By Allison Perrine
A hearing to bring 360 residential units to a vacant plot of land in Colts Neck continued before the township planning board Tuesday night, Oct. 12.
COLTS NECK – Representatives of an applicant looking to build 360 residential units on a nearly 40-acre vacant parcel along Route 537 found themselves under fire Tuesday night for being unwilling to “work with” members of the township planning board.
One main issue discussed at the Oct. 12 meeting was the proposed septic system for the project. As part of the plans brought by Colts Neck Building Associates – a subsidiary of Kushner Companies – the project would include an underground septic system under asphalt, unlike any other project known in New Jersey. It’s the same style of system as Gillette Stadium, home to the New England Patriots professional football team in Massachusetts. Board chair Andrea D’Eletto suggested that the underground system is new and could be more costly or disruptive to residents. She said placing it underground is the applicant’s way of “maximizing the footprint” and “getting the most development” of the land.“If there were available land, you wouldn’t be putting it there,” she said.
“We have thousands and thousands of septic systems; we don’t have any of this kind of system. You’re not comparing apples to apples here… This is new and it is different,” said D’Eletto. “You haven’t been able to present one example in New Jersey. You’re coming to us where there’s a viable pathway to not have it be this way, and you’re slightly cavalier about the fact that ‘Of course we should just approve it.’ ”
She suggested the applicant scale back the plans to allow for more space for the system above ground. Kushner representatives disagreed. Michael Sommer, executive vice president of development and construction for Kushner Companies, noted that the company has a “bona fide plan with a qualified set of engineers” designed to meet state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) standards for waste water discharge onsite.
“We intend to move forward with the application with the proposed density as it is without any reduction,” said Sommer. “If for some reason this application moves forward and is denied – which we don’t anticipate – by the DEP, then we would be more than happy to come back to this board and come back to the township to contemplate a reduction in the density. But until we get to that point, we have no intention of reducing density by even one unit, either market-rate or affordable, on this property.”
Tuesday night’s hearing was the continuation of an August hearing when plans were first presented, though this application is not the first construction plan for the site. In 2015, the applicant proposed to build 48 upscale townhomes on the 39.575- acre property, but complications arose because of the township’s lack of water and sewer lines necessary for the project. Kushner Companies approached neighboring municipality Freehold Township looking to retain its water and sewer services for the project but that did not pan out.
Colts Neck Building Associates returned with the new project, dubbed The Colts Neck Manor. The applicant is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct one- and two-bedroom units, 72 of which would be deemed affordable Judging by current standards, market-rate rentals could go for between $2,200 and $2,700 per month; the affordable rates are set by state mandate on a county-by-county basis. Currently, affordable units in Colts Neck go for about $1,000 to $1,300 a month depending on size. As he testified at the last meeting, architect Jack Raker of Minnow and Wasco Architects and Planners, said the site would be accessible from two locations off Route 537. The 360 units are divided among 15 residential buildings, each of which has eight units per level with 24 units per building. Depending what floor the unit is on, it would have either a patio or a terrace. The exterior of the buildings will be vertical siding, with black windows, gray metal trim at the entries and gray roofing. “We’re very excited about the style and the aesthetic of these buildings. We understand that Colts Neck is a big farm and horse town. We’ve decided to make these buildings sort of modern farm house aesthetic, very popular nowadays,” said Raker.
If well-maintained, professionals estimated that the structures could have a lifespan of 50 to 100 years. The hearing will continue at the board’s next meeting in November when more testimony will be given.
The article originally appeared in the October 14 – 20, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
