UPPER FREEHOLD — Mark Remsa has some questions for the Planning Board.
The new township planner told board members at its Feb. 22 meeting to expect a questionnaire from him regarding the township’s planning and zoning processes.
A few days earlier, Remsa toured the township with members of the board. He said the area is diverse with an old village, rolling hills, wide-open landscapes and suburban areas.
The tour, the township’s master plan and other planning documents gave him a hint of what the township values, Remsa said. He aims to use officials’ answers to the questionnaire as a basis to set visions and goals for the township.
“From goals and vision comes everything else,” Remsa said.
Board members requested a build-out analysis from Remsa, who called such an analysis “a snapshot picture of status quo zoning.”
The build-out analysis would take a lot of time, according to Remsa, as it involves a lot of data and complex environmental issues. To complete it, Remsa will work with Township Engineer Glenn Gerken. The analysis will rely on data from the geographic information system (GIS) database, the tax assessor, the county and the state.
Remsa said that any zoning changes, which in the past have created much controversy, would have to come as the result of a revised master plan.
“The land-use planning element [of the master plan] is the foundation of zoning,” Remsa said. “You need to know where your town is headed in zoning. Does it match your vision?”
Remsa said any rezoning would have to take into consideration the township’s agricultural needs, rural character and economic development.
Board member Stephen Fleischacker said the board did not want to reinvent the wheel.
“My biggest concern is timing,” Fleischacker said. “The community thinks we are spinning our wheels.”
Fleischacker, who was elected to the Township Committee in November, ran on a platform of creating a voluntary development moratorium. He wants a comprehensive study done to address the potential for variable lot zoning within the township.
Board member Barry Wright said the township hired Remsa for a fresh viewpoint.
“Maybe we need to reinvent the wheel a little,” Wright said. “I like to see the planner as a fresh set of eyes.”
Board member Joe Toscano said the board needs a fresh start.
“We all seem to forget we are the Planning Board, and a lot of what happens in this township should come through this board,” Toscano said, adding that Remsa has the opportunity “to make this board shine again.”
Remsa said he wouldn’t reinvent, but instead would refine what has gone on before. He told the board to look over the vision statement it adopted last year. He also said he would like to revisit Imlaystown, as the village off Route 526 is on the National Register of Historic Places and on Preservation New Jersey’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Sites for 2004.
The draft questionnaire could go to officials at the board’s next meeting, Remsa said.
— Jane Meggitt