The Planning Board will meet at 8 p.m. Moinday in the Lower Level Conference Room at the municipal building.
Township planners expect to review and discuss the Lawrence Township Open Space and Recreation Plan when the Planning Board meets next week.
By: Lea Kahn
The Planning Board will meet at 8 p.m. Monday in the Lower Level Conference Room at the municipal building. A proposed developer’s agreement with Avalonbay Communities Inc. also is on the agenda.
The guiding principles in the Open Space and Recreation Plan are based on the 1995 Master Plan for Lawrence Township. The Master Plan states policies for land development and redevelopment, and also sets out a vision for the community, according to the Open Space and Recreation Plan’s executive summary.
The township has preserved 3,035 acres of land, or about 22 percent of the 14,170 acres that comprise the township. Of that amount, 736.6 acres are township-owned and subject to state Green Acres Program control. The township also owns 93.2 acres that is not subject to Green Acres Program control. Use of land purchased with Green Acres money must be approved by the state.
There is an additional 957.8 acres of other government-owned open space. Privately owned open space amounts to 886.7 acres and 271.6 acres of land in the Farmland Preservation Program. The plan also identifies parcels that should be preserved for open space.
Township voters approved a 1-cent tax to generate money for municipal open space preservation efforts in 1999. The tax raised $239,000 in 2000. Township Council also created an Open Space Committee to guide open space acquisitions.
In other business, the Planning Board expects to discuss a proposed developer’s agreement between the township and Avalonbay Communities Inc. The agreement was approved by Township Council at its March 6 meeting.
The Planning Board approved the second and final phase of the Avalon Run East rental apartment complex last year. The 312-unit Avalon Run East rental apartment complex, owned by Avalonbay Communities Inc., is located on a 70-acre tract, off Quakerbridge Road and Lawrence Station Road.
Also on the agenda are resolutions of memorialization for applications that the Planning Board had previously approved.