near Matchaponix Ave.
MONROE — A developer is one step closer to building a single-family development known as Monroe Meadows South near Matchaponix Avenue.
At the Planning Board meeting on Oct. 24, developer Royal Realty received preliminary major subdivision approval to build 21 single-family homes. The subdivision was pared down from the 24 units that were originally planned.
Royal Realty is making use of the township’s clustering option, which allows for each home to be built closer together on half-acre lots. Acreage that is not used is dedicated to the township for open space.
"They chose the cluster option, which means the three-quarter-acre lots are clustered down to R-20 standard, one-half-acre lots," said Township Engineer Ernest Feist. The property is located in an R-30 residential zone.
"The balance (of the property) goes to the township," he said.
"They meet the spirit of the cluster ordinance," said Planning Board Attorney Jerome Convery.
Royal Realty came before the board previously and presented maps that called for the creation of 24 homes. It presented a yield map which included the 24 homes and lots.
"Upon review of the subdivision map and yield map, it was determined that the current landowner, which is not Royal Realty, was going to retain 4 acres that had been included in the original yield map," Feist said.
"We felt the yield map was not valid," Feist said. "They needed to exclude that 4 acres as not available for development."
Royal Realty representatives met with the township’s technical review committee and agreed to take the 4.2 acres off the maps.
"By revising the plans, we lost three extra lots," said Sharif Aly, engineer for Royal Realty, at last week’s planning board meeting.
The current owner will keep the 4.2 acres, but Feist said it is unlikely that they can be subdivided.
"He can make any request he’d like," Feist said. "The landowner can come back at a later date, but it is difficult to subdivide any further due to the configuration."
At the meeting, Aly said the 4.2 acres cannot be used for cluster housing because that would be a violation of a township ordinance. Feist said the ordinance requires a property to be at least 15 acres in order for it to be clustered.
By agreeing to exclude the three lots, Royal Realty resolved another concern held by township officials.
Feist said the three lots are located at the end of a cul de sac and near detention basins.
"We wanted to own the land with access to the detention basins," he said.
Township officials also discarded a proposal by Royal Realty to use an existing row of trees in lieu of landscaping and buffer requirements, Feist said.
The developer had asked if — instead of providing a 60-foot landscape buffer as is required by township ordinance — the berm and landscape requirements could be waived.
"We inspected and decided it didn’t constitute a berm and buffer, so we requested full landscaping as required by ordinance," Feist said.
— Vincent Todaro

