5-4 against raising minimum to 4 acres
Officials split vote
5-4 against raising minimum to 4 acres
By jane meggitt
Staff Writer
The Upper Freehold Township Planning Board finally ruled last week on the issue that has been one of the most hotly contested topics during the two-year-long master plan review.
By a 5-4 vote, the board decided against amending the master plan to raise the minimum lot size in the agricultural residential zone from 2 to 4 acres.
Mayor David Horsnall, Dianne Kelley, Daniel Van Voorhis and James Search voted in support of changing to 4-acre zoning, while Deputy Mayor William Miscoski, Chairman Richard Stern, Richard Bullock, Ivan Olinsky and Joseph Toscano voted to keep the zoning at the current 2 acres per lot.
Some board members explained the reason for their vote at the meeting.
Miscoski said, "I don’t think 2 or 4 acres is the answer. We need something like a town center. Put housing in one spot and save farmland. It won’t stop at 4 [acres]. People are saying let’s go to 6 to 10 acres. The farmer is getting scared. He’ll want to sell out now.
"The only thing in town keeping it rural is the farmers. I’m so sick of the farmer-bashing we’re getting. These farmers made [Upper Freehold] what it is," he added.
Horsnall commented, "Attention has been given to housing, affordable housing, starter homes — but when we started this process, it was with the idea of preserving open space to be used by farmers for the agricultural industry. It was never meant to be a house on every 4 acres. It was developed as 4 acres with cluster [provisions]. You get the appearance, and the end result [preserved farmland]. I have to discount the work by the appraiser for the United Landowners of Upper Freehold — it dealt with 4 acres in an area already zoned for 2 acres."
Horsnall said the appraiser did not speak of the end use of the portion as a cluster zone.
"Water quality and quality of life are all important. We’ve got to take steps that will preserve open space. I’m in favor of 4 acres with the cluster," the mayor said.
He added, "There are a number of processes in place. We have [an open space] tax of 4 cents; we just passed a bond ordinance allocating $2 million to preserve land. If we’re successful, we can acquire a piece of land and sell it back to the farmers, and we can put the money back into it [the land fund]. It’s a win/win. We can’t tread water — we are ripe for the pickings. Chances won’t be there later."
Board Chairman Richard Stern, who is a farmer, said, "If you do the cluster zoning, you’ll put it on the best piece of ground. You can’t make a living farming marginal land. We should be talking to the state, the county, and people who have the money to preserve this town. [The zoning change] is not a good thing for agriculture."
Board member Dianne Kelley cited the state’s municipal land use law, which "promotes the establishment of appropriate population densities and the preservation of the environment." She further cited the 1994-95 township land use element of the master plan, with its emphasis on "maintaining a rural, country atmosphere, to prevent suburban spread, limit excessive rate of development, which would create a need for services and infrastructure."
Kelley noted that the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, adopted in March 2001, listed almost the entire town in either the "rural planning" or "environmentally sensitive" areas. She pointed out the percent increase in Upper Freehold’s population within the past decade.
"Developers need to increase inventory," she said. "The surrounding communities are either built out or increasing the minimum lot size, making us more attractive." She said she believed large landowners would still retain value in their land with 4 acre/cluster zoning, and voted for its passage.
Vice Chairman Daniel Van Voorhis said he was concerned about the farmers, but also about the potential for development, since many more applications have come before the Planning Board. He observed that Township Planner Richard Coppola, "whom we’ve hired to give us his expert opinion," supported the 4-acre/cluster option.
"It gives something to the farmers but helps rein in development," he said.