BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
Although the final decision is a week old, residents continue to debate the North Brunswick Planning Board’s approval of a planned adult community on the site of the Pulda farm.
Residents aired their concerns at the Township Council meeting on Monday
“I feel a little bit happy, but sad,” said Ben Galioto, spokesman for the North Brunswick Residents Against High Density Housing [NBR]. “I feel vindicated because I said it was too expensive. I am sad because seniors looking forward to it are going to be hard-pressed to live there.”
“It befuddles me. Com-pounded with association fees, taxes will be about $10,000 per year. Now, in retrospect, 75 single-family homes weren’t that bad,” he continued.
Litigation is still pending, according to Township Attorney Ronald Gordon, on the civil action lawsuit filed by the nonprofit NBR against the Township Council and Planning Board on Sept. 16. On Aug. 2, the council voted 4-2 to change the zoning of the Pulda farm from R-1 (single-family residential), which it had been designated for over 30 years, to PAC (planned adult community).
Gordon would not allow the council members to speculate on what would happen if NBR won its case and/or the Pulda family was willing to sell to the township, due to the impending litigation.
Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack clarified why the township chose to develop the property in the manner that it did.
“Mr. Pulda entered into a contract with a developer outside of the control of the township. It was originally rezoned for residential housing. We needed to act when we did because the developer had the right [to build] due to prior zoning. Either we could have kids put into the school system or we could have a planned adult community,” he said.
Council Vice President and Planning Board member Robert Davis reminded the public that the contract was legally processed.
“There were no variances brought up. If [the Planning Board] voted against [the application] there would have been an automatic lawsuit,” he said.
Resident Joyce Zimmerman was consistently in favor of the community; however, she is displeased by the structure of the buildings.
“Single-family ranches are not an option, which is what I was looking for,” she said. “This is the only development I have visited [in which] lofts are not an option but are mandatory. I don’t want to go up and down stairs. I am totally disappointed. This is not for seniors at all.”
“There are no strictly one-story ranches,” said Director of Community Development Thomas Vigna. “However, I believe each of the single-family units is designed with a master bedroom on the first floor.”
“Why should I have to pay for a loft that I don’t need? I’m trying to downsize, not upsize,” Zimmerman said. “Lofts are not an option. Ain’t that a crime? I’ve been trying to move there for four years.”
“There were a lot of people who wanted to move out of their home and downsize,” said Davis. “That is why a choice of a townhouse or flat was taken into consideration. We’re trying to give seniors alternatives.”
The impact on Farrington Lake was another concern. Joe Eichert cited a December 2004 study of the lake by the Omni Environmental Corporation. He stated that the report does not support development on the Pulda farm.
“Fecal coliform, from mostly humans, already exceeds the norm by more than 15 times,” he said.
“This is the first time I’m aware of this report,” said Womack. “However, North Brunswick does not own Farrington Lake, New Brunswick does. New Brunswick uses it as a backup water supply. We don’t get any of our water from the lake. North Brunswick gets its water from the Delaware and Raritan Canal out of Franklin Township where our water plant is, down by Finnegans Lane.”
Though Womack said residents should certainly be aware of the impact of any development on the Pulda farm, he said he has never seen a study showing that a planned adult community has more of an adverse effect on the surrounding area than 75 single-family homes. Additionally, the mayor said pesticides from a farm can be more dangerous to a lake.
“One thing Mark Hommer, of the Environmental Commission, has said, is that one of the worst things to do is leave [the property] as a traditional non-organic farm because pesticides are terrible for a lake like Farrington. Fertilizers cause algae and other problems,” he said.
Some residents are still concerned about the solidity of age requirements being upheld in the event the homes do not sell.
“If the developer cannot sell he cannot change [the age restrictions] without an ordinance,” said Gordon. “The Planning Board can make suggestions but only the council can adopt a zone ordinance.”
“I would never vote to change [the age] because I am for it too much,” said Davis. “Fifty-five-year-old residents and 21-year-old children — the amount of taxes we’ll get from that will help everyone in the community,” he said.
On the contrary, resident Mindy Angstrich feels the development is not beneficial to the township.
“This has been wrong since day one. All along we were told the rezoning of this beautiful, prestigious property was going to be affordable for the seniors of this town,” Angstrich said.
“We all know the lakefront property in North Brunswick is not affordable for most residents. We were fooled into thinking this was for our town and was rezoned so the senior citizens who wanted to stay in North Brunswick could stay in this town,” she said.
“A number of people got up to this podium, but all of the resistance didn’t matter. People voted the way they wanted to vote,” she added.
Resident Jim McGeary felt the entire voting process was rushed without consideration for the residents.
“I think this was pushed through too prematurely. There was a whole room of people [opposed] versus three people for it. This is not being built for seniors,” he said.