LAWRENCE: Townhouses get nod after lengthy hearings

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
After months of public hearings and several revised plans, the Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a use variance to permit 28 townhouse units at the rear of the Lawrenceville Garden Apartments complex, at 180 Franklin Corner Road.
    The board voted 5-2 to grant the use variance at its March 18 meeting. Board members Stephen Brame and Leona Maffei voted against it.
    A use variance was required because the density exceeded the maximum of 10 units per acre allowed under the township’s land use ordinance. The 166-unit rental apartment complex, located on a 12.3-acre parcel, has a density of 13.5 units per acre. The addition of 28 units would increase the density.
    The applicant, Berks-Cohen Associates at Lawrenceville Garden Apartments LLC, must return to the board with a site plan application. That application has not yet been submitted.
    The application approved last week calls for 14 one-bedroom townhouse units and 14 two-bedroom townhouse units. All would have a one-car garage incorporated into the building. The units would be divided among four new buildings at the rear of the property.
    As a condition of the approval, the board stipulated eight of the existing 166 apartments would be set aside for low- and moderate-income households. Half of the units would be for low-income households and half for moderate-income households. The units would be deed-restricted for that purpose.
    Kendra Lelie, the applicant’s planner, told the board last week that her client plans to upgrade the existing rental apartments if the use variance is granted. Those upgrades would include improvements to the electrical and plumbing systems as well as new energy efficient kitchen appliances and laundry equipment.
    New roofs and new windows also are planned. New landscaping would be installed, including street trees and shrubs along Franklin Corner Road, and a new recreational trail for pedestrians and bicyclists would be created on the property. The parking lot also would be improved, and a dog park would be built.
    “A 1960s apartment building is a lot different than a 2000s apartment building,” Ms. Lelie told the board. “They didn’t think about recreation when they were planning this (apartment) community in 1960. These are upgrades that people want to see in a living situation in 2009.”
    Attorney Gary Rosenzweig, who represented the applicant, said the applicant-owner would work out a system to accommodate tenants while their units are being remodeled. One possibility is to temporarily relocate the tenant in another apartment while work is under way, he said.
    Township planning consultant Brian Slaugh questioned Ms. Lelie about the increase in density and why it would be permissible.
    She told him “it is site specific” and added the applicant “is not negatively affecting anyone who lives near the area.”
    When the meeting was opened to public comment, Richard Danek, who has lived at the apartment complex for 10 years, said he would “welcome any type of upgrade.” He praised the owner-applicant for maintaining the property.
    Michael Cobb, who lives on Copperfield Drive, in The Gatherings age-restricted development, adjacent to the apartment complex, expressed concern about the additional traffic generated by the new units and that it might lead to more congestion on Franklin Corner Road.
    Mr. Cobb, who said he is a planner, also said he was concerned about the increased density. He questioned whether granting the use variance would set a precedent for other developments in the apartment/townhouse zone. The Lawrenceville Garden Apartments is located in the A/T zone.
    During the board’s deliberations, Mr. Brame — who voted no — said he objected to the proposal to build 16-foot-wide townhouses. The zoning ordinance calls for a minimum width of 20 feet.
    Mr. Brame also said he was concerned about the increased density and its long-term impact on the township. There may be more children living in the apartment complex, and there would more demand for municipal services, he said.
    Mr. Lavine agreed with Mr. Brame about the questionable 16-foot width and the viability of the development if it were a for-sale condominium complex. But given that it is a rental complex in a bedroom community, it has a “very, very good” location, he said.
    “It’s a unique situation,” he said. “There is an urgent need to have the interiors upgraded. I’m not enamoured of it, (but) just because we grant one, doesn’t mean we would do it for others.”
    Ms. Maffei, who cast the other “no” vote, acknowledged the increased density is a tradeoff for improvements, but she added she would like the new townhouses to be wider — perhaps 18 feet wide.