HOWELL — The Township Council has adopted an ordinance that changes permitted uses in the Highway Development (HD-3) zone on Route 33 in Howell.
The ordinance provides for the revision of some principal uses in the zone.
According to the ordinance, the purpose of the HD-3 zone is “to provide for highway development along highway corridors that will provide a balance of social, economic and cultural opportunities for residents while maximizing existing transportation and other infrastructure along highway corridors.”
The principal uses for the HD-3 zone will still permit offices; however, the offices must be for business, professional, medical, governmental or educational services, according to the ordinance.
Other permitted principal uses include financial institutions, retail sales and services, medical centers, restaurants with or without drive-up facilities, age-restricted single-family homes and adult daycare facilities.
One key revision to the permitted principal uses is the elimination of hospitals being allowed in the zone. According to municipal officials, there is not enough land for a hospital to be built.
Accessory uses in the HD-3 zone that will still be permitted are conditional uses such as houses of worship, daycare facilities, telecommunication facilities and gasoline station convenience centers.
Eliminated from the conditional uses are schools, commercial breeders, dog kennels, shelters, pounds, dog-training facilities and pet shops, according to the ordinance.
Township Attorney McKenna Torcivia said existing businesses on Route 33 that do not conform to the revised ordinance will not be forced from their location.
Another amendment to the ordinance is the elimination of planned mixed-use development which is a large parcel of land with commercial aspects, housing and areas that allow enough walking room, according to municipal officials.
According to the ordinance, age-restricted family development requires a minimum tract of 40 acres. No residential structure will be allowed to be closer than 400 feet to Route 33. A berm with landscaping and decorative fencing will be required along the frontage of the development’s property that is along the state highway.
In other business on April 20, the council adopted an ordinance that amends the maximum number of dwellings in a planned mixed use (PMU) zone. The ordinance was introduced on April 6.
The PMU zone is on Route 9 North at Sunnyside Road on the former site of the Cutler-Rubenstein egg farm and the current site of the Verdana residential community.
According to the ordinance, a maximum of 272 dwellings will be permitted in the zone, with a maximum commercial square footage of 30,000 square feet, a maximum of 30 percent building coverage, and a maximum of 70 percent impervious coverage.
An additional 46 fair market rate units, with a set-aside of six affordable housing units, will be provided. In the event that 44 fair market rate units are approved, there will be a set-aside of four affordable housing units.
Affordable housing is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below-market prices to people whose income meets regional guidelines established by the state.