By Sunayana Prabhu
COLTS NECK – Another site plan to construct a multifamily, residential development named Charleston Meadows was approved unanimously by the Colts Neck Planning Board earlier this year. At nearly 15 acres, the property was designated for affordable housing over 30 years ago by the township. With Charleston Meadows, the township will have a total of three affordable housing projects, all clustered on the township’s western border.
Located at 193 Stone Hill Road, Charleston Meadows, a 68-unit multifamily residential development, will be built by Countryside Developers. The site currently houses a 14-stall barn and is designated as a farm on Monmouth County property records. The property is near Colts Neck High School, off Five Points Road, bordering Howell and Freehold on the west.
According to documents from a June 8 Colts Neck Township Committee meeting, the property was zoned for affordable housing in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Meeting minutes show Mayor J.P. Bartolomeo noting that “the stormwater displaced by the development goes into a detention basin which then feeds into a stream, and this must be reviewed and ultimately approved by the NJDEP (New Jersey Department of Environment Protection).” He added that there is no septic system and/or sewerage treatment plant planned for this development.
At the time, township planner Tim Anfuso said Countryside Developers was preparing plans for submission to the planning board and as part of this effort the developer must apply for and obtain certain approvals and permits from the NJDEP. He added that the developer is proposing the installation of piping to direct stormwater runoff to Stone Hill Road and then to nearby Marl Brook. Since Stone Hill Road is a township road, the township must provide consent as part of the NJDEP Flood Hazard Permit application.
The property is currently designated A-4 zoning as per state property records. According to Colts Neck Township’s website, A-4 zoning refers to a mixed housing district that is designed to accommodate the township’s low/moderate-income housing, consistent with the adopted land use and housing elements of the Colts Neck Township Master Plan.
Charleston Meadows will be near two other affordable housing projects – The Estates at Colts Neck (formerly Colts Neck Manor) owned by Colts Neck Building Associates LLC, a subsidiary of Kushner Companies; and The Grande which was the township’s first affordable housing project.
When The Two River Times reached out to township officials for comment on why all three affordable housing projects were located on the outskirts of Colts Neck Township, on the border of Freehold and Howell, and close to Route 537, Anfuso responded in an email: “Currently before the Monmouth County Court is the Township’s application to confirm its affordable housing plan. We do not believe it is appropriate to comment on the plan, which is of public record, while the Court is considering it.”
The article originally appeared in the December 15 – 21, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
