Planning Board member Kathy Bird lists meetings, explains process
The future land use and amount of development in Hopewell Township will be the focus of three upcoming Master Plan hearings scheduled by the township Planning Board.
The hearings are scheduled for Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 23 at 10 a.m., and March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Before the hearings begin, the township Planning Board will be creating a CD-ROM and written materials to help inform members of the public about the proposed new Master Plan. Further details will be announced about the CD-ROM and written materials as they become available.
A Master Plan contains the basic statement and guiding principles for community development. It provides an overall description of how the community will look in the future, including goals and objectives for development.
A Master Plan does not contain specific zoning regulations. Only a Planning Board may adopt a municipal Master Plan, which is authorized under the state’s Municipal Land Use Law. The Township Committee adopts zoning ordinances, or local laws, to implement proposals in the Master Plan.
In order for a community to zone properly, a community must have a Master Plan that contains at least: 1.) a statement of objectives and policies; 2.) a land use plan element; and 3.) a housing plan element.
Master Plans may also have additional elements, such as a circulation plan; utility service plan; community facilities plan; recreation plan; conservation plan; economic plan; historic preservation plan; and/or recycling plan.
The township planning board and its professionals have been working on improving both the land use and conservation elements.
The Master Plan is intended to preserve, protect and enhance Hopewell Township’s natural and cultural capabilities. The land use plan element respects the capabilities of the natural characteristics of the land to accommodate development. It is essentially a road map for the future physical form of the community.
The land use plan element is the most important element of the plan, with the broadest scope and most far-reaching consequences. This shows the proposed location of land to be used in the future for varying types of residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, public, recreational and conservation purposes. This must take into account natural conditions, including topography, soil conditions, water supply, drainage, flood plain areas, marshes and woodlands.
The other key element that the Planning Board has been working on revising is the conservation plan element. It contains strategies to protect the environment. It will be designed to limit the impacts of development on our natural resources, to retain natural features, and to restore natural systems from past degradation.
Municipalities are required to review and update their Master Plans. The last revision of the township’s Master Plan was in 1992 and a "re-examination report" that reviewed the 1992 Master Plan was adopted in 1998.
A detailed understanding of the natural and cultural resources and the built environment in Hopewell Township helps to define the community’s assets and limitations. This understanding becomes the framework for decisions about which land should be developed and how, and which land should be preserved.
Here are just some facts about Hopewell Township: 65 percent of the soils have severe limitations for septic systems; 95 percent of the soils have severe or moderate- to-severe limitations for septic systems; 51 percent of the land area is used for agriculture; 43 percent of the land area is prime agricultural soil; 34 percent of the soil is of statewide importance; and 5 percent of the soil is of local importance; 38 percent of the land is covered by forests; and 59 percent of the forests are deciduous, meaning that they lose their leaves in the winter.
Woodlands and other native vegetation: produce oxygen, reduce soil erosion, slow stormwater runoff, absorb pollutants, promote aquifer recharge, or the return of water to the ground, provide plant and animal habitats, provide scenic visual quality, separate land uses, reduce noise impacts and positively affect local climate.