By Jeanette M. Eng
Staff Writer
MARLBORO — The issue of rezoning the Marlboro Airport property was once again a topic of discussion before members of the Township Council at a recent meeting.
The airport property is owned by Marlboro Holdings, LLC, of Staten Island, N.Y. Recently, that company and others with an interest in properties near the airport filed a lawsuit against the township seeking relief under state Council On Affordable Housing guidelines.
Developer Anthony Spalliero, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, previously told the News Transcript he wants to build 240 single-family age-restricted homes on the airport property and two adjacent tracts.
The airport closed in late September.
The Planning Board has made a recommendation to the council to rezone the airport property from 2-acre residential lots to an adult community zone.
The council — which has the final authority in matters of zoning — has not acted on that recommendation.
During the public portion of the council’s Nov. 15 meeting, resident Jay Thorpe brought up his concerns about the proposed rezoning.
"If there is such an outcry from the religious leaders, the education people and other residents, why don’t you [the council], just say ‘no’?" he asked.
Mayor Matthew Scannapieco then asked council members about their intentions on the application.
"I agree that we should not waste the taxpayers’ money if we are not going to move forward with this application," he said.
Members of the council voiced concerns over making a decision about the proposed rezoning without having the information they felt was necessary.
It was proposed at an October council meeting that studies on traffic, environmental issues and build-out impact be conducted before making any decisions.
Council President Dr. Paul Kovalski Jr. said he wanted to use studies conducted by independent companies.
"I want to get new views on this issue," he said.
Engineer Bruce Rydel from CME Associates is expected to address the issue of the proposed studies at an upcoming council meeting.
Thorpe said the opinions of the citizens are clear.
"If this council truly represents its constituents, the constituents have spoken; you need to act on that," he said.
In a later interview, Kovalski stressed his intentions to address this issue without "bowing to builders’ pressure."
"I want to make this decision, whatever it ends up being, a very thoughtful and cautious decision, made with the citizens’ best interest in mind," he said.
In other business at the meeting, members of the Manalapan-Marlboro Post 972 Jewish War Veterans presented the council with a POW-MIA flag.
"We are glad to have been invited here, especially since our headquarters are right here in Marlboro," said JWV representative Julian Batlan.
Scannapieco, referring to another ceremony the veterans had taken part in at Asher Homes Elementary School, said the veterans always "performed with professionalism, precision and respect."
Marlboro was also honored as the recipient of the 2002 John Harvey Memorial Award, presented by the Monmouth County GIS Management Office, for demonstrating excellence in the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Marlboro was praised for its use of GIS to streamline internal processes and develop on-line services. Within New Jersey, Marlboro’s engineering department stands at the forefront of municipal GIS use, township engineer Bill Schultz said.
And, members of the council discussed the sale of liquor licenses. The 2000 census showed an increase in population in Marlboro, so the council has been given permission to sell four additional licenses: three consumption licenses and one distribution license. The board is compiling a list of all the applicants for the licenses and will meet again before making any decisions about whom to sell the licenses to.
"It’s very important to me that we have control over what type of business we sell the liquor license to," Kovalski said.