Developer to resubmit Chesterfield proposal

By Geoffrey Wertime and Stephanie Prokop, Staff Writers
CHESTERFIELD — A developer will have to restart its application to the Planning Board for a proposed residential and commercial development on Old York Road, the board decided on Tuesday night.
    The application before the board was for a development in the receiving area of the township under the town’s Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program, said Mayor Larry Durr on Wednesday. He is also a member of the Planning Board.
    Planning Board attorney Fred Hardt said Wednesday the process will have to start again for two reasons. “(Mayor Durr had) sold his (TDR) credits to the developer and disqualified himself at the first hearing,” Mr. Hardt said. “Unfortunately he sat at the table…and during his sitting there he talked to the engineer.”
    According to law, Mayor Durr said, he had to have completely stepped down from the Planning Board table.
    The other reason Mr. Hardt cited is a complaint that the audio tapes of the proceedings are inaudible. With two complaints, he said it was “time to throw in the towel.” He added that gaps may appear the end of one tape when it runs into the beginning of the next, “but rather than get a radio technician to try and show us how that operates it’s easier to do the whole thing over” with a court transcriber.
    The board voted to hold a new proceeding, obtain a court transcriber and to null and void the previous application, Planning Board secretary Linda Wills said Wednesday. Board member Thomas Leyden was the only one to vote “no” on the three issues, which were bundled together for the vote.
    The application from Chesterfield, LLC (also known as Renaissance Properties) seeks to build on two commercial lots, and put 228 single-family homes and three multi-family units on the 96.9-acre lot, for a total of 282 residential units. The commercial units would have a total of 44,970 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, and apartments above.
    Ms. Wills said the Planning Board will hold three special meetings to start the process over on Monday, Oct. 20, Tuesday, Oct. 21, and Monday, Oct. 27. The developer will reissue notices to nearby residents.
    The property is between County Route 528 and Chesterfield-Crosswicks Road.
    Mayor Durr said an Old York Road resident had objected to the application process.