THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS LIKE THE DRAKE FARM WHICH HAS BEEN FOR SALE AND IT'S SO MUCH MORE CONVENIENT TO THE NEW SHOPPING AREAS AND SO ON. THE. I DON'T KNOW WHO OWNS THE LAND, BUT UM, THE THEY USED TO HAVE THE DAIRY FARM ON IF THAT'S AVAILABLE TO BE DEVELOPED. BUT. THE DISCUSSIONS THAT I'VE HAD WITH MANY PEOPLE IT'S MORE THE THE IDEA OF THE LOCATION. AND. PLACE THAT UM IT'S VERY THE THE TRAFFICS THE THERE JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT JUST DON'T SEEM RIGHT ABOUT IT. HI, KEN FORD. I LIVE ON SKILLMAN ROAD AND I WAS WONDERING IF ALL THESE PLANS THAT IT'S LIKE 601 GONNA BE LIKE CHANGED INTO A FOUR-LANE HIGHWAY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO ACCOMMODATE THE HOUSES, AND THIS IS THE FIRST THING I HEARD ABOUT SOMEBODY WANTING TO DO UH UH MANUFACTURING AT THE, UH, THE KEMPVIEW AREA. I NEVER HEARD THAT BEFORE. ALL I HEARD BEFORE WAS NOBODY WANTED KEN VIEW. DEVELOPERS CAME IN AUTOMATICALLY WITH A UH A 417 HOUSING UNIT. I NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT UH MANUFACTURING IN THERE AGAIN. SO WHAT, WHY, WHY WASN'T THAT BROUGHT UP BEFORE? AND WHY WAS THAT PLAN [01:30:04] SORT OF DISREGARDED OR OR NOT LOOKED AT? WAS IT BECAUSE A HUNDREDS OF TRUCKS COMING DOWN THERE OR SOMETHING. I, I'M NOT I'M NOT TOO SURE WHAT WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEFORE ALL THIS. AND I KNOW IT'S A SHORT TIME THING, 3 MONTHS. I STILL DON'T GET THAT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE GOVERNMENT. SO I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. I MEAN, IT SEEMS LIKE WE GOT IN A HOLE IN SOME SMART BUSINESS MAN. SEE THAT WE'RE IN A HOLE AND, AND WE NEED TO GET OUT OF IT SOMEHOW AND THEY CAN COME IN AND AND MAKE SOME MONEY. THAT THE WAY IT IS UM THE UH THE INDUSTRIAL PLAN, THE LIGHT MANUFACTURING PLAN I WAS SHARED AT THE PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING. SO THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN JUNE SOMETIME, AND THAT, THAT, YEAH, YES, THIS JUNE BEFORE IT WAS ADOPTED, THAT WAS, THAT WAS, UM, WHEN IT WAS SHARED, THE 3, THE 3 PLANS THAT HAD BEEN SHARED, THERE WAS, UM, THE INDUSTRIAL, THE LIGHT MANUFACTURING, THE UH MIXED USE WHERE IT WAS HALF MANUFACTURING AND HALF RESIDENTIAL AND THEN AN ALL RESIDENTIAL PLAN. UM, IN TERMS OF THE CONCERNS BY TRUCKS, WE DO GET A LOT OF CONCERNS FROM RESIDENTS THAT LIVE, UM, ON 518 IN BLAENBERG BECAUSE OF THE TRUCKS THAT COME FROM THE QUARRY THAT COME DOWN THAT WAY. SO THERE IS CONCERNS ABOUT TRUCKS. I KNOW SOMEONE HAD REFERENCED THAT, UM, J&J HAD NOT HAD A LOT OF TRUCK TRAFFIC AND NOT A LOT OF TRUCKS THAT WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN, UM, BUT THERE ARE TRUCKS THAT ARE IN THAT AREA ON 601 AND WE DO GET CONCERNS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE TOWN, SO 5 BLAENBERG, UM, BECAUSE OF THE CONSTRAINTS OF THAT INTERSECTION TOO, AND THE, THE HOW CLOSE THE HOMES ARE DOWN THERE IN THAT HISTORIC DISTRICT. BUT THERE'S STILL GOING TO BE A LOT OF TRAFFIC WITH CARS FROM THE HOUSES, RIGHT? I MEAN, YOU, YOU FIGURED AT LEAST ONE CAR FOR EVERY HOUSING UNIT, RIGHT? NOT 2 YOUR DEVELOPMENT BRINGS TRAFFIC, YES, WE'RE NOT DENYING THAT. AND HAVE YOU EVER SEEN 601 LIKE RUSH HOUR. IN THE MORNING, IN THE AFTERNOON, IT'S JUST WE TALK A LOT, YOU KNOW, AT, AT THE PLANNING BOARD LEVEL, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE FACT THAT MONTGOMERY DOESN'T HAVE THE GREATEST ROADWAY NETWORK, RIGHT? WE'RE BOUNDED BY THE SOURLAND MOUNTAINS ON THE WEST, THE MILLSTONE RIVER ON THE EAST. WE HAVE 206, 518601. SO IT'S PROBABLY BEEN THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, THESE CONCERNS FOR A VERY LONG TIME. YOU KNOW. WE'LL THANK EVERYONE, UH, FOR COMING IN AND AGAIN AS OUR PLANNING BOARD CHAIR SAID, UM, UH, PLEASE DO COME ON SEPTEMBER 8TH AT 7, I BELIEVE, RIGHT DAVE WOULD BE THE, THE PLANNING BOARD, AND THANK Y * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.