Planners OK age-restricted development

Construction of 209 needs DEP approval

By: Marisa Maldonado
   EAST WINDSOR — The construction of 209 units of age-restricted housing received final approval from the Planning Board this week, pending an OK from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
   The development of single-family houses, which would be built on the site of a former paint-drying facility on Probasco Road, underwent additional soil testing because of high lead levels found in the soil during soil testing done two years ago, according to township records.
   The original results showed levels as high as 781 milligrams per kilogram. The more recent testing of 20 soil samples showed that the lead levels are safe enough for construction, said Ralph J. Orlando, a site engineer with Schoor de Palma, who appeared before the Planning Board on Monday night.
   A level of 400 milligrams per kilogram is considered acceptable by state standards.
   Mr. Orlando said officials plan to write to the DEP this week asking for a letter of remediation, which would clear the builders of any additional environmental testing obligations.
   No starting date for construction has been set, Mayor Janice Mironov said Thursday. The Planning Board first must enter into a developer’s agreement with the Township Council.
   Some nearby residents have expressed concern about the development’s potential effect on their neighborhood. One Probasco Road resident said at Monday’s Planning Board meeting that she is concerned storm water from the development would drain onto her street, causing flooding which is already a problem for neighbors.
   "Sometimes floods come up on our lawns," the woman said. "That’s a big concern."
   The development’s storm water basin plan would prevent flooding on Probasco Road, said Henry Kent-Smith, an attorney representing Toll Brothers, the developer of the project.
   In addition to the houses, the development would include tennis courts and a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse. In addition, the township would acquire valued open space if the project comes to fruition, as Toll Brothers would donate about 38 acres of wetlands.
   Also at Monday’s meeting, the Planning Board continued to review an application for the construction of 53 single-family houses on the 47-acre site of the former East Windsor Speedway.
   Representatives of the Robertson Douglas Group, which would build the development, brought results of environmental studies requested by the Planning Board at its Oct. 17 meeting.
   Soil samples taken from the racetrack in 2001 showed that the soil contained petroleum levels of 2,670 parts per million, said project manager Rich Pagano. Any level below 10,000 parts per million is considered acceptable, he said.
   Test samples collected in 2002 showed the site contained acceptable levels of pesticides, arsenic and lead, and follow-up samples earlier this year confirmed this, Mr. Pagano added.
   "I would have expected a little higher (levels)," he said. "Especially at the racetracks."
   The Planning Board is expected to continue its review of the application at its Dec. 5 meeting.