By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON – Approximately 50 residents on Monday attended a hearing of the Master Plan at the Sharon School, where the township unveiled its long-term goal to preserve its rural character.
"The Master Plan preparation actually began about two years ago," said Joseph Odenheimer, chairman of the Planning Board, as the meeting began.
"At this time the board is taking a last look at the plan and asking for comments from you," he told the residents.
Bob Brown, a partner in Brown & Keeler Urban Design, based in Philadelphia, then delivered a presentation on future land use in the township.
"The first and most important chapter in the Master Plan is land use," he said.
The next hearing, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Sharon School, will discuss the access management plan and open space design standards.
Mr. Odenheimer said the Planing Board could vote on the Master Plan next week if the public does not have any further questions.
Mr. Brown began explaining the land-use portion of the 120-page Master Plan by reviewing goals.
"The goal is to protect the rural character, the rural quality of life, and the cultural heritage of the township," he said.
Mr. Brown listed other objectives as well, including the township’s hope to locate retail commerce "in a pattern of compact nodes in the township."
Mr. Brown said Washington has seen 1,205 acres of farmland lost to development in the past 10 years, while it has preserved 644 acres of farmland. The township has preserved 1,198 acres of open space, and 5,400 additional acres could be preserved, he said.
The key to preserving the rural character of the township, Mr. Brown said, is to limit the growth of residential housing developments. He said 1,600 housing units were built in the past 10 years, more than doubling the number of dwellings in the township.
"Current development patterns will destroy the rural character," Mr. Brown said.
A key to preserving the rural qualities of Washington is to limit population growth to 50 percent, he said. He proposed a plan that allows for seven receiving areas, or areas of planned development.
If only these seven areas are allowed to develop residentially, he said, and the rest of the township is preserved as open space, farmland, or commercial, the population in Washington will top out at 50 percent higher than the current population.
These areas would be small clusters of houses on lots smaller than 2 acres, some with their own septic systems.
Mr. Brown said 2-acre residential lots, although commonly thought to preserve open space, actually are harmful to efforts to preserve farmland and open space because development is spread over a larger area without dramatically retaining open space.
Recent census data shows Washington’s population grew more than 26 percent from 1994 to 1999. The township was home to approximately 7,182 people in 1994, but last year’s estimates have that number at 9,090.
A growth of 50 percent, therefore, would place the population at around 14,000.
Mr. Brown said it is necessary not only to preserve farmland itself, but farming as a business.
He proposed detailed changes to the zoning code that would allow farmers to use TDR, or transfer of development rights, to survive economically and preserve their farmland.
"Route 130 can be like a landscaped boulevard where you can still see the farms," Mr. Brown said.
Mr. Brown’s presentation went into other details, with recommendations for utilities, historic preservation, and parks and recreation, including creating a new 30-acre park near Pond Road Middle School.
He said the township will have to consider expanding the municipal building, and that the proposed pedestrian bridge across Route 130, connecting the Town Center with the municipal complex, was very important.
Trails and bike paths throughout the township were mentioned several times by Mr. Brown, who felt Washington needed to make the township more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.
Approximately 10 residents had questions or comments on the proposal, mostly on specific aspects that might affect them in the future.
Catherine Palsho, owner of Ernie’s Tavern & Liquor Store on Robbinsville-Allentown Road, said the Town Center plans have an alley going through her parking lot.
"You can’t get out of that parking lot now," she said. The alley, she said, would pose a hardship to her and her business.
John Fabiano, the president of the Allentown/Upper Freehold Historical Society, expressed concern that some historic sites may not be fully protected under the Master Plan.
A resident of Foxmoor asked how far into the future the plan went.
"Forever," Mr. Brown said.
Bob Melvin, the township’s planner, said the part of the plan dealing with the roads does have a timeline, and that the access management plan, to be discussed next week, looks 20 years into the future.
"There may not look like there’s a lot happening," Mr. Melvin said. "But there are some things that are going on right now as we speak."
"If you lived in Foxmoor, you’d feel there was a lot happening," the resident responded with a laugh.
After the two-hour hearing, Mr. Brown expressed his enthusiasm for Washington’s Master Plan.
"I think it’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant," he said, explaining that the township is one the few he’s come across that understand the harmful effects of 2-acre residential zoning and the importance of preserving the business of farming as well as the physical farmland.
