Age-restricted development will not be converted in S.B.

More than 100 homes in South Brunswick will not be converted from age-restricted to market housing after the Planning Board denied an applicant’s request to do so during its Oct. 5 meeting. With a unanimous vote, board members denied the Matzel & Mumford homebuilding company the right to lift the age restriction on the 133 housing units on Route 522 near Stouts Lane. Chairwoman Josephine Hochman and the board raised concerns with the inevitable influx of school-aged children to the area.

Paul Phillips, a professional planner, testified that, using the “Who Lives in New Jersey Housing?” Rutgers study, an estimated 34 preschool and school-aged children would be added to the township after the conversion. Board members disagreed with both Phillips’ numbers and method of calculation.

“If you market these homes as the cheapest in town, you will get a lot of schoolchildren,” Barry Nathanson, Planning Board and Board of Education member, said. “If we get close to 100 children, we’ll need to build another elementary school. Your numbers are only as good as this average study, and it’s not specific to South Brunswick.”

The board also did not favor bus routes that needed to include Route 1, since many members felt the road is less safe than local roads. Traffic congestion, in general, was a topic of much debate.

According to traffic engineer John Rea, younger couples commuting to work would generate 30 additional vehicles on the road during peak a.m. and p.m. hours. He said that would equate to one extra car every two minutes, which would have minimal impact. Hochman said the traffic during peak hours was already inconvenient for residents.

“I was driving there the other day and thought, ‘I’m glad I don’t have to do this every day,’” she said.

According to board lawyer Ben Bucca’s interpretation of a 2009 statute, this conversion had to be allowed unless the board found it to be a substantial detriment to the public good or substantial impairment to the intent of the master plan. The board ultimately believed the public good would suffer a loss if the application were approved.

“It’s a detriment to our seniors,” Hochman said. “This is South Brunswick, and we know South Brunswick. We have a great deal of seniors, and they want this housing.”

Nathanson said Matzel & Mumford might appeal the Planning Board’s decision.