Higher-density senior zone mulled

Township Council considers retirement community for Beekman Road near Route 27.

By: Paul Koepp
   Township Council members want to keep South Brunswick’s seniors in town by providing them with affordable and accessible communities in which to retire and live.
   The council took another step toward providing those communities at its June 26 meeting when it introduced an ordinance rezoning a 31-acre parcel on Beekman Road, making it an Age Restricted Residential Community zone. The ordinance could be adopted at the July 24 council meeting.
   The site, near the intersection of Beekman Road and Route 27, could provide about 175 units for people over the age of 55, according to preliminary plans by the developer, Brunswick Square at South Brunswick. Under the rules of the ARRC zone, 16.65 percent of the development’s units must be deemed affordable housing.
   The Township Council has moved forward other plans in recent meetings to address traffic and pedestrian issues around the intersection, including approving a $62,5000 contract with engineering firm CME Associates to add a left-turn lane only lane to Beekman Road.
   Township officials have also met with several Beekman Road residents to obtain easements for an extension of the bike path that currently ends at Veterans Park. Council members say these actions will help the area accommodate the Brunswick Square development.
   The ARRC zone provides for multifamily dwellings for seniors with low and moderate incomes. According to the zone’s rules, a development must be at least 15 acres, with a maximum density of eight housing units per acre, up to a maximum total of 250.
   Each ARRC site must have a buffer of at least 30 feet or a distance equal to 1.5 times the height of the tallest building. The maximum building height is 55 feet.
   In addition, no less than 40 percent of the site must be set aside as open space, and a system of streets and sidewalks lined with shade trees must be provided.
   Councilman Chris Killmurray was the only council member who voted against the Beekman Road rezoning, with Councilwoman Carol Barrett absent. Mr. Killmurray has consistently opposed the ARRC zones despite what he calls the "good intentions" behind them.
   Mr. Killmurray said he has concerns about the density and buffer in the zone. He said that while the council should proceed cautiously in creating more ARRC zones, they could serve the community well.
   "It’s the kind of thing where if it turns out five years down the line that I’m wrong, I won’t mind it," he said.
   Councilman Charlie Carley said he agreed that the council should not approve ARRC zones "willy-nilly" until the market demand for them is proven.
   "If you have four or five that go bust, then you’re saddled with neighborhoods that don’t work," he said. "If the ones we have are wild successes, then we could do another one or two."
   Mr. Carley pointed out that construction has only recently begun in developments in another senior housing zone, the Planned Adult Residential Community zone, PARC, which was created almost 10 years ago.
   "It takes a while to see how it pans out," he said, adding that the priority is to give seniors an affordable place to retire. "Seniors add a lot to the town, and when they want to downsize and move into the condo lifestyle, we should have products available for them."
   In addition, the council declined last week to consider the ARRC designation for another parcel, owned by Orleans Builders and Developers and located on Route 27 between Gateway Boulevard in the Highgate development and Old Road in Little Rocky Hill.
   Council members said the ARRC developments will help the township meet its obligations in the state Council on Affordable Housing’s third round, in which the township will be required to provide about 600 affordable units.
   A state appeals court ruling in January threw out some of COAH’s rules, and the township is waiting for the new rules that will determine its affordable housing obligation.
   Councilman Joe Camarota estimated that seniors could buy a 1,100- to 1,500-square-foot condo in an ARRC development for around $200,000, which could enable them to sell their current homes at a profit. He also said the ARRC zone would provide seniors with amenities like a community center and a pool, as well as easy access to public transportation.
   "If you look at places like Kendall Park, a lot of people don’t want to maintain that kind of home anymore, with the yard work and everything else," he said. "It’s not fair to make them move to another state to find affordable housing."
   One parcel that was previously rezoned to ARRC, on land owned by Baker Residential, is located on Major Road near Route 1. It would provide 166 units, according to preliminary plans.
   Another ARRC development with 133 units was planned for a site that straddles Route 522 near Route 1. However, the developer, Matzel and Mumford, has recently told township planners it would like to build a different style of development with larger units at a lower density. However, the builder would still have to fulfill the 16.65 percent ARRC affordable housing requirement.
   Matzel and Mumford was acquired by Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., in 1999. Hovnanian is building a Four Seasons development with 192 units off Georges Road in Dayton in the PARC zone.
   The PARC zone was created in the late 1990s to provide communities where residents aged 55 and older could retire. The zone’s rules call for single-family detached dwellings, with a maximum density of four units per acre and a buffer of at least 50 feet. The minimum tract size is 100 acres, and the maximum building height is 35 feet.
   The township created the ARRC zone to supplement senior housing because most PARC units are not affordable, council members said.
   Other PARC sites include Princeton Manor by Toll Brothers, with 349 units on Old Road, and the 210-unit Villagio development on Stouts Lane.
   About 190 units of senior housing are also being built on Schalks Crossing Road by Millennium Homes. The development, which is not in a PARC or ARRC zone but was granted a use variance in the Office Research zone, is called The Pointe at Turnbury.