Sep 28, 2026 Planning

[I.ROLL CALL ]

[00:00:07]

RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. THIS IS THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP PLANNING BOARD, MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, SOMERSET COUNTY, NEW JERSEY. IT'S OUR REGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2026.

IT IS OUR INTENTION TO CONCLUDE THE MEETING NO LATER THAN 10 P.M. AND THE TIME IS 7:00.

UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT AND PL 2025 C 72. NOTICE OF THE TIME AND PLACE OF THIS MEETING HAS BEEN POSTED IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING AND ON THE MUNICIPAL WEBSITE. DEREK, WE HAVE ROLL CALL, PLEASE. YES. HERE. MONEY. YES. BLODGETT. HERE. CONN. HERE.

ROBERTS. HERE. SINGH. TAYLOR. TODD. HERE. HERE. SHARMA. HERE. CASEY. HERE. OKAY. THANK YOU.

PLEASE JOIN ME IN. SALUTE TO THE FLAG. THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALRIGHT, NEXT ITEM IS PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. PARTICIPATION FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. I AM GOING TO ALLOW PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AS WE GET TO INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. IS THAT.

IS THAT GOOD? OKAY. NEXT ITEM IS A RESOLUTION. IT'S CASE PB DASH 05-25GTP ACQUISITIONS LLC,

[III.RESOLUTION ]

RIGHT. THAT'S A MEDICAL HOUSING. YES. SO OTHER THAN THAT, THOSE ARE THE REVISIONS I'D SUGGEST.

OKAY. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION WITH KAREN'S THREE ROWS, THREE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE RESOLUTION EDITS. DO I HAVE A MOTION? ANYBODY? ANYONE? I DON'T I DON'T THINK YOU CAN. YEAH. YOU CAN SEE THE PEOPLE WHO COULD WHO COULD MOVE. IT WOULD BE SECOND. SO PAT. TONY. I HEARD TONY SECOND DID OKAY. WHO WAS THE FIRST MOTION? PAT. DO I HEAR A MOTION? SO MOVED. OKAY. ROLL CALL PLEASE. YES. YES. TODD. YES. LOFFLER. YES. SHARMA.

[IV.MASTER PLAN PUBLIC HEARING AND ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION]

YES. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. GOOD EVENING TO THE BOARD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING TIME FOR US THIS EVENING. WE ARE GOING TO PRESENT THE TOWNSHIP'S COMPREHENSIVE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PROGRAM AND BUY OR PLAN. AND BY WE, I MEAN TARA. BUT I'LL GIVE YOU A BRIEF INTRODUCTION. I'M LAUREN WASLEWSKI FOR THE FOLKS ON THE BOARD WHO I HAVEN'T MET FOR FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE WHO I HAVEN'T MET AND FOLKS WATCHING AT HOME. I AM THE TOWNSHIP'S OPEN SPACE AND STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR TARA KENYON IS HERE WITH US. SHE PREPARED THE PLAN.

WE'RE FORTUNATE TO HAVE HER WORKING WITH US. SHE'S A NEW JERSEY LICENSED PLANNER. SHE WORKED PREVIOUSLY WITH THE TOWNSHIP ON OUR NATURAL RESOURCE INVENTORY. IN 2019 AND

[00:05:03]

THE TOWNSHIP'S OVERALL MASTER PLAN THAT CAN INCLUDE A FARMLAND PLAN, AN OPEN SPACE PLAN, AND A TRAFFIC CIRCULATION PLAN, ALL THOSE SORT OF DIFFERENT EXAMPLES THAT MAKE UP THE WHOLE HOLISTIC VIEW OF THE TOWNSHIP. OUR BEST PRACTICE IS TO REEXAMINE THE PLAN EVERY TEN YEARS WITH CHANGING DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS, CHANGING REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION IN THE STATE.

IT'S GOOD FOR US TO TAKE A FRESH LOOK EVERY TEN YEARS. THIS ALSO HELPS US MAINTAIN OUR ELIGIBILITY WITH THE STATE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE. THEY ARE THE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PROGRAM FOR THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. THEY ACTUALLY STARTED IN 2003.

THE PLANNING INCENTIVE GRANT, THEY CALL IT THE PIG PROGRAM, IS THEIR ACRONYM, VERY FITTINGLY, AND THE TOWNSHIP HAS BEEN A PARTNER WITH THEM SINCE THAT IN 2003. SO TO REMAIN ELIGIBLE WITH THEM, THE TOWNSHIP UPDATES OUR PLAN. THEY ARE OUR MOST GENEROUS FUNDER.

THEY PROVIDE 60% OF THE FUNDING FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION. THE COUNTY PROVIDES 20%, AND THEN THE TOWNSHIP ONLY NEEDS TO PROVIDE 20%, WHICH IS TERRIFIC. IT HELPS US, YOU KNOW, EXTEND OUR OPEN SPACE DOLLARS EVEN FURTHER FOR THESE PROJECTS. SO AS A TIMELINE FOR THIS PLAN, WE PREVIOUSLY ADOPTED A FARMLAND PLAN IN 2010. AND IN 2021, THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY MADE A GRANT ELIGIBLE FOR THOSE COUNTIES, MUNICIPALITIES, NONPROFIT PARTNERS WHO NEEDED TO UPDATE THEIR PLAN. AND WE APPLIED FOR AND RECEIVED THAT GRANT. AFTER WE RECEIVED THE GRANT, WE CONTRACTED WITH TARA TO START PREPARING IT. SHE DID A LOT OF RESEARCH AND HAD SOME INITIAL MEETINGS WITH OUR LOCAL AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO GET THEIR FEEDBACK ON SOME OF THE CONCEPTS THAT WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT IN THE PLAN. WE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF DRAFTING.

WE HAD A LOT OF STAFF REVIEW FOR THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE MENTIONED AND TOUCHED ON IN THE PLAN THAT TARA WILL GET INTO. OUR TOWNSHIP ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, PREPARED ALL OF THE MAPS THAT ARE IN THE PLAN, WHICH ARE REALLY A GREAT ASSET, AND WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO BE COMING TO YOU IN OCTOBER OF 2023 WITH A FINAL PLAN. WE HAD SOME PUBLIC FEEDBACK SESSIONS, AND WE SUBMITTED TO THE STATE FOR THEIR COMMENTS. AND THEN WE WAITED ABOUT TWO YEARS FOR THE STATE'S FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT PLAN. WHEN THEY GOT BACK TO US WITH THEIR COMMENTS, THE COMMENTS WERE FAIRLY MINIMAL, WHICH WAS GREAT, BUT IT WAS TWO YEARS LATER AND A LOT HAD HAPPENED, SO WE HAD TO MAKE SOME SIGNIFICANT UPDATES TO THE PLAN. WITH A LOT OF NEW LEGISLATION THAT HAD COME OUT FROM THE STATE TO INCORPORATE THAT AND ALSO INCORPORATING A LOT OF NEW DATA. WE WAITED UNTIL WE GOT THIS YEAR'S FARMLAND ASSESSMENT APPLICATIONS TO THE TAX ASSESSOR'S OFFICE, AND THEN COMPILED ALL THAT DATA. SO WE WOULD HAVE THAT FRESH DATA IN THIS PLAN AND NOT GIVE YOU A PLAN THAT HAD DATA THAT WAS FIVE YEARS OLD. SO THAT BRINGS US HERE TO TONIGHT, FINALLY, AND I WILL HAND IT OVER TO TARA. GREAT. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY FOR HAVING ME.

I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH JUST WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE UPDATE TO THE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PROGRAM PLAN, EXACTLY WHAT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE AND WHAT WE'VE ADDED TO IT TO KIND OF MAKE IT MORE INCLUSIVE AND SPECIAL. AND SO WE'LL JUST GET RIGHT INTO IT. LAUREN GAVE ME A GREAT INTRODUCTION, WHICH I APPRECIATE. I AM THE PRINCIPAL OF KENYON PLANNING, AND I USED TO WORK FOR THE SOMERSET COUNTY AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT BOARD PRIOR TO BECOMING A CONSULTANT.

AND LIKE LAUREN SAID, I'VE WORKED WITH MONTGOMERY ON MANY OTHER THINGS, WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN WONDERFUL. SO I'M HAPPY TO WORK ON THIS PLAN AND GET IT OVER THE FINISH LINE. SO WE'LL START WITH THE PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE OF THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN. SO AS LAUREN MENTIONED, IT'S A REQUIREMENT FOR THE MUNICIPAL PIG FUNDING. ONE OF THE PARTS IS TO IDENTIFY TARGETED FARMS. SO TARGETED FARMS ARE THOSE THAT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SOIL QUALITY AND FERTIL ABILITY. AND SO WE BASICALLY ACHIEVE THAT THROUGH A GIS ANALYSIS THAT WAS DONE WITH MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP'S ENGINEERING AND GIS DEPARTMENT.

AND THEN GOING THROUGH THOSE PROPERTIES WITH THE AG ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO REALLY CHOOSE AND UNDERSTAND WHICH FARM SHOULD BE THE TARGETED FARMS, WHICH ARE THOSE THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR PRESERVATION MONEY FROM THE STATE. THE. THE PLAN ALSO IS TO IDENTIFY BARRIERS FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION AND FUTURE CONCERNS. SO IN A PLACE LIKE SOMERSET COUNTY, REALLY IN NEW JERSEY IN GENERAL, ONE OF THOSE MAIN CONCERNS IS RIGHT TO FARM MATTERS AND HOW ZONING IN, YOU KNOW, CLOSELY KNIT CORRIDORS REALLY KIND OF IMPACTS FARMING. WE ALSO LOOK FOR INCONSISTENCIES WITHIN THE COUNTY A D A SO THERE'S A LOT OF ACRONYMS, OF COURSE, BUT AN

[00:10:02]

UNIQUELY, THIS IS A LISTING OF THE MAPS THAT ARE IN THE PLAN. SO I DO HAVE SOME EXAMPLES AS WE GO THROUGH, BUT JUST TO SHOW YOU HOW MANY MAPS ARE THERE AND WHAT TYPE OF ANALYSIS IS DONE, THESE MAPS ARE NOT JUST SHOWING, YOU KNOW, THE NATURAL RESOURCES. SO FOR EXAMPLE, MAP NUMBER THREE IS WETLANDS. BUT THEN WE ALSO HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT NUMBER FOUR IS THE WILDLIFE HABITAT ON AGRICULTURE. SO IT'S A WAY TO REALLY LOOK AT HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF A NATURAL RESOURCE. SO HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF A NATURAL RESOURCE AND HOW IT IMPACTS AGRICULTURAL LANDS.

THEN WE LOOK AT LAND USE AND LAND COVER. WE LOOK AT THE CONSERVATION PLAN. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LAUREN MENTIONED THAT GOT UPDATED IN THE MIDST OF WAITING FOR THE STATE TO GIVE US THEIR FEEDBACK, WAS THAT THE STATE DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT PLAN WAS ACTUALLY ADOPTED. SO WHICH WAS GREAT, BUT THAT WE HAD TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT AND RELOOK AT THEIR MAPPING AND THEIR DATA AND PUT THAT IN THERE. SO THE MAPS HAVE ALSO BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT THAT. HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE MAPS. AND AGAIN, THESE WERE ALL PRODUCED BY MONTGOMERY'S GIS STAFF AND THEIR ENGINEERING WHICH ARE EXCELLENT, WONDERFUL TO WORK WITH. SO THIS SHOWS THE CRITICAL AREAS MAP. SO IN THIS MAP WE'RE SHOWING WHERE THE C ONE BUFFERS THE CATEGORY ONE STREAM BUFFERS, WHICH REQUIRE 300FT OF BUFFER. WE'RE SHOWING CRITICAL SLOPES, CRITICAL SOILS, STREAM CORRIDORS AND WETLANDS. SO THIS GIVES YOU AN EXAMPLE OF IN THE TOWNSHIP WHERE THE REALLY CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES ARE. ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A MAP THAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU IS THE IMPORTANT FARMLAND SOILS MAP. SO THE DARKER THE, THE COLOR ON THE MAP, REALLY THE MORE IMPORTANT FOR AGRICULTURE THAT SOIL IS. SO PRIME SOILS. THE SECOND COLOR, MEDIUM COLOR IS SOIL OF LOCAL IMPORTANCE. AND THEN WE HAVE STATEWIDE IMPORTANT SOILS. WHEN LOOKING AT DEVELOPING THE TARGETED FARM LISTS, THE QUALITY OF THE SOIL IS ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT. SO WHEN THE ORIGINAL GIS ANALYSIS IS DONE TO IDENTIFY TARGETED FARMS, THERE HAS TO BE 50% OF SOILS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR AGRICULTURE ON THERE. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE BASE CRITERIA. SO WE USE THIS MAP AND WE ALSO PUT IT IN THE PLAN TO DEMONSTRATE. ANOTHER IMPORTANT MAP IN HERE IS THE FARMLAND ASSESSED LAND BY ZONE. SO THIS IS A MAP OF THE FARMLAND ASSESSED PROPERTIES IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP WITH ZONING OVERLAID THERE. SO IT GIVES YOU AN IDEA TO LOOK AT WHERE THESE ARE NOT PRESERVED FARMS BUT FARMLAND ASSESSED PROPERTIES AND WHAT ZONE THEY'RE LOCATED IN. AND THAT REALLY HELPS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, BECAUSE WE WANT TO PRESERVE FARMS THAT ARE GOING TO CREATE FARM BELTS AND PRESERVE IMPORTANT FARMLAND RESOURCES AND SOILS AND TILLABLE ACRES. SO TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE NEW CONTENT IN THE UPDATED PLAN, WE HAVE A DEDICATED SECTION ON RIGHT TO FARM. LIKE I MENTIONED, DURING THE INTERIM OF WAITING FOR THE FOR THE FEEDBACK. BUT ALSO AS WE WERE KIND OF GEARING UP TO IT, THERE WAS A LOT OF ACTIVITY HAPPENING IN TERMS OF AGRICULTURE, AGRICULTURAL LEGISLATION IN NEW JERSEY. SO THE FIRST IS THE CDC ADOPTED THE SOIL PROTECTION STANDARDS.

THIS IS FOR ALL READY PRESERVED FARMS OR FARMS THAT ARE GOING TO BE PRESERVED. AND IT BASICALLY TELLS YOUR FARM, EACH INDIVIDUAL PRESERVED FARM, HOW MUCH SOIL DISTURBANCE YOU CAN HAVE ON YOUR FARM. AND THAT CAN RANGE FROM, YOU KNOW, BUILDING AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS TO ANY

[00:15:03]

SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON, THIS IS THE MOST RECENT FARMLAND ASSESSMENT DATA THAT CAME TO US FROM YOUR TAX ASSESSOR'S OFFICE. LIVESTOCK IS STILL A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO AGRICULTURE IN THE TOWNSHIP. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE WAS 157 HEAD OF BEEF CATTLE, 41 GOATS, OVER 5000 CHICKENS, WHICH IS A LOT. AND, YOU KNOW, SO IT GOES TO SHOW THAT THERE IS STILL A LOT OF LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION HAPPENING IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP. AND THIS DOESN'T MIRROR SOMERSET COUNTY. THE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION IS GOING, YOU KNOW, DECREASING. AND A LOT OF MUNICIPALITIES. SO THE NEXT STEP IS TO LOOK AT THE LAND USE

[00:20:03]

WE DON'T GO THROUGH EACH ZONING DISTRICT, BUT WE DO TALK ABOUT ZONING AND HOW AGRICULTURE IS IMPACTED AND PROMOTED AND HOW THAT IMPACTS RIGHT TO FARM ALL THROUGHOUT THE PLAN. SO THIS IS ANOTHER MAP TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE LAND USE LAND COVER IS. IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, WE HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT USES, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. AND SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE MAP HERE WHERE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LAND USES ARE NOTED. AND THIS IS VERY HELPFUL IN DETERMINING HOW AND IF THE PIG PROJECT AREAS ARE STILL RELEVANT. IF TARGETED FARMS SHOULD BE MOVED IN OR OUT BASED ON WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE ACTUAL LAND USE AND LAND COVER AROUND. ANOTHER EXAMPLE FROM THE PLAN. THIS IS ANOTHER TABLE, AND IT SHOWS THE PRESERVED FARMLAND ACREAGE BY PROGRAM TYPE. SO IN FARMLAND PRESERVATION, THE FARM CAN BE PRESERVED THROUGH THE MUNICIPAL PIG LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT. BUT THE COUNTY ALSO HAS A PIG PROGRAM. SO THEY HAVE A SEPARATE POT OF MONEY WHERE THEY CAN THEN PRESERVE THEIR OWN TYPES OF FARMS, AND THEY CAN DO THAT ACROSS SOMERSET COUNTY. THE STATE ALSO HAS A POT, A POT OF MONEY WHERE THEY CAN PRESERVE FARMS WITH THEIR OWN STATE FUNDING. SOME OF THE PROGRAMS ON HERE ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONING. LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE COUNTY TRADITIONAL EASEMENT PROGRAM THAT STOPPED IN 2008, I BELIEVE IT WAS, BUT THERE ARE FARMS PRESERVED UNDER IT. SO THAT'S WHY IT'S LISTED. AND THEN WE HAVE THE MUNICIPAL AGRICULTURAL EASEMENTS THAT ARE HYBRID. SO IN THAT INSTANCE, IT MIGHT BE A PORTION OF IT IS FOR OPEN SPACE OR A TRAIL. AND SOME ARE AGRICULTURE. AND THAT'S THROUGH MUNICIPAL EASEMENT. AND THEN WE HAVE NON-PROFITS HAVING THEIR OWN PROGRAM. SO THIS GIVES YOU HOW MANY ACRES OF PRESERVED FARM ARE IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, WHICH IS 22, 81.63? WHAT WAS THE TOTAL COST BY PROGRAM? AND THEN WHAT WAS MONTGOMERY'S SHARE? SO NOW GOING TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE TARGETED FARMS, WE ARE REQUIRED UNDER THE LEGISLATION TO PROVIDE A LIST OF TARGETED FARMS, WHICH WE'VE DONE. AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE MINIMUM CRITERIA IS THAT YOU HAVE 50% IN IMPORTANT SOILS AND 50% HAS TO BE TILLABLE. THAT FARM ALSO HAS TO BE WITHIN THE COUNTY'S AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AREA AND WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITIES PIG PROJECT AREA. SO THE EXERCISE WE DID WAS PRETTY INTENSIVE WITH THE AG ADVISORY COMMITTEE. LAUREN AND I WORKED WITH THE GIS DEPARTMENT AND HAD A MAP PRODUCED, MANY MAPS PRODUCED, AND WHAT WE DID WAS WE OVERLAID ALL THE LAYERS TO SHOW, HERE'S THE SOILS, HERE'S THE TILL ABILITY, HERE'S WHERE THEY COME TOGETHER, AND HERE'S WHERE WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING TARGETED FARMS. SO WE WENT THROUGH PARCEL BY PARCEL AND SAID, IS THIS FARM PRODUCTIVE? DOES IT MEET THE MINIMUM CRITERIA? IS IT WITHIN THE PIG PROJECT AREA? AND WE WENT THROUGH ALL OF THAT. WE REMOVED FARMS THAT WERE PRESERVED OR DEVELOPED. UNFORTUNATELY, IF THEY WERE DEVELOPED. AND THEN WE WHITTLE THAT DOWN TO THE NUMBER OF REMAINING ELIGIBLE FARMS, WHICH IS THE EIGHT WHICH WHAT IS THE NUMBER HERE? HOLD ON. LET ME GO BACK. 852.99 OF TARGETED FARMLAND. SO THIS MAP THEN SHOWS THE FINAL PRESERVED AND TARGETED FARMS. SO THE SOMERSET COUNTY AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AREA IS KIND OF IN THE HATCHED GOLD THERE. THE TARGETED FARMS ARE IN THE PURPLE AND THE PRESERVED FARMS ARE ALREADY IN THE BROWN. SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE HOW THE EXERCISE PLAYED OUT. IF YOU HAD JUST THE PRESERVED FARMS ON THERE TO BEGIN WITH, AND THE AG DEVELOPMENT AREAS GOING THROUGH EACH ONE AND SEEING WHERE ARE THE BEST PLACES TO PRESERVE TO MAKE THESE AGRICULTURAL BELTS OR TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE PRESERVING PRODUCTIVE FARMLAND? THAT'S HOW WE BASICALLY CAME TO THIS RESULT. SO ANOTHER PART OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PLAN IS THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE ONE YEAR GOALS, FIVE YEAR GOALS AND TEN YEAR GOALS FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION BASED ON THE NUMBER OF ACRES THAT WE HAVE PRESERVED, THE NUMBER OF ACRES THAT ARE TARGETED FOR FARMLAND. SO BY DOING THAT, IF YOU SPLIT IT BASICALLY EVENLY, WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A ONE YEAR GOAL. THAT'S 20% OF THE TARGETED FARMS. IF YOU HAVE THAT ONE YEAR GOAL OF DOING 170.6 ACRES AFTER YEAR ONE, THAT LEAVES THE GOAL OF PRESERVING ABOUT 341 ACRES BY THE END OF 2031, AND THEN ANOTHER 341.2 ACRES BY THE END OF 2036. THERE IS NO MANDATE THAT WE HAVE TO ABSOLUTELY MEET THESE GOALS, BUT THIS IS HOW, IF WE'RE LOOKING TO PRESERVE THE STATE, KIND OF WANTS TO SEE IF YOU COULD, IN YOUR PERFECT WORLD, PRESERVE ALL OF THESE TARGETED FARM ACRES, WHAT WOULD BE THE

[00:25:04]

THERE'S AN APPLICATION THAT HAS TO BE DONE EVERY YEAR, AND THE PLAN HAS TO BE UPDATED, WHICH WE'RE WORKING ON NOW. TO GO THROUGH THAT EVEN FURTHER, WE HAVE TO SHOW THE PROJECTED COST SHARE. SO WHAT WE DID WITH THAT IS WE LOOKED AT SOMERSET COUNTIES FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN, WHICH WAS UPDATED AS PART OF THEIR BIG SOMERSET COUNTY FARMLAND. I'M SORRY, SOMERSET COUNTY PRESERVATION PLAN. AND THERE THEY ESTIMATE A FARMLAND PRESERVATION EASEMENT IN SOMERSET COUNTY TO BE WORTH $23,241 AN ACRE. SO TO CONSERVATIVELY, YOU KNOW, PROJECT WHAT THE COST COULD BE BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE COSTS FOR DUE DILIGENCE. SO THAT'S TITLE, THAT'S SURVEY. THAT'S ALL KINDS OF ATTORNEY'S FEES. AND, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY GETTING TO THE PRESERVATION DOCUMENT, WE USE THE FIGURE OF $25,000 AN ACRE. AND THEN THIS TABLE SHOWS YOU, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE GOALS, WHAT WOULD THE TOTAL COST BE? WHAT WOULD THE STATE'S SHARE BE? WHAT WOULD THE COUNTY SHARE BE AND WHAT WOULD MONTGOMERY SHARE BE? SO AGAIN, THIS IS IN A PERFECT WORLD OF PRESERVING EVERY SINGLE TARGETED FARM ACRE.

ANOTHER PART OF THE PLAN THAT WE LOOK AT IS ANTICIPATED TRENDS IN AGRICULTURE. AND I THINK IT WAS GOOD THAT WE WENT THROUGH THIS AGAIN, BECAUSE A LOT CHANGED EVEN SINCE WE SUBMITTED THE PLAN FOR THE FIRST TIME AROUND. SO THE EQUINE INDUSTRY HAS STEADILY INCREASED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS IN SOMERSET COUNTY. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE SOMERSET COUNTY HAS CONSISTENTLY REALLY BEEN TRYING TO GET INTO THE EQUINE MARKET, SIMILAR TO MONMOUTH COUNTY AND BEYOND. OBVIOUSLY, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF OPERATIONS ALL ACROSS SOMERSET COUNTY THAT ARE VERY DOING GREAT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, BREEDING AND RAISING AND TRAINING HORSES. SO MONTGOMERY AND SOMERSET COUNTY IS DOING GREAT IN THAT. BECAUSE OF THAT, HAY IS GOING TO BE NEEDED A LOT MORE. WE HAVE A LOT OF HAY PRODUCTION, BUT EVEN MORE HAY PRODUCTION IS GOING TO BE NEEDED. AND THERE IS A CALL RIGHT NOW FOR THE NICHE MARKET OF ORGANIC HAY FOR THESE HIGHER END HORSES. SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO DEFINITELY THINK ABOUT. THE AMENDMENTS TO THE RIGHT TO FARM ACT IN 2021 PROVIDE EVEN MORE PROTECTION PROTECTION FOR EQUINE OPERATIONS BY ALLOWING AGRICULTURAL, LABOR, HOUSING ON PRESERVED FARMS. AND THE LEGISLATION SPECIFICALLY SAYS IT'S FOR EQUINE, NOT JUST FOR ANY LIVESTOCK REASON BEING THAT EQUINE OPERATIONS DO OFTEN REQUIRE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE TO BE THERE AROUND THE CLOCK TO CARE FOR THE HORSES, TO BE SECURITY, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IS REQUIRED. FARMERS ARE MORE AWARE OF THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. A LOT OF FARMERS ARE REALLY PREPARING AND CREATING THESE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLANS AND RESILIENCY STRATEGIES, ESPECIALLY SINCE COVID GETTING FEED EVEN FOR ANIMALS DURING COVID, I THINK REALLY KIND OF BROUGHT A SPOTLIGHT ONTO WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT. SO FARMERS ARE WORKING ON THAT, AS WELL AS GENERATING RENEWABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY ON THEIR PROPERTIES. AND THE LAST ONE FOR THIS ANTICIPATED TREND IS THAT AGRITOURISM. AGRITOURISM IS ON THE RISE, WHICH IT HAS BEEN FOR QUITE A WHILE, BUT BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE THE ON FARM DIRECT MARKETING RULES AND THE SPECIAL OCCASION ALLOWANCES PRESERVE, FARMS ARE ABLE TO DIVERSIFY THEIR INCOME A LOT MORE BY HOLDING THESE EVENTS THAT ULTIMATELY MARKET WHAT THEY'RE GROWING ON THEIR PROPERTIES. MORE TRENDS ARE THAT DIVERSIFICATION OF PRODUCTION IS A MUST. AND AGAIN, COVID REALLY BROUGHT THIS TO THE FOREFRONT, IS THAT IN NEWLLY CAT JUST MAKE IT ANYMORE ON GROWING GRAINS OR RAISING LIVESTOCK.

THERE HAS TO BE A DIVERSITY IN THAT INCOME, DIFFERENT INCOME STREAMS AND EVEN HOLDING, YOU KNOW, EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES AND HAVING FACILITIES THAT PROVIDE ENTERTAINMENT AND AGRITOURISM TO PEOPLE. FUNDING AND ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY TO MAKE THE NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS ON PRESERVED FARMS. SO THAT MEANS BRINGING HIGH SPEED BROADBAND, INTERNET SERVICE, WI-FI.

LOOKING AT OUR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN NEW JERSEY, ESPECIALLY. AND LASTLY, AS I MENTIONED A FEW TIMES, THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC REALLY TAUGHT FARMERS AND BUSINESSES EVERYWHERE A LOT AND HOW THEY HAD TO PIVOT VERY QUICKLY. AND A LOT OF THOSE CHANGES REMAIN IN PLACE AND HAVE MADE FARMS ACTUALLY MORE IMPACTFUL. THE NEXT SECTION OF THE PLAN IS THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION. SO IN OUR UPDATED FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN, WE LOOK AT PROGRAMS LIKE RIVER FRIENDLY FARM, HOW TO CONSERVE ENERGY AND WATER RESOURCES, WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANS. WE ALSO TALK ABOUT THE SOIL PROTECTION STANDARDS, WHICH REALLY WAS A LONG TIME IN PROCESS. THE SADC PUBLISHED THOSE RULES NOT TOO LONG AGO, AND BASICALLY AFTER A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENT, THEY CAME UP WITH FOUR ACRES OR 12% OF SOIL DISTURBANCE IS ALLOWED ON PRESERVED FARMS, WHICHEVER IS GREATER. THEY DO KIND OF

[00:30:05]

SO WE LOOKED A LOT AT THE MUNICIPAL CODE IN TOWN. AND THIS IS WHERE WE SEE THERE ALREADY ARE EXEMPTIONS FOR NOISE, FOR FARM EQUIPMENT AND FOR FARM ANIMALS. THERE IS A REDUCTION IN FEES AND PERMITS FOR QUALIFIED FARM STRUCTURES. THERE'S EXEMPTIONS FOR HEIGHT REQUIREMENTS IN CERTAIN INSTANCES. AND THE TOWN ALSO HAS ITS OWN RIGHT TO FARM ORDINANCES. SO ALL OF THIS REALLY HELPS THROUGH THE PLANNING LENS FOR FARMS TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND TO RETAIN THE INDUSTRY OF AGRICULTURE WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP. THE TOWN ALSO HAS A GREAT WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR DEER. DEER ARE AN INCREASING PROBLEM FOR FARMS AND CAUSING A LOT OF LOSS. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE TOWN IS EXCELLING AT AND IT CONTINUES TO WORK ON, AND THAT IS HELPING KEEP, YOU KNOW, THE CROPS GOING FOR FARMERS. AND THEN WE HAVE A SECTION IN THERE THAT TALKS ABOUT THE FARMER'S MARKET FROM THE MONTGOMERY FRIENDS OF OPEN SPACE AND THE FARMER'S MARKET, YOU KNOW, HERE AT THE BUILDING. AND JUST KIND OF EXPLAINING HOW THAT REALLY PROMOTES THE LOCAL AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRY. WE HAVE A SECTION ON RIGHT TO FARM. SO BETWEEN 2000 AND 2025, THERE WERE TEN RIGHT TO FARM MATTERS IN IN MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP. THOSE MATTERS ARE ALL LISTED ON THE CDC'S WEBSITE. AND WE ACTUALLY LIST THEM IN THE PLAN AND GO THROUGH HOW IT WORKED OUT, WHAT THE RESULT WAS. SO IT'S PRETTY INTERESTING. A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH JUST NUISANCE COMPLAINTS, ODOR COMPLAINTS, AND KIND OF HOW MONTGOMERY WORKED WITH SOMERSET COUNTY. WHO IS THE JURISDICTION FOR RIGHT TO FARM IS THE COUNTY AND HOW KIND OF WE'RE MOVING FORWARD TO HELP PREVENT RIGHT TO FARM CASES. WE ALSO HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REDUCING THOSE INSTANCES, LIKE LOOKING AT THE LOCAL ZONING, WHERE THE CLUSTER OF RIGHT TO FARM MATTERS HAVE HAPPENED, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO MITIGATE CONFLICTS, TRAINING MUNICIPAL STAFF AND EDUCATING THEM ABOUT THE PUBLIC ALLOWANCES ALLOWED UNDER RIGHT TO FARM AND PROMOTING THE AGRICULTURAL MEDIATION PROGRAM, WHICH IS A FREE AND VOLUNTARY PROGRAM OPERATED BY THE CDC. THAT KIND OF HELPS YOU MITIGATE THIS BEFORE IT EVEN GETS TO THE RIGHT TO FARM STAGE. AND IT KIND OF LEAVES THE RELATIONSHIP BETTER BETWEEN ALL THE PARTIES. SO THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND NEXT STEPS. SO THIS IS TO ADVANCE THE 2026 FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN. SO IT'S A BRAINSTORM STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE LENGTH OF TIMES TO PRESERVE FARMS. SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S STATEWIDE. IT'S NOT JUST IN MONTGOMERY. PRESERVING A FARM IS A LENGTHY PROCESS AT THIS POINT. AND SO THINKING OF WAYS TO REDUCE THAT CAN HELP PRESERVE MORE ACRES BECAUSE FARMERS, THEY'RE JUST NOT IN A POSITION A LOT OF TIMES WHERE THEY CAN OR WANT TO WAIT FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME TO PRESERVE THEIR PROPERTY. PREPARING A TEMPLATE, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST. BECAUSE A LOT OF FARMERS WANT THIS AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN, OR THEY HAVE TO HIRE SOMEONE.

SO THIS IS SOMETHING MAYBE THE TOWN CAN HELP OUT WITH. I MENTIONED TRAINING MUNICIPAL STAFF FOR ALLOWANCES THAT ALREADY EXIST UNDER ZONING AND THE RIGHT TO FARM ACT, EVALUATING THE YEARLY FARMLAND ASSESSMENT DATA, WHICH LAUREN DOES EVERY YEAR THROUGH HER ANNUAL APPLICATION. THE CONTINUED HYBRID APPROACH TO FARMLAND PRESERVATION IS GREAT.

THAT'S WHERE YOU REALLY LOOK AND SEE. IT'S NOT JUST PRESERVING THE WHOLE FARM AS A FARM, IF IT MAKES SENSE, WHERE A TRAIL CONNECTION CAN BE MADE, YOU KNOW, REALLY SPLITTING THE PROPERTY. SO IT MAKES SENSE FOR PRESERVATION BECAUSE PRESERVATION OF LAND SHOULD MAKE SENSE. YOU KNOW, FROM A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, IT SHOULDN'T JUST BE THE WHOLE THING HAS TO BE FARMLAND AND THAT'S IT. AND THEN ALSO TARGETING OUTREACH TO LET FARMERS KNOW WHAT'S AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF FUNDING, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND RESOURCES. AND THAT, I THINK, IS IT IT'S IT'S IT'S LENGTHY, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SAP. ANYBODY NEEDS A DOORSTOP AND WANTS TO BORROW IT. YOU CAN SEE THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH AND EFFORT THAT TARA HAS PUT INTO THIS PLAN. IT'S A REALLY GREAT RESOURCE, NOT ONLY FOR ME, BUT FOR OTHER MUNICIPAL STAFF. SO YEAH, AND WE'VE MET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE SADC. THEY'VE REVIEWED IT IN DETAIL MULTIPLE TIMES. THEY'RE A OKAY, NO MORE COMMENTS FROM THEM. SO YEAH, IT'S ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION. YES. WE SAY 853 ACRES IN THE NEXT TEN YEARS, ONE YEAR FOR FIVE YEARS AND TEN YEARS. PLAN IS THIS. DIFFERENT KIND OF LAND USES BEING CONVERTED INTO FARMLAND OR IT

[00:35:03]

SO IT'S IT'S NOT CONVERTING OTHER TYPES OF USES. IT'S PRESERVING THE EXISTING AGRICULTURAL USE. OKAY. THAT'S GOOD. CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT LAND IS STRICTLY GRANTED. USE OF THAT NONAGRICULTURAL USE, WHAT WOULD BE THAT KIND OF EVENTS LIKE IT'S NON FARMING OR NONAGRICULTURAL EVENTS. RIGHT. SO SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. SO THE SPECIAL OCCASION EVENTS LEGISLATION, WHICH THAT CAME OUT IN 2022, 2023, I'M SORRY, THAT CAME OUT IN 2023. AND BASICALLY WHAT THAT ALLOWS IS EVENTS THAT ARE NONAGRICULTURAL IN NATURE. SO THE NUMBER ONE EXAMPLE IS A WEDDING, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? A PRESERVED FARM CAN APPLY FOR A PERMIT TO HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF THESE EVENTS. UP TO 26 IS ALLOWED FOR THE FOR THE EVENTS. AND THERE'S A LIMIT ON HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU CAN HAVE THERE.

THERE'S A LIMIT TO WHERE YOU CAN HAVE IT, HOW MUCH YOU KNOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR PROPERTY YOU CAN USE CAN ONLY USE EXISTING STRUCTURES. YOU CAN'T BUILD NEW STRUCTURES JUST SPECIFICALLY FOR EVENTS, RIGHT. AND YOU CAN'T VIOLATE THE DEED OF EASEMENT. IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY TO ALLOW FARMERS TO BE ABLE TO BASICALLY USE THEIR PROPERTY TO HAVE MORE INCOME AND TO DO IT THROUGH EVENTS. THE GOAL IS TO HOPEFULLY BRING PEOPLE TO THEIR FARM. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, A LOT OF WINERIES WILL HAVE WEDDINGS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN SELL THEIR WINE THERE AND THEY MIGHT SAY, YOU CAN ONLY HAVE OUR WINE HERE, YOU KNOW, AT A SPECIAL OCCASION EVENT. THERE'S A SEPARATE THING, WHICH IS THE ON FARM DIRECT AGRICULTURE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE THAT IS ACTUALLY PROTECTED BY RIGHT TO FARM. AND IT YOU CAN HAVE FACILITIES, ACTIVITIES OR EVENTS, BUT IT HAS TO BE TIED TO YOUR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND THAT YOU CAN GET RIGHT TO FARM PROTECTION FOR THE SPECIAL OCCASION EVENTS YOU. THERE'S NO RIGHT TO FARM PROTECTION. YOU HAVE TO COMPLY WITH MUNICIPAL ZONING. YOU HAVE TO GET ALL OF YOUR INSPECTIONS DONE. SO THERE ARE TWO KIND. THEY'RE VERY DIFFERENT THINGS. BUT YEAH, THIS. THE SPECIAL OCCASION EVENTS WERE KIND OF STILL SEEING HOW IT'S WORKING BECAUSE IT'S VERY NEW. SO YEAH, UNLESS RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE VERY SPECIFIC AND IMPLEMENTED, THERE IS A CHANCE OF THE LAND LIKE THE, THE LAND PRESERVED FOR FARMING MAY GET SPOILED OR MAY GET MAY CHANGE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THAT RIGHT. AND THAT CAN IN THE LONG TERM, IN TWO YEARS, FIVE YEARS CAN CHANGE THE THE PRODUCTIVITY AND ALL. YEAH. SO IF THAT HAPPENS, SO THE, THE RULES REQUIRE THAT YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY DETRIMENT TO THE PRESERVED FARMLAND. AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

THERE'S ABSOLUTELY THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT. IF THAT HAPPENS, IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE DEED OF EASEMENT. AND THE FARM HAS TO COME BACK INTO COMPLIANCE. BUT I AGREE, I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY IT'S IT'S REALLY NEW AND A LOT OF FARMS ARE STILL, I MEAN, IN YEAR ONE OF HOLDING THESE ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS, PRESERVE FARMS ALSO ARE INSPECTED EVERY YEAR BY WHOEVER HOLDS THE PRESERVATION EASEMENT. SO THE COUNTY OR THE STATE WILL GO OUT AND DO AN ANNUAL INSPECTION TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVEN'T PUT UP SOME KIND OF BUILDING OR DONE CHANGES TO THE PROPERTY THAT AREN'T PERMITTED. SO THAT HELPS TOO. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. YEAH, SURE. YEAH. I, I, I MAYBE A FEW COMMENTS OR SOME QUESTIONS ACTUALLY TOO. SO YEAH, I THINK, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT COMPREHENSIVE, YOU KNOW, FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN, YOU KNOW, FOCUSED ON THE ACREAGE THAT WE CAN PRESERVE IN THE TOWNSHIP. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, AND IT'S KEPT THE RURAL CHARACTER OF THIS TOWN. BUT I, I, I'M WONDERING ACTUALLY IF WE'RE LIKE MISSING AN OPPORTUNITY IN SOME WAY TO KIND OF RETHINKING HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT AGRICULTURE WITHIN OUR MASTER PLAN A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN, I NOTICED THERE'S SOME LIKE KIND OF DISCREPANCIES THAT WHERE WE'RE INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF FARMLAND WE'RE PRESERVING, BUT THE AMOUNT OF FARMLAND, THE LAND THAT'S ACTUALLY FARMED IS ACTUALLY GOING DOWN. AND THE DIVERSITY OF WHAT WE'RE FARMING IS ACTUALLY KIND OF GOING DOWN.

AND MOST OF THE FIELDS ARE HAY AND WHATNOT. AND I DON'T REMEMBER THE SPECIFIC VALUES THAT YOU'VE PUT IN THERE. YOU KNOW, I, I GUESS I'M, I'M, I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. I'M NOT ASKING TO DO THAT, BUT I'M WONDERING IF, IF THERE ARE WAYS TO KIND

[00:40:05]

IT'S NOT MANDATED. WE DO TOUCH ON IT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE TALK ABOUT THE FARMER'S MARKET AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE HERE. AND IN SOMERSET COUNTY, WE TALK ABOUT THE JERSEY FRESH PROGRAM. WE DO TALK ABOUT SNAP EBT, STAN, YOU KNOW, PLACES THAT ACCEPT SNAP ET, BUT THERE'S NOT A WHOLE DEDICATED SECTION. BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD INPUT FOR SURE. I AGREE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THESE GUYS? JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION ON THIS IS ALL THE THIS WHOLE PLAN IS BASED ON FOOD RELATED ELEMENTS, RIGHT? NOBODY CAN COME AND SAY, I'M PUTTING A SOLAR FARM HERE

[00:45:05]

THAT'S WHY THAT'S MY FAULT. I MOVED IT FROM THE TABLE. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO? OKAY, SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT CHAIR TABLE. RIGHT. OR THERE WE GO. THAT'S IT. RIGHT.

YOU'RE ON. DEBORAH KEENAN, KEENAN IN SKILLMAN. FIRST OF ALL, EXCITED TO SEE THIS PLAN.

IT LOOKS GREAT. ONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES I THINK. I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S PART OF THE PLAN, BUT PAUL, YOU HAD ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT. FOOD, GROWING FOOD. THERE'S A LOT OF PROPERTIES THAT THE MUNICIPALITY OWNS AND WE LEASE OUT TO FARMERS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT HOW THAT'S DONE. AND ARE THERE THINGS THAT COULD CHANGE IN THAT TO SAY WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE FOOD, GROWN THINGS OR OPPORTUNITIES. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF THAT. IT'S ACTUALLY A REALLY, REALLY GOOD IDEA. YEAH. ANYONE ELSE? PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL RIGHT. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. SO MOVED.

SECOND PLEASE. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR. I, I OKAY. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON OUR PART? OH, I DID WANT TO MENTION THE AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MET TWO WEEKS AGO AND THEY REVIEWED THE PLAN AGAIN. AND THEY APPROVED IT IN ITS FORM AND ENCOURAGED THE PLANNING BOARD TO ADOPT IT. SO YOU HAVE THAT RESOLUTION THAT DARA EMAILED TO ALL OF YOU TODAY.

OKAY. SO MY QUESTION TO THE PLANNING BOARD IS, ARE WE READY TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION, OR DO WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED SOME TIME TO REVIEW THE PLAN? IF WE SO CHOOSE, ARE WE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN APPROVE THIS PLAN? THIS IS PART OF BOARD DISCUSSION. THOUGHTS. I MEAN, I WOULD I WOULD PUT I WOULD PUT THIS OFF UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING IF I WERE CONFIDENT THAT WE ACTUALLY WOULD LOOK AT THE PLAN. RIGHT. BUT IF WE FEEL CONFIDENT IN OUR TEAM THAT THEY'VE DONE A GREAT JOB OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, THEN I WOULD SAY WE MOVE TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION, BUT I AM OPEN TO THAT DISCUSSION. I THINK I'M CONFIDENT HERE OF BRINGING THIS NOW. MAYBE I WOULD SAY MAYBE FOR FOR LORI AND AND OTHERS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. I THINK THAT WE COULD WE COULD IMPROVE THE PROCESS HERE OF BEING A LITTLE BIT MORE ITERATIVE ON

[00:50:04]

THAT WAS IN 21. YEAH IT WAS. THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY. IF WE FELT LIKE WE WANTED TO REVIEW IT, WE CAN. BUT IF WE FEEL CONFIDENT. YEAH. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THE SAME THING THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, I, YOU SAID IT'S 2021, BUT PEOPLE, I, I, I WASN'T HERE IN 2021. I HAVEN'T SEEN SUCH A, I MEAN, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL WORK. I MEAN, THE PRESENTATION ITSELF EXPLAINS LITERALLY EVERYTHING. BUT IF WE HAD HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO THROUGH THE DOCUMENTS AND KNOW THAT WE CAN GENERATE QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS MEANS FOR IMPROVEMENT, WHAT COULD BE DONE? THERE MIGHT BE MINOR TWEAKS OR SOMETHING, GOOD IDEAS, NEW IDEAS. BUT WITHOUT HAVING THAT, IT'S LIKE JUST PRESENTATION OF HALF AN HOUR. AND THEN JUST WHETHER WE APPROVE OR NOT, THIS IS NOT WHICH IS WHY I SAID IT CERTAINLY CAN TAKE. YEAH, UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING FOR US TO REVIEW IT. I'M VERY COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT. I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD SUPPORT THAT YOU WOULD SUPPORT US WAITING. YEAH. OKAY.

AND WOULD LIKE TO REALLY REVIEW. ALL OF US NEED TO REVIEW THEM. YEAH. LOOK, THAT'S WHY I PUT IT OUT THERE. THANK YOU. OKAY, SO I HAVE ONE QUESTION TO ASK ON THIS. PAUL POINTED OUT THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE SORRY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ACREAGE THAT IS UNDER CULTIVATION, IT'S BEEN GOING DOWN, SO TO SPEAK. IS IT AN ISSUE BECAUSE OF LESS PRODUCTIVITY OR IS IT BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE ECONOMIC SENSE HAVING A HIGHER END? IT'S DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE, FRANKLY.

I MEAN, THE LARGE DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE COME BEFORE THIS BOARD IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, 15 YEARS SINCE OUR LAST PLAN, HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF LAND OUT OF PRODUCTION. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT THERE AREN'T FARMERS WILLING TO DO IT, IT'S THAT DEVELOPERS ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN HOLDING ON IN SOME CASES TO PROPERTIES FOR A VERY LONG TIME. SO IT WAS IN AGRICULTURE. IT WAS THEIR WAY OF HOLDING THE LAND FOR A PRETTY, YOU KNOW, REDUCED PRICE UNDER FARMLAND ASSESSMENT. AND THEN ONCE THEY GOT SEWER CAPACITY OR GOT THE CAPITAL MONEY THAT THEY NEEDED, THEN THEY CAME IN FOR DEVELOPMENT. SO IT'S MOSTLY DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE. AND IT WAS GOOD AGRICULTURAL LAND THAT WE NEEDED TO DEVELOP. YEAH.

UNFORTUNATELY. YEAH. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE A FARMER AND YOU WANT TO SELL YOUR LAND, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, RIGHT. THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS. THERE ARE FARMERS WHO WANT TO GET OUT AND THEY DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, AN HEIR APPARENT TO TAKE OVER THE FARMING OPERATION. IT IS AN OPTION FOR THEM. THERE ARE OTHER OPTION FOR ANY OTHER FARMERS WATCHING IS TO CALL ME AND WE CAN TALK ABOUT PRESERVATION. AND THEN YOU COULD SELL IT TO ANOTHER FARMER.

YEAH. HOWEVER, SOMEONE COMES IN WITH A CHECK. IT'S AN INDIVIDUAL DECISION. IT'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO OR SAY. SO THAT'S WHY I THINK THE ECONOMIC ASPECT OF IT IS VERY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO GET THE HOW TO PUT IT, THE INFLATION ADJUSTED PRICING FOR THEIR PRODUCTS, THEN IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE FOR THEM. YEAH, THERE'S NO INCENTIVE FOR THEM. VERY IMPORTANT. I MEAN, AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE FARMER'S MARKET, YOU KNOW, ALMOST EVERY WEEK, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM ARE ABLE TO SELL, RIGHT? NOT ALL. SO YEAH, IT'S AN IMPORTANT ASPECT. OKAY, THEN I AM GOING TO PROPOSE THAT WE HOLD OFF ON THE ADOPTION UNTIL LORI NOVEMBER 3RD. NO, I'M SORRY, NOVEMBER 9TH ISN'T OCTOBER.

OCTOBER 12TH? I'M SORRY. OCTOBER 12TH. I'M I'M A MONTH AHEAD. YOUR WHOLE MONTH AHEAD, DAVE, I KNOW AND AND TARA AND LAUREN, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO COME BACK OCTOBER 12TH? HE SAID, LET ME LOOK AND SEE. GIVE ME ONE SECOND. I MEAN, HECK, IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS. WHAT'S ANOTHER WEEK? 12. I SHOULD BE OKAY. OKAY. IT'S COLUMBUS DAY. YOUR KIDS OFF FROM SCHOOL? YEAH, BUT

[00:55:03]

[IV. UPDATE REGARDING PLAN 4 HEALTH AND UPCOMING LISTENING SESSION ON OCTOBER 8 ]

YOU'RE ABLE TO BASICALLY CLICK ON SOMETHING ON THE MAP, A STREET INTERSECTION, YOUR HOUSE, WHATEVER YOU WANT AND SAY IN THIS AREA, THIS IS A BAD INTERSECTION AND THERE'S NO SIDEWALK HERE. OR THIS IS AN INTERSECTION WHERE PEOPLE CONSTANTLY SPEED. OR THERE'S NO VARIETY OF HOUSING OVER IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THE RESULTS OF OF THAT AND

[01:00:03]

AND WE ARE WORKING ON PUTTING TOGETHER THE REEXAMINATION PLAN, WHICH IT'S GOING TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE LAW, WHICH IS REALLY JUST FOR VERY SIMPLE REQUIREMENTS. IT BASICALLY SAYS, YOU KNOW, I WON'T GO THROUGH THE WHOLE THING, BUT IT'S VERY SIMPLE. LIKE, HOW MANY VARIANCES DID YOU HAVE THIS YEAR AND WHAT ARE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ZONING? SO WE'RE TAKING THAT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND SAYING, ON TOP OF MEETING THE MUNICIPAL LAND USE STANDARDS, WE RECOMMEND DOING THESE THINGS TO ADDRESS SPECIFICALLY THE NUMBER ONE, THE NUMBER ONE CONTRIBUTOR WE FOUND IS MOBILITY IS MOBILITY GETTING AROUND MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP. SO THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, THE LAST MILE BETWEEN TRANSIT STOPS, BEING ABLE TO GET TO PUBLIC MEETINGS OR YOUR HEALTH APPOINTMENTS. IF YOU DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO A PRIVATE CAR WALKING SAFETY, BIKE SAFETY. SO THAT'S THAT'S NUMBER ONE.

WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT HOUSING.

SO THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN TOOLKITS WE'RE USING THROUGH THE PLAN FOR HEALTH NEW JERSEY PROCESS. WE HAVE THAT. AND SO WE'RE KIND OF GETTING TOWARDS THE YOU KNOW WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS GETTING THAT REEXAMINATION PLAN DONE. WE JUST HELD A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSION LAST WEEK, SEPTEMBER 22ND. IT WAS AND THEN WE HAVE AN UPCOMING ONE. IT'S GOING TO BE IN PERSON. IT'S ON OCTOBER 8TH AT 7:00 AND IT'S HERE. AND SO IF YOU KNOW ANYONE OR YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU THERE. BUT IF YOU KNOW ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO COME, THAT WOULD BE GREAT BECAUSE THE MORE FEEDBACK WE GET, THE BETTER. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE FOR THIS PLAN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL. SO WE'RE NOT LOOKING JUST AT, YOU KNOW, STATS IN MONTGOMERY. WE'RE REALLY GETTING DOWN TO STREET LEVEL IMPROVEMENTS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW. AND WE COULD KNOW, THOUGH, IF WE CAN GET A LOT OF FEEDBACK TO TELL US BECAUSE REALLY ONLY THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE WOULD KNOW WHAT A BARRIER TO HEALTH IS. AND IT COULD BE ANYTHING, LIKE I SAID, A DANGEROUS INTERSECTION. WE NEED MORE TREE CANOPY BECAUSE IT'S HOT HERE AND PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A WATER ISSUE. IT COULD BE ANYTHING. AND SO WE'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT. THE REEXAMINATION PLAN IS SCHEDULED TO BE DONE AT THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER. AND YEAH, SO WE'RE HOPING TO GET THAT DONE WITH ALL THE PRINCIPLES OF PLAN FOR HEALTH IN THERE. YEAH. AND I'LL THROW IN A COMMERCIAL FOR YOU. I SAT IN ON THE SESSION LAST WEEK. IT WAS REALLY GOOD. AND IT GOT VERY, VERY GRANULAR AND VERY SPECIFIC, WHICH I THINK IS GREAT. I WOULD URGE ANYONE TO, IF YOU CAN COME TO THE SESSION IN PERSON, I KNOW THIS IS A GRANT THAT WE'RE GETTING. THIS IS IT'S A REALLY GOOD THING, AND WE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH THIS. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. VERY, VERY SPECIFIC BASIS. SO ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. AND IT REALLY DOES HAVE A TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT. SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE TOWNS THAT I WORK FOR IS FRANKLIN, AND THEY'VE DONE A MORE LIMITED VERSION OF THIS KIND OF. BUT I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE OF ALL THE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND BECAUSE A LOT OF THE COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS WERE INVOLVED, IT'S REALLY CREATED THIS CHANGE OF THINKING. SO WE HAVE THE SHADE TREE COMMISSION TALKING ABOUT HEALTH. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HEALTH, BUT WE HAVE THE AG ADVISORY TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO LOCAL FOODS INSTEAD OF JUST FARMLAND PRESERVATION. SO I THINK THIS KIND OF PLAN REALLY SPAWNS A WHOLE BEHAVIORAL CHANGE, WHICH IS GREAT. AND THEN THE LAST THING

[01:05:02]

ANY COMMENTS FROM FROM THE PUBLIC OR QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS? OKAY. THANK YOU. TARA, I THINK I THINK YOU'RE EXCUSED. SO YEAH. OKAY. NEXT ITEM IS A, AN UPDATE ON REGARDING THE STUDY AND AREA

[V.UPDATE REGARDING STUDYAREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT 199 GRANDVIEW ROAD, BLOCK 14001 LOT 2, TOWNSHIP COMMITTTEE RESOLUTON #26-9-260]

WELL, THE REASON THIS IS ON YOUR AGENDA TONIGHT IS SIMPLY TO LET THE BOARD KNOW THAT THE GOVERNING BODY HAS ADOPTED A RESOLUTION. IT HAS AUTHORIZED A STUDY AREA REPORT TO BE DONE.

AND WHEN THAT REPORT IS FINISHED, IT WILL COME TO THE PLANNING BOARD. IT WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC. THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING ON IT, AS YOU'VE DONE WITH OTHER REDEVELOPMENT AREAS, AND THEN IT WILL BE UP TO THE BOARD WHETHER WHETHER AND WHAT YOU WANT TO RECOMMEND TO THE GOVERNING BODY WITH RESPECT TO WHETHER. 199 GRANDVIEW SHOULD BE AN AREA IN NEED OF REDEVELOPMENT. AND AGAIN, THAT WOULD BE OUR RECOMMENDATION.

EXACTLY. THE GOVERNING BODY TO SAY YES OR NO. CORRECT? CORRECT. OKAY, OKAY. AS PROMISED, DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE PUBLIC ON THIS SPECIFICALLY? AND EVERYONE'S GOING TO GET A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO TALK. I WILL TRY TO KEEP IT AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE.

MY NAME IS JENNIFER O'NEILL AND I AM SPEAKING ABOUT THIS REDEVELOPMENT STUDY, AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE A I'M A RESIDENT OF SKILLMAN. YES. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE BOARD WILL BE IN A VERY CHALLENGING POSITION BECAUSE THE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE PASSED IT. WE KNOW YOU'RE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO CONDUCT THE PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION. YOU DON'T HAVE A CHOICE IN STARTING THE STUDY ITSELF. AND WE I RESPECT THE HEAVY BURDEN THAT AND HARD WORK. THAT PLACE IS BEING PLACED ON YOUR SHOULDERS, BUT PRECISELY BECAUSE YOU ARE LEGALLY BOUND TO DO THIS WORK, WE LOOK TO THIS BOARD AS OUR TOWN'S ESSENTIAL INDEPENDENT GATEKEEPER. WHILE YOU MUST PERFORM THE STUDY, YOU HAVE FULL AUTHORITY OVER ITS FINAL FINDINGS. WE TRUST THAT YOU WILL EVALUATE THIS SITE OBJECTIVELY, RATHER THAN LETTING IT BECOME A RUBBER STAMPED WORKAROUND FOR PRIVATE DEVELOPERS HIGH DENSITY AMBITIONS. ELI KHAN MADE A PRIVATE BUSINESS GAMBLE WHEN HE PURCHASED A VACANT CORPORATE CAMPUS UNDER STRICT ZONING. IF HIS BUSINESS MODEL CANNOT SUCCEED UNDER OUR EXISTING TOWN RULES, THAT IS HIS FINANCIAL BURDEN TO CARRY, NOT OURS TO SUBSIDIZE. IT IS FUNDAMENTALLY NOT THE DUTY OF THIS BOARD TO BEND OUR ZONING CRITERIA JUST TO SAFEGUARD A RISKY PRIVATE INVESTMENT. AS YOU CONDUCT THIS MANDATED INVESTIGATION, WE ASK THAT YOU LOOK AT THE SITE THROUGH THE LENS OF OUR TOWN'S DOCUMENTED GOALS. THE TOWN'S OWN 2017 PERIODIC REEXAMINATION OF THE MASTER PLAN EXPLICITLY MANDATES THAT OUR REGULATIONS, QUOTE, SAFEGUARD AND PROMOTE THE PRESERVATION OF FARMLAND, OPEN SPACE AND WOODLANDS, AND SUCH AREAS SHOULD BE SET ASIDE WHENEVER POSSIBLE FOR CONSERVATION, UNQUOTE. OUR MASTER PLAN BOASTS THAT WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PRESERVED OVER 1375 ACRES. IT IS. IF OUR OFFICIAL POLICY IS TO CONSERVE LAND WHENEVER POSSIBLE, THEN A 257 ACRE PARCEL IN THE SOURLANDS IS EXACTLY WHERE WE MUST APPLY THAT POLICY. WE MUST ALSO REJECT THE EXCUSE THAT BECAUSE KARN OWNS THE LAND, PRESERVATION IS IMPOSSIBLE. IF ELI KHAN'S DEVELOPMENT MODELS ARE FAILING UNDER OUR CURRENT ZONING, IT SEEMS LIKE THIS WOULD BE A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO NEGOTIATE A PUBLIC ACQUISITION, THE MAYOR NOTED IN THE PREVIOUS TOWNSHIP COUNCIL MEETING THAT THEY HAD LOOKED INTO OPEN SPACE FOR THIS PROPERTY, BUT TO NO AVAIL. TO HELP THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND THE BARRIERS, WE WOULD RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT ANY KIND OF FINAL REPORT EXPLICITLY DOCUMENT EXACTLY WHICH COUNTY AND STATE PRESERVATION FUNDS WERE EXPLORED, AND WHAT SPECIFIC TECHNICAL HURDLES PREVENTED A YOESERVATION PARTNERSHIP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, DEDICATION AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF OUR MASTER PLAN AS YOU MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M SORRY. I HAVE JUST A QUICK QUESTION. YOU SAID THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS ALREADY PASSED SOMETHING. I YOU SAID PASSED IT. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT REFERRED TO. THE THE DECISION TO DO THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN. NO, NO NO NO PLAN. NO, NO, JUST TO AUTHORIZE A STUDY WHICH WOULD THEN WHICH AUTHORIZE THE STUDY, ESSENTIALLY. YEAH. HERE. YES.

OKAY. GREAT. AND WE WILL BE INDEPENDENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. SORRY. OH. MY

[01:10:05]

[VI. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES APPOINTMENT ]

BUT I MEAN, THIS THIS IS WHY ECONSULT IS BEING BROUGHT IN BECAUSE THE GOVERNING BODY ASKED THE PLANNING BOARD TO TAKE OVER THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR PREPARING THE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN. CORRECT. RIGHT. AND THEN THE PLANNING BOARD, THROUGH A SUBCOMMITTEE. CORRECT.

INTERVIEWED SEVERAL PLANNERS TO TAKE ON THIS SPECIFIC THE SPECIFIC QUESTION OF ECONOMIC VIABILITY AND DIFFERENT POTENTIAL PLANS. AND IF ANYBODY FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEE WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT IT BEFORE KAREN WRITES A RESOLUTION, GREAT. YEAH. NO, I UNLESS UNLESS YOU'D LIKE TO. YEAH. NO, I'M I'M PARTICULARLY PROUD OF WHO, WHO WE FOUND, WE, WE

[01:15:02]

ALRIGHTY. WHEREAS THERE EXISTS A NEED FOR A PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY SERVICES TO ASSIST THE BOARD IN CONNECTION WITH THE PREPARATION OF A REDEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF 23 ORCHARD ROAD, BLOCK 28001, LOT 5.02, PURSUANT TO RESOLUTION 26-4-138 ADOPTED BY THE MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP GOVERNING BODY ON APRIL 16TH, 2026. AND WHEREAS, THE PLANNING BOARD APPOINTED A SUBCOMMITTEE TO INTERVIEW FIRMS AND HAVING INTERVIEWED THREE FIRMS, THE SUBCOMMITTEE HAS RECOMMENDED THAT THE BOARD HIRE ECONSULT SOLUTIONS, INC. AND WHERE IS THE PROFESSIONAL AND. WHEREAS THE PROFESSIONAL FIRM LISTED BELOW, WHICH IS ECONSULT, HAS PROVIDED FOR A QUOTATION FOR SERVICES WITHOUT BIDDING AS PER NJSA 48 COLON 11-51A SMALL I AND WHERE IS THE BOARD HAS PROCURED THIS PROFESSIONAL FIRM IN A NON FAIR AND OPEN MANNER IN ACCORDANCE WITH N.J.S.A. 19 COLON 44-20.5 AND WHEREAS ECON CONSULT SERVICES HAS PROVIDED A BUSINESS ENTITY DISCLOSURE AND POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION DISCLOSURE IN CONNECTION WITH THE APPLICABLE STATUTE, INDICATING THE PROFESSIONALS HAVE NOT MADE ANY REPORTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, AND WILL BE PROHIBITED FROM MAKING REPORTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE COMING YEAR. AND WHERE IS THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE CONTRACT FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IS LISTED BELOW? AND WHEREAS THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER HAS CERTIFIED, THERE ARE SUFFICIENT FUNDS AVAILABLE AND WITHOUT READING THE ACCOUNT NUMBER, IT WILL BE FOR ECONSULT SOLUTIONS, INC. IT'S AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $65,500, AND THE TERM OF THAT CONTRACT WOULD EXPIRE DECEMBER 31ST, 2026. AND WHERE'S THE LOCAL PUBLIC CONTRACTS? LAW REQUIRES THAT A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE AWARD OF CONTRACTS FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES WITHOUT COMPETITIVE BIDS BE PROVIDED AND THE CONTRACT ITSELF AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INSPECTION NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE PLANNING BOARD OF THE TOWNSHIP OF MONTGOMERY AS FOLLOWS THE PLANNING BOARD CHAIR AND PLANNING DIRECTOR ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO EXECUTE THE AGREEMENT WITH E CONSULT SOLUTIONS FOR THE DESCRIBED SERVICES. THE CONTRACTS AWARDED WITHOUT COMPETITIVE BIDDING AS A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THE LOCAL PUBLIC CONTRACTS LAW AS A CONTRACT FOR SERVICES TO BE PERFORMED BY PERSONS AUTHORIZED BY LAW TO

[01:20:06]

AND ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT IN OUR RESOLUTION, WE'LL ALSO INDICATE THAT THE.

MONIES FOR THIS STUDY ARE COMING THROUGH AN ESCROW FUND THAT HAS BEEN POSTED BY THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION, AND THIS IS A PROCESS THAT THE TOWNSHIP HAS USED BEFORE, SO THAT IT'S NOT PUBLIC FUNDS THAT ARE BEING USED FOR THIS, BUT IT'S THE FUNDS OF THE PROPERTY OWNER. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY EVERY DEVELOPMENT DESIGNATION WOULD BE BENEFICIAL.

SO AT THIS POINT, WE NOW NEED A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE. SO MOVED. SECOND. OKAY. ROLL CALL PLEASE. DEREK. YES YES YES YES YES. TAYLOR. YES. YES. SHARMA. YES. GREAT. THANK YOU. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SPRING POINT AT

[VII. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]