Residents to voice opinions about possible senior center on Beekman Road
By: Paul Koepp
Residents will have a chance to give their opinions about a proposed rezoning that could allow a senior housing community to be built on Beekman Road near Route 27.
In response to concerns voiced by some residents, the Township Council postponed a vote Tuesday on whether to adopt an ordinance rezoning the 21-acre parcel from R-2.1, Single Family Residential, to ARRC, the Age Restricted Residential Community zone. Another public hearing on the ordinance will be held at the Aug. 28 council meeting, when the ordinance could be voted on.
Sometime before that, a meeting will be set up so residents can ask township professionals about additional traffic and water runoff problems that the residents say could result from building on the site owned by developer Brunswick Square at South Brunswick, council members said.
The original concept for the site, which allowed for as many as 175 units of senior housing, was based on the incorrect assumption that the parcel was 31 acres, township spokesman Ron Schmalz said Wednesday. He said that because the site is actually 21 acres, some of which may be wetlands due to a creek that runs through it, the number of units would be lower.
Area residents said at the meeting that they were worried that the proposed development would turn their yards into marshes and that senior drivers would put their kids at risk.
Herb Koenig, who lives on Williams Road adjacent to the west side of the site, said that "density in general is what I object to." He said new housing in neighboring Franklin Township had already added to traffic problems, making it nearly impossible for him to make a left turn from his street onto Route 27.
"The development in Franklin is outrageous," he said. "They’re pouring cars onto Route 27 like mad."
Mr. Koenig also said the field between his house and the site of the proposed ARRC zone has "standing water for days at a time" anytime it rains. He said he is worried that the runoff problem from a new residential development would be "significant."
Doug Dennis, a resident of Parsons Road for 23 years, agreed, saying that when Beekman Manor was built, his yard started to have serious drainage problems.
"It ruined our summers for two years," he said. "I’m sensitive to developing impervious surfaces and not having any place for the water to go."
Craig Ostroff, of Pin Oak Court, said he was mainly worried that his street would be less quiet and more dangerous if roads from the senior development were connected to it.
"You have $700,000 homes on that street with $21,000 tax bills," he said. "This would decimate the value of those homes."
Mayor Frank Gambatese said that no detailed plans have been submitted to the township for the site. The parcel was rezoned to ARRC because its proximity to shops and bus routes would make it ideal for seniors, he said.
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, and 16.65 percent of the development’s units must be deemed affordable housing.
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.
Mr. Schmalz said the township had the idea for the ARRC sites to provide an alternative to seniors in areas such as Kendall Park who wanted to sell their homes and find an affordable community in which to retire.
He said the ARRC sites were not rezoned at the request of developers, although several have expressed interest in them since their creation. Several property owners have had requests turned down by the council to have their properties rezoned to ARRC, he said.
Another ARRC site called Ovations, which is owned by Baker Residential, is planned off Major Road near Route 1. That development could include up to 166 units on 26.5 acres, Mr. Schmalz said, adding that the rest of the 86.2-acre site is not buildable because it contains wetlands. He said Baker submitted its preliminary plans July 18 to the township utility engineers, the Alaimo Group.

