EAST WINDSOR: Council allows for 55-plus housing

By Jenine Clancy, Special Writer
EAST WINDSOR — The Township Council adopted a zoning ordinance at a public hearing Tuesday night that would allow a developer to construct age-restricted homes for residents 55 years old or older.
The Francis E. Parker Memorial Home Inc., plans on building the senior housing on the Hightstown border, at Monmouth Street just west of the New Jersey Turnpike.
The 56 acres of land is currently zoned for commercial use.
No more than 120 total housing units and 170 beds would be permitted under the new zoning.
Township Planner Richard Coppola said at the East Windsor Planning Board’s July 7 meeting that some residents had concerns with the building’s height, that it would be too imposing.
Mr. Coppola said the new ordinance, passed Tuesday, that the height of the three-story building was dropped from 55 ft. to 48 ft. Also, a landscape buffer zone of 25 feet was extended to 100 feet.
"I would just like to say we would like to thank East Windsor in taking our past comments into account in working on this ordinance," said Hightstown resident John Gaspar, who is on the Board of Trustees at the Enchantment Community, which is adjacent to the Parker Home project. "I think we have a good working relationship with the township and we appreciate it."
"We do appreciate adjusting the height and that’s always going been our concern," Mr. Gaspar continued. "We like to have a natural border, something which is pleasing to look at. For some us this is our backyard, and when I go onto my patio this is what I am going to see."
Parker would provide continuing care and general assisted-living services to senior citizens, Mayor Janice S. Mironov said.
"This facility would provide valuable services to the residents of our community," Ms. Mironov said. "I have visited their facilities and have seen they are a well-known, quality provider of senior services."
Parker also operates assisted-living residences in New Brunswick, Highland Park and Piscataway.
In order for the project to go forward and to start construction, Parker still has to file a Development Application with the township planning board, go through a public process and obtain development approval, Ms. Mironov said.
Once Parker gets development approval they can purchase the property from the current owners, Robertson Douglas Group.
Ms. Mironov said it was her understanding Parker had conducted negotiations with Robertson Douglas for purchase of the property.
Close to a decade ago, Robertson Douglas was approved by the town’s planning board to build 109, age-restricted, single-family units.
Ms. Mironov said they re-zoned the original commercially zoned property as age restricted for the developers.
Then, in 2009, Ms. Mironov said a new law went into effect by the state of New Jersey that enabled developers of age restricted housing to convert them non-restricted housing, thus becoming a commercial property again.
Robertson Douglas went before the East Windsor Planning Board twice, with non-age-restricted development, but was denied each time.
She said they have been in court ever since the dispute. "The Mercer County court upheld the township’s position, Douglas came back again, and prevailed, but the township appealed and is still currently in court."
The mayor told the council that the purchase by Parker would be a good thing for the township, and the township is ready to move forward.
"This path enables the township once and for all to be rid of an undesirable and unattractive residential development, which was contrary to municipal planning and zoning, and which was enabled by an outrageous state law and unprecedented, that wasted a zoning a change on the municipality and on our citizens," Ms. Mironov said.