[I. ROLL CALL] [00:00:07] ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. THIS IS THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP PLANNING BOARD FOR MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY. IT'S OUR REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 9TH, 2026. AND IT IS OUR INTENTION TO CONCLUDE THIS MEETING NO LATER THAN 705. I'M JUST KIDDING. 10:10 P.M. UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT, NOTICE OF THE TIME AND PLACE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTED AND SENT TO THE OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED NEWSPAPERS. SHERRY, ROLL CALL PLEASE. HERE. BATTLE. BLODGET HERE. JOHN. HERE. HERE. THING. HERE. HERE. TAYLOR. TODD. HERE. WALKER. HERE. SHARMA HERE. CASEY HERE. AND RODRIGUEZ HERE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SHERRY, PLEASE JOIN ME IN A SALUTE TO THE FLAG. THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, [III. RESOLUTIONS] INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. OKAY. OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS A RESOLUTION. IT'S FOR CASE PB OH 323. THE APPLICANT IS HARLINGEN ASSOCIATES, LLC. THIS IS BLOCK 6001, LOT 33.01 ON ROUTE 26. AND IT IS A RESOLUTION TO EXTEND PRELIMINARY AND MAJOR SUBDIVISION SITE PLAN APPROVAL TO JANUARY 8TH OF 2027. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT. SO MOVED SECOND. VERY GOOD. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. SHERRY BLODGETT YES, YES YES YES. SCHULDINER. YES. SINGH. YES. TAYLOR. TODD. YES. LOCKLEAR. YES. AND SHARMA. YES. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. NORMALLY AT THIS TIME, WE WOULD HAVE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR ITEMS NOT ON [IV AFFORDABLE HOUSING UPDATE] THE AGENDA. WE'RE GOING TO FLIP THAT A LITTLE BIT AND WE'RE GOING TO GO FIRST TO AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESENTATION BY OUR TOWN PROFESSIONALS. AND THEN WE WILL HAVE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AFTER THAT. SO WITH THAT LORI OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I'M LORI SAVRAN. I'M THE PLANNING DIRECTOR AND THE TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATOR FOR MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP. WITH ME, I HAVE SHERRY CRUZ, OUR ASSISTANT PLANNING DIRECTOR, ISABEL RODRIGUEZ, THE TOWNSHIP PLANNER, WENDY RUBENSTEIN, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ATTORNEY. AND SO TONIGHT, THE PLANNING BOARD INVITED US TO COME AND HELP WITH AN INFORMATION SESSION THAT GENERALLY PREPARES THE BOARD TO REVIEW THE AMENDED HOUSING PLAN AND ALSO THE PUBLIC, SO THAT THEY CAN SORT OF UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF AMENDING THE PLAN. AND BUT RIGHT BEFORE WE POSTED ON THE WEBSITE, WHICH WILL BE FRIDAY THE 13TH. SO WE WE THANK YOU FOR LETTING US COME AND HAVE THIS. WE'LL GO THROUGH IT PRETTY QUICKLY AND WE'LL GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE MASTER PLAN PROCESS. WE'LL REVIEW THE CHANGES FROM THE APPROVED PLAN. THAT WAS FROM JANUARY JUNE OF 2025 TO THE PROPOSED AMENDED PLAN FROM FEBRUARY OF 2026. WE'LL HAVE PLANNING BOARD QUESTIONS AND THEN AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO ASK QUESTIONS AS WELL. SO IN GENERAL, BECAUSE THE HOUSING PLAN ELEMENT AND FAIR SHARE PLAN ARE ADOPTED AS PART OF YOUR MASTER PLAN, WE THOUGHT WE'D JUST GIVE A REFRESHER TO EVERYONE ABOUT WHAT IS THE MASTER PLAN. AND THIS IMAGE ACTUALLY IS MONTGOMERY'S VERY FIRST MASTER PLAN FROM 1971 DOCUMENT. AND YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE YOU PROBABLY CAN'T READ IT, BUT THAT TOP NAME WAS MAYOR OTTO KAUFMANN, WHO WAS NOW THE NAMESAKE OF OUR COMMUNITY CENTER. AND THERE MIGHT BE OTHER NAMES THAT YOU RECOGNIZE, TOO. I DEFINITELY REMEMBER TRYING TO SEE WALTER BAKER ABRAMS, TED LEWIS FROM LEWIS FIELD. SO, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR ORIGINAL NAMESAKES OF THE TOWN WERE INVOLVED IN SETTING THAT ORIGINAL PLAN. AND THE MASTER PLAN IS A GUIDING DOCUMENT. IT SETS POLICY DIRECTION OBJECTIVES FOR THE TOWN, OF HOW THE TOWN WOULD DEVELOP IN TERMS OF THE LAND USES. IT CREATES THE FOUNDATION FOR ZONING AND LAND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCES, AND THOSE ARE GOVERNED BY THE GOVERNING BODY, THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. SO THE PLANNING BOARD PLANS ADOPTS THE MASTER PLAN. AND THEN FROM THAT, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ZONING AND LAND USE CHANGES. THAT COMES LATER FROM THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. AND THERE'S ALSO A [00:05:06] PUBLIC PROCESS FOR BOTH FOR THE MASTER PLAN AND FOR THE THE RESULTING ORDINANCES. AND AT THE BOTTOM, THERE'S A LINK HERE. IT'S AN ODD, ODD LINK, BUT ON OUR WEBSITE WE HAVE MOST OF THE MASTER PLAN DOCUMENTS. THERE ARE SPECIFIC SUBELEMENTS. SO YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH OUR OPEN SPACE PLAN OR HISTORIC RESEARCH RESOURCE PLAN. WE HAVE A TRAFFIC CIRCULATION PLAN, A FACILITIES OLDER FACILITIES PLAN. THE LAND USE PLAN IS WHAT RECOMMENDS WHERE THE ZONING WILL, WHAT ZONING WE WILL HAVE IN TOWN. AND SO ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS MAKE UP OUR MASTER PLAN. THE MASTER PLAN MUST BE REVIEWED EVERY TEN YEARS. SPECIFICALLY, THE GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICY SECTION. AND THAT PROCESS IS CALLED THE REEXAMINATION PROCESS. AND THERE'S A REPORT THAT COMES OUT OF THAT. AND YOU CAN SEE THIS IS OUR REPORT FROM 2017. SO THE THE ALL MUNICIPALITIES IN NEW JERSEY ARE PLANNING IS GOVERNED BY THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW. THAT'S THE STATE LAW THAT GIVES POWER TO THE TOWNSHIPS TO ZONE AND PLAN. AND THEY REQUIRE, AS I SAID, THE MASTER PLAN TO BE LOOKED AT, REEXAMINED EVERY TEN YEARS. OUR MASTER OUR REEXAMINED LAST REEXAMINATION REPORT WAS IN 2017. SO WE ARE NOW DUE FOR A RE-EXAM IN 2027, AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT REEXAMINATION PROCESS TO BEGIN THIS LATER THIS YEAR. AND WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO THE PLANNING BOARD TO TALK ABOUT THAT, THAT PROCESS. AND WE MAY HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS ON SOME BIG GRANTS THAT WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT JUST YET, BUT THAT WE RECEIVED FOR THAT PROCESS. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IN THE HOUSING PLAN ELEMENT AND THE FAIR SHARE PLAN? THERE'S TWO SECTIONS. THERE'S THE HOUSING PLAN ELEMENT. IT HAS DEMOGRAPHICS AND HAS STATISTICAL INFORMATION, SORT OF A PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN EACH TOWN AND THEN THE FAIR SHARE PLAN COMPONENT. AND THAT ESTABLISHES HOW THE TOWNSHIP WILL ADDRESS THAT STANDARD STATE MANDATED AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEED THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. IT IS ADOPTED AS PART OF THE MUNICIPAL MASTER PLAN. LIKE I MENTIONED, IT CAN BE AMENDED AS CIRCUMSTANCES OR OBJECTIVES CHANGE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE ON THE RIGHT OUR 2020 AMENDED THIRD HOUSING ELEMENT PLAN AND FAIR SHARE PLAN WAS ACTUALLY ADOPTED IN 2008 AND THEN WAS AMENDED IN 2010 AND 2018 AND THEN AGAIN IN 2020. SO WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE LIFE CYCLE OF THESE ROUNDS THAT YOU YOU GO THROUGH WITH STATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND THEY ARE OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. SO YOU WOULD EXPECT THAT AS CIRCUMSTANCES OR POLICY OBJECTIVES CHANGE, THE PLAN WOULD GET AMENDED. IT DOES NEED TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THOSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES THAT ARE PART OF THE MASTER PLAN. A QUESTION WE GOT A LOT WAS DOES THE MASTER PLAN CHANGE THE ZONING? SO NO, THE MASTER PLAN DOES NOT. IT'S A POLICY DOCUMENT THAT'S PREPARED BY THIS PLANNING BOARD. AND THEN THE ZONING CHANGES, THOSE WOULD BE SEPARATE PROCESS. THERE'S A PUBLIC HEARING AND THAT'S CONDUCTED BY THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE. THAT'S A COPY OF OUR ZONING MAP THAT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE. AND IT'S INTERACTIVE. YOU CAN ZOOM IN AND CLICK ON DIFFERENT PARCELS AND SORT OF SEE WHAT THE ZONING IS, AND IT'LL DESCRIBE IT FOR YOU. SO WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT DURING ROUND FOUR. SO STATE AFFORDABLE HOUSING HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 50 YEARS. THERE'S LITIGATION, THERE'S LEGISLATION. THERE'S REGULATION. SO CURRENTLY IN NEW JERSEY AROUND IS BASICALLY THAT TIME PERIOD DURING WHICH THE STATE SETS THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING RULES, ASSIGNS THE OBLIGATION. SO WE'RE CURRENTLY AROUND ONE, TWO, THREE. WE'RE NOW IN ROUND FOUR. ROUND 410 YEAR PERIOD. IT'S 2025 THROUGH 2035. WHAT WILL WE EXPECT TO SEE OVER THAT TEN YEAR PERIOD? WE'LL ADOPT THE PLAN. SO WE HAVE THE JUNE 2025 PLAN THAT WE ADOPTED. AND THEN FOLLOWING THAT, THERE WOULD BE ORDINANCES THAT THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE WOULD WOULD ADOPT. WE ARE HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT AN AMENDMENT TO THAT PLAN THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING, POSTED ON THE WEBSITE ON FEBRUARY 13TH, AND THEN A PUBLIC HEARING IN THIS ROOM ON THE 23RD WITH THE PLANNING BOARD FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION IMPLEMENTATION GOES FORTH. THERE'S MECHANISMS IN THE PLAN THAT WE WILL BE PURSUING. THOSE ARE DONE BY TOWNSHIP STAFF. WE HAVE AN ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, COMMUNITY GRANTS, PLANNING AND HOUSING, AND THEY WORK HAND IN HAND. AND AGAIN, IF ANYTHING NEEDED TO BE AMENDED IN THE PLAN, WE GO THROUGH THAT SAME PROCESS. THE PLANNING BOARD AND THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE WORK HAND IN HAND. THERE IS A MID-POINT REVIEW. SO 2030, THE TOWNSHIP WOULD SEND AN OFFICIAL REPORT TO THE STATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH WHAT WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING IN OUR PLAN. AND THEN 2035 AT THAT END OF THAT TEN YEAR [00:10:04] PERIOD, WE SHOULD BE COMPLETED OR UNDERWAY WITH WITH THE THE WAY WE'VE IDENTIFIED IN THE PLAN OF HOW WE WILL ADDRESS THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO THE KEY CHANGES IN THE DRAFT AMENDED FOURTH ROUND PLAN. SO WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE CHANGED FOLLOWING THE ADOPTION OF THE JUNE PLAN. AND WE ARE ABLE TO EXTEND SOME ADDITIONAL AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS ON EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS. SO WE WILL BE AMENDING THE PLAN TO REMOVE PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED INCLUSIONARY DEVELOPMENTS IN ORDER TO PRIORITIZE THE PRESERVATION OF THOSE ADDITIONAL EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS THROUGH THE EXTENSION OF CONTROLS. AND WE'LL ALSO BE PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO THE EXTENSION OF THOSE CONTROLS. THOSE WILL BE ATTACHMENTS TO THE PLAN. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HAVING THERE'S A 300 PAGE PLAN, IT'S REALLY SORT OF A 40 PAGE PLAN AND A LOT OF ATTACHMENTS THAT THE STATE REQUIRES TO GO FORWARD. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE USE INTERCHANGEABLY, THAT I THINK WE WANTED TO JUST MAKE CLEAR SOME KEY TERMS TO KNOW. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING CREDITS, AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING CREDIT IS REFERS TO A REGULATORY CREDIT THAT THE MUNICIPALITY EARNS. WHEN WE'VE ACHIEVED, YOU KNOW, THE STATE MANDATED AFFORDABLE HOUSING OBLIGATION. SO THE STATE HAS ALLOCATED 260 CREDITS TO MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP THAT WE NEED TO SATISFY FROM THE TOTAL ALLOCATION, THE STATE PERMITS UP TO 25% TO BE ACHIEVED THROUGH BONUS CREDITS. THOSE ARE DONE IF YOU DO A SPECIFIC MECHANISM. YOU CAN GET ONE FOR ONE BONUS CREDIT OR A QUARTER BONUS CREDIT FOR IT. SO IT DEPENDING. AND IN PRIOR PRESENTATIONS AND ALL OF OUR PRESENTATIONS ARE UP ONLINE, YOU CAN LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU EARN BONUS CREDITS, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE TOWNSHIP IS MAXIMIZING THE BONUS CREDITS PERMITTED TO US, AND THEN ANY CREDITS THAT THE STATE ALLOCATED THAT ARE DEEMED SURPLUS CREDITS. THOSE ARE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE 260. THOSE GET CARRIED OVER INTO THE FUTURE ROUND BECAUSE THERE'S NO COMPLETION TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING. IT'S PART OF THE STATE'S CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION TO THE TOWNS. SO SPECIFIC CHANGES TO THE PLAN. SO WE REMOVED THE INCLUSIONARY DEVELOPMENTS UNCHANGED OR THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE CLAIMED AS THE THIRD ROUND SURPLUS CREDITS. WE HAD CREDITS COMING IN TO ROUND FOUR FROM THE THIRD ROUND. UNCHANGED ARE EXTENSIONS OF AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS FOR FAMILY FOR SALE UNITS. THOSE WERE IN THE JUNE PLAN AND THEY REMAIN UNCHANGED IN THE THE THE AMENDED PLAN. WE'VE MODIFIED THE EXTENSIONS OF AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS ON THE SENIOR RENTALS AND WE'VE INCREASED THE TOTAL CREDITS CLAIMED. SO THERE'S 60 UNITS. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE EACH OF THESE ONE BY ONE AND IN A CHART FORM. SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH. AND THEN THE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE AMENDED PLAN, OR THE EXTENSION OF THE AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS THAT WERE ARE BEING ADDED FOR THE PIKE RUN DEVELOPMENT. SO REMOVED FROM THE ADOPTED PLAN. SO WE WANTED TO LIST THE THREE SITES AND THEN KIND OF GIVE A CURRENT STATUS AS WELL. SO WHAT WE'RE CALLING THE ECON SITE, FORMERLY KENVUE, FORMERLY J&J. SO THAT CURRENT PROPERTY STATUS IS THAT PROPERTY IS AVAILABLE FOR REUSE OR REDEVELOPMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CURRENT ZONING AND THE PLANNING BOARD APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR SITE PLAN OR SUBDIVISION APPLICATION. THERE IS ANOTHER MECHANISM THAT THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE ALLOWS FOR ANY LANDOWNER, AND THAT IS IF YOU WANTED TO DO SOMETHING CONTRARY TO THE ZONING, YOU CAN APPLY TO THE ZONING BOARD FOR A USE VARIANCE. AND SO YOU SEE THOSE APPLICATIONS FROM TIME TO TIME BEFORE OUR ZONING BOARD, 23 ORCHARD ROAD TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE HAS AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED THE BOARD TO CONDUCT A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER 23 ORCHARD ROAD MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR DESIGNATION AS A NON CONDEMNATION REDEVELOPMENT AREA. THAT WAS BACK IN OCTOBER. AND SO THE NEXT STEP FOR THAT PROPERTY WOULD BE FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO REVIEW THE COMPLETED STUDY. AND WE ANTICIPATE THAT SOMETIME IN MARCH, COMING BACK TO THE BOARD AND THRIVE ASSISTED LIVING, THAT PROJECT IS MOVING FORWARD. THOSE CREDITS WOULD BE CLAIMED IN A PRIOR IN A FUTURE ROUND, SO UNCHANGED FROM THE ADOPTED PLAN FROM JUNE. THE EXTENSION OF EXPIRING CONTROLS ON EXISTING HOME OWNERSHIP UNITS. SO THERE'S TWO DEVELOPMENTS. BOTH ARE GETTING FULL CREDIT FOR EXTENDING MCKINLEY COMMONS AND MONTGOMERY GLEN. THERE'S 35 HOME OWNERSHIP FOR SALE UNITS AT MCKINLEY COMMONS AND 19 AT MONTGOMERY GLEN. THOSE ARE BOTH OFF OF THE BLUE SPRING ROAD AREA OF TOWN. THAT'S OUR APARTMENT TOWNHOUSE ZONE. LONG STANDING ZONING BEING MODIFIED IN THE AMENDED PLAN. MCKINLEY [00:15:03] COURT, MCKINLEY COURT. THERE'S 60 AFFORDABLE SENIOR RENTALS. ARE ARE ARE WE PLAN TO EXTEND ALL OF THOSE UNITS? HOWEVER, IN TERMS OF THE ACCOUNTING THAT IS DONE IN THE PLAN, HOW MANY CREDITS YOU CAN GET CREDIT FOR, BECAUSE THERE'S A CAP ON THE NUMBER OF SENIOR AGE RESTRICTED UNITS YOU CAN HAVE IN YOUR PLAN AND CLAIM CREDIT FOR. THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE SEEING. YOU'RE SEEING THE OUR ABILITY TO CLAIM 58 CREDITS OF THOSE 60 BONUSES ARE PROVIDED FOR THE EXTENSION OF CONTROLS ON SENIOR UNITS. AND SO WE HAVE TOTAL CREDITS COMING FROM THAT DEVELOPMENT FROM OF 75. AND THEN THE NEW ADDITION IS THE EXTENSION OF EXPIRING CONTROLS ON EXISTING RENTAL UNITS IN THE PIKE RUN DEVELOPMENT. RIGHT NOW THERE'S 96 CREDITS FROM EXISTING UNITS. THERE'S BONUS CREDITS OF 48. SO FOR A TOTAL CREDITS OF 144. BUT THERE ARE 210 AFFORDABLE FAMILY RENTAL APARTMENTS AT PIKE RUN. SO POTENTIALLY IN THE FUTURE WE MAY WORK ON GETTING ADDITIONAL UNITS THAT COULD BE EXTENDED IN THE FUTURE. BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, THIS IS WHAT IS IN THE PLAN. QUICKLY. JUST WHAT ARE AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS? SO THE UNIFORM HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS IS A SET OF STATEWIDE REGULATIONS THAT GOVERN HOW AFFORDABLE UNITS ARE PRICED. SO MAXIMUM RENT OR SALES PRICES, HOW THEY'RE MAINTAINED AND HOW THEY'RE ADMINISTERED. IT ESTABLISHES THE CONTROL PERIODS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITH THE EXTENSION OF CONTROLS, WHERE THOSE DEEDS RESTRICTED UNITS MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR A SET NUMBER OF YEARS. THEY'RE TYPICALLY 30 YEARS. AND IT ALSO SETS THE INCOME ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS. SO THAT'S SORT OF AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF OF TO KNOW. YOU HACK. WE TALK ABOUT YOU HACK A LOT. SO WHAT ARE THESE EXTENSION OF EXPIRING AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS. SO WE KNOW THAT THE PRESERVATION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS AS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE CREATION OF NEW AFFORDABLE UNITS. AND THE NEW JERSEY FAIR HOUSING ACT SUPPORTS THAT. THEY ENCOURAGE THIS LONG TERM AFFORDABILITY BY PERMITTING MUNICIPALITIES TO EXTEND AFFORDABILITY CONTROLS. THE EXTENSIONS MECHANISM MAINTAINS THE EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNIT THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE LOST TO REGULAR HOUSING MARKET BY EXTENDING AN ADDITIONAL 30 YEARS. AND THESE ARE. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, BECAUSE THE ONES THAT ARE IN OUR PLAN RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE SET TO EXPIRE SOMETIME DURING THAT TEN YEAR PERIOD THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW, THAT ROUND FOUR PERIOD. SO IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE PUT OUR ENERGY TOWARDS EXTENDING THOSE. SO THE FRAMEWORK OF THE 2026 AMENDED PLAN. SO YOU'LL YOU'LL OPEN A DOCUMENT. AND FOR SORT OF CLARITY AND EXPEDIENCY, THERE ARE CHANGES ARE GOING TO BE EXPLAINED IN BOLD ITALICS AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH SECTION. SO YOU'LL IT'LL BE A NOTE OF WHETHER THE CONTENT REPLACES THE SECTION, WHETHER IT'S ADDING TO A SECTION, OR IF A SECTION IS REMOVED ENTIRELY. SO EXCEPT FOR THE AMENDMENTS THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE IN THE DOCUMENT, PROPOSED, ALL THE OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE 2025 ADOPTED AND ENDORSED PLAN REMAIN IN EFFECT. SO MUCH OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC, ALL OF THAT SECTION IS GOING UNCHANGED. AND THIS WILL BE THE ADDRESS ON OUR WEBSITE. IT'LL PROBABLY HAVE A LINK ON THE HOME PAGE AS WELL COME FRIDAY. SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GO TO THE HOME PAGE AND THEN CLICK THROUGH THAT. BUT WE HAVE IT'LL BE LOCATED IN THAT MASTER PLAN RECEPTACLE WHERE ALL OF THE PLANS ARE. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IMPORTANT DATES TO BE MINDFUL OF. SO WE HAVE THE INFORMATION SESSION TONIGHT. WE HAVE THE AMENDED PLAN BEING UPLOADED ON FEBRUARY THE 13TH ONTO OUR WEBSITE. DEFINITELY. IF YOU READ IT AND HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO SHERRY CRUZ AND OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND SHE'LL HAPPY TO WALK YOU THROUGH ANYTHING OR ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. AND THEN WE HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD, IN THIS ROOM HERE WITH THE PLANNING BOARD AND THEN AS A COMPANION, THE ACTIONS THAT THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TAKE, THEY'LL INTRODUCE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORDINANCE ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH. THEY'LL ENDORSE THE HOUSING PLAN ELEMENT MARCH 5TH, ONCE IT'S BEEN ADOPTED BY THE PLANNING BOARD ON THE 23RD. AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ORDINANCE ON MARCH 5TH. PAST PRESENTATIONS. THE TOWNSHIP HAS DONE A PRESENTATION IN JANUARY OF LAST YEAR, IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR, AND THEN TWO IN THE SUMMER. SO IF THEY'RE SHORT, EASY TO TO KIND OF PERUSE THROUGH IF YOU ARE JUST SORT OF JOINING THE CONVERSATION NOW AND WANTED TO DO A LITTLE CATCH UP, WE DEFINITELY RECOMMEND YOU GOING. SOME OF THESE DOCUMENTS WILL EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT THE MICRO REQUIREMENTS, HOW THE NUMBER, THE 260 WAS CALCULATED BY THE STATE. YOU KNOW, ALL ALL OF [00:20:05] THAT INFORMATION TONIGHT, WE REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS ON JUST SOME HIGHER LEVEL WEATHER QUESTIONS THAT WE'D HEARD FROM PEOPLE OR JUST ABOUT WHAT'S CHANGING IN THE PLAN AND THAT THAT IS OUR UPDATE. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU LORI. AND BEFORE WE GET TO THAT, I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THE WORK THAT WENT IN TO COMING UP WITH THIS AMENDED PLAN BY OUR TOWNSHIP FOLKS AND OUR PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC SPOKE, WE LISTENED AND CAME UP WITH A DIFFERENT PLAN THAT HOPEFULLY NOT EVERYONE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH EVERYTHING. BUT, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THIS MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE FOR THE TOWNSHIP. SO QUESTIONS. OKAY. OKAY. IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU [V. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA] COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE, SAY YOUR NAME IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE, SAY WHERE YOU LIVE, BUT JUST CONFIRM THAT YOU LIVE IN THE TOWNSHIP. CORRECT? CORRECT. YEP. AND PLEASE LIMIT TWO THINGS. PLEASE LIMIT COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS TO NO MORE THAN THREE MINUTES. AND IF THE QUESTION HAS ALREADY BEEN ASKED OR THE COMMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE, IT'S GREAT TO COME UP AND JUST SAY, HEY, I AGREE WITH SO AND SO. SO WE'RE HOPING WE CAN DO THAT THIS TIME. COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? FOR W I N E L L I JUST HAVE A QUESTION BECAUSE I'M CURIOUS WITH THE APPEAL THAT ECON HAS WITH THE JUDGE. AND THERE'S AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO DECISION MADE. I GUESS ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. BUT WHAT IS THERE A BACKUP PLAN IF THE JUDGE DECIDES THAT HE CAN BUILD THE HOUSING THERE? SO, AS LORI HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, IF CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE, WE'LL BE BACK WITH A NEW PLAN. RIGHT. THANKS. COME ON UP. JEFF CROITER, COULD YOU EXPLAIN IN MORE DETAIL WHAT THIS LATEST LAWSUIT ABOUT THE KENVUE SITE IS ABOUT? I GUESS THE GUY OWNS IT FROM WHAT I READ. WHAT DID HE TRY TO DO? WHAT DID YOU DENY? WHY? AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN THE SITE? WHICH IS WHAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO DO? MR. KREIDER? MR. KREIDER, WHEN YOU SAY LAWSUIT, WHICH ONE DO YOU MEAN? GREAT. I JUST READ ONE IN THE GDP. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE.COM LIKE WITHIN THE LAST WEEK? WELL, IN THAT LAWSUIT THERE'S A PROCESS BY WHICH LAWSUITS FILED AND IT HAS TO BE SERVED ON THE PARTIES THAT YOU'RE SUING. WE HAVEN'T BEEN SERVED WITH IT YET. BUT WHAT WE UNDERSTAND IS MR. KHAN IS OBJECTING BECAUSE THE PLANNING BOARD WOULD NOT ALLOW HIM TO PRESENT WHAT'S CALLED A GDP PLAN. THAT'S A GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. AND THE PLANNING BOARD TOOK THAT POSITION BASED ON THE ADVICE OF I'M NOT. I'M SORRY. CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY. WHAT? WHERE DID I LOSE YOU? I SAID, WHERE DID I LOSE YOU? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OR HE WANTED TO PRESENT A GENERAL DEVELOPMENT. CORRECT. AND THAT'S OKAY. AND THE PLANNING BOARD, BASED ON THE ADVICE OF THEIR ATTORNEYS, ADVISED THEM THAT WE HAVE NO ORDINANCE THAT WOULD AUTHORIZE THE PLANNING BOARD TO HEAR A GDP PLAN. WE DON'T HAVE ANY STANDARDS FOR IT. IT'S NOT MANDATORY THAT A TOWN HAVE SUCH AN ORDINANCE. AND OF COURSE, HE'S FREE TO FILE AN APPLICATION FOR SITE PLAN. AND IN THAT WAY, HE CAN GET WHATEVER APPROVALS HE'S LOOKING FOR TO DEVELOP THE SITE BASED ON THE CURRENT ZONING. SO MR. KHAN DOESN'T AGREE WITH THAT APPROACH, AND THAT'S WHY HE HAS FILED THE LAWSUIT SAYING WE WERE WRONG, THE PLANNING BOARD WAS WRONG. AND OUR LEGAL POSITION IS WRONG. BUT IN FACT, HE HAS EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO GO AHEAD AND FILE FOR A SITE PLAN [00:25:09] THAT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN A GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. A GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN IS, AS YOU SEE BY ITS NAME, VERY GENERAL, AND ITS PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE THAT A DEVELOPER WILL DEVELOP A LARGE SITE IN SEQUENCE SO THAT THEY WOULD COME TO THE BOARD AND SAY, WELL, PHASE ONE, I WOULD LIKE TO DO X, Y, Z. PHASE TWO, I'M GOING TO DEVELOP THIS PORTION. IT STILL REQUIRES THE DEVELOPER TO FILE A SITE PLAN, WHICH IS NOW VERY DETAILED. AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU COME TO PLANNING BOARD MEETINGS, BUT IF YOU'VE SEEN A SITE PLAN PRESENTATION, IT COVERS EVERYTHING FROM THE TRAFFIC, THE LAYOUT, THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, THE LANDSCAPING. SO, MR. KHAN IS FREE AT ANY TIME TO FILE FOR SITE PLAN, BUT APPARENTLY HE DOESN'T WISH TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW. THE WAY I READ IT WAS HE JUST WANTED TO HAVE A GENERAL DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT HE HAD IN MIND AND THEN PROCEED WITH THE DETAILS. AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU COULD DO THAT. I BELIEVE YOU COULD DO IT IN PRINCETON. I HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO IT IN DETAIL. I'M GOING TO, BUT. WELL, IT SEEMED LIKE. CAN I JUST INTERJECT NECESSARY CONFRONTATION? YEAH. AND AND THIS THIS IS A TECHNICAL ISSUE. IT'S A TECHNICAL LEGAL ISSUE. WE DON'T HAVE AN ORDINANCE THAT ALLOWS SOMEONE TO COME IN FRONT OF US AND PRESENT A GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. WE ASK EVERYONE TO FOLLOW THE ORDINANCES THAT WE DO HAVE, WHICH IS COME IN WITH A SITE PLAN. GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, MR. CARTER. THE OTHER POINT IS, IF MR. KHAN WANTS TO COME IN FOR A CONCEPT PLAN. YEAH. THAT'S GREAT. HE CAN DO THAT. OH, YEAH. YEAH HE CAN. YEAH. BUT YOU SEE, DEVELOPERS SOMETIMES WANT TO DO A GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN BECAUSE IT'S GENERAL. IT'S LESS DOCUMENTATION THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE. AND IF A TOWN HAS AN ORDINANCE FREQUENTLY IT WOULD GIVE THEM PROTECTION FOR MANY YEARS AGAINST A CHANGE IN ZONING. BUT HE COULD COME IN WITH A CONCEPT PLAN. NOW, SURE. AS ANYONE AS ANYONE CAN ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE A MISCOMMUNICATION. THE A CONCEPT PLAN THE INFORMAL REVIEW OF A CONCEPT PLAN, WHICH IS PERMITTED BY THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW, AND ALSO THE LOCAL ORDINANCE IS DIFFERENT, THOUGH, THAN THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN THAT HE WAS SEEKING. I KNOW IT'S CONFUSING, BUT I GUESS RIGHT, IT IT DOES SERVE THE PURPOSE THAT YOU WERE SAYING WAS WHERE THEY COULD COME IN AND GET GENERAL FEEDBACK ON A CONCEPT PLAN. HE DOES HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO AS WELL, WHICH I THINK IS WHAT YOU WERE ASKING. YEAH, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE UNNECESSARY CONFRONTATION. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, OKAY. WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP. GETTING IN GETTING IN UNDER THE WIRE HERE. RIGHT. AND JUST COME TO THE MICROPHONE AND TELL US YOUR NAME. AND I LIVE UP IN THIS HOUR. I'M SORRY. CAROLYN. WHAT? ASHLEY. GOOD LUCK. THANK YOU. AND DO YOU ALL KNOW HE'S BEEN DIGGING? I'M SORRY. DO YOU ALL KNOW HE'S BEEN DIGGING, DIGGING? DIGGING? SOME OF YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN DIGGING. HE'S DIGGING HOLES ALL OVER BOTH NORTH OF GRANDVIEW, ALL OVER HIS OTHER PROPERTY. THERE'S BIG THERE'S A TRUCK OUT THERE, AND HE'S DIGGING LOTS OF HOLES. I'M JUST MAKING SURE YOU KNOW THAT, THAT'S ALL. I DON'T KNOW WHY HE'S DIGGING HOLES, BUT IF IT'S ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GRANDVIEW. OKAY. ON THE NORTH SIDE OF GRANDVIEW, HE MAY BE DOING SEPTIC TESTING. THERE WAS ONE. THERE WAS 1 OR 2 ON THE NORTH, AND MOST OF THEM WERE AROUND THE LAKE AND UP UNDERNEATH. YOU GUYS UP THERE. ALL. I MEAN, I'VE SEEN 4 OR 5, SIX AND BIG DIGGERS. WELL, I JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU KNOW BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHETHER IT MEANS SOMETHING OR NOT. WELL, I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU CONTACT THE TOWNSHIP ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE PURVIEW OVER WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE TOWNSHIP FROM AN ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE, WHICH THIS SOUNDS LIKE. BUT THANK YOU FOR MAKING US AWARE OF THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU. YES. IF IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. SO THANK YOU. I SEE A TRUCK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND THEN I LOOK AND THERE'S SOMEBODY [00:30:04] DIGGING A HOLE THROUGH THE ICE AND DIRT. WELL, WHEN SOMEONE DIGS A HOLE ON A PROPERTY, I MEAN, THEY CAN DIG A HOLE, BUT. EXACTLY. YEAH. WANT TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW? YEP. SOMETHING HAPPENED. OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE? VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS APPROVING THE [VI. MINUTES ] MINUTES TO THE JANUARY 12TH, 2026 REGULAR MEETING. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND, THAT ROLL CALL, PLEASE. SHERIFF BLODGETT. YES. YES. CONN. YES. YES. BARBER. YES. YES. SINGH. YES. TAYLOR. TODD. YES AND GLOCKLER. YES. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I FEEL LIKE WE'RE AT THE AT A BASEBALL GAME. THAT'S THEY HAVE A TEN RUN LEAD AND EVERYBODY'S [VII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] LEAVING, SO. OKAY. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS FEBRUARY 25TH, 2026 IS THE PUBLIC HEARING, WHICH IS THE AMENDED FOURTH ROUND HOUSING PLAN ELEMENT AND FAIR SHARE PLAN, AND ALSO THE 23 ORCHARD REDEVELOPMENT FUTURE MEETINGS, THE AFOREMENTIONED FEBRUARY 23RD. AND THEN WE DO HAVE A SITE PLAN SUBDIVISION MEETING ON MARCH 3RD, 2026. AND THEN THE FIRST PLANNING BOARD MEETING OF MARCH IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 9TH. WITH THAT, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. DO I HAVE A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.