By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
EDISON — The Township Council approved the Clara Barton Redevelopment Plan at the Aug. 24 meeting, although residents continued to express a number of concerns about how the town plans to proceed regarding issues such as parking.
The process has taken the better part of a year, now culminating with a final plan from planners Heyer, Gruel & Associates. However, residents have had reservations from the beginning, particularly in regard to how additional development would impact what they felt was already limited parking and school capacity.
Residents continued to question how the township would handle parking during the Aug. 24 meeting.
Officials maintain that the plan simply gives the township and developers options and recommendations for addressing the needs of the area. It does not dictate which projects will go forward. They said the issues residents have will be handled on a case-by-case basis as development applications come before the town. “It’s extending the options of how we make Clara Barton better,” Councilman Alvaro Gomez said of the plan, and he encouraged residents to keep an open mind.
However, resident Esther Nemitz said she was disappointed that officials felt the plan was in a position to be voted on when she felt issues raised by residents were not addressed in it. Township attorney Bill Northgrave assured her that all comments were shared and discussed with the administration, and if they were agreed with, were put in the plan.
Nemitz said she was dissatisfied by the process.
“I think it’s very disappointing when you say that you’re going to have public hearings, and people come and talk to you and give their input about what they feel are important things to consider, problems that are going to be coming up as a result of the plan, and then nothing is taken into account about it and no changes are made regarding any of the input that we get,” she said. She added that she felt Heyer, Gruel & Associates presented the same plan at every meeting regardless of resident feedback, pointing to building height and setback guidelines in the plan that she felt far exceeded what residents wanted.
“It’s like they haven’t really listened to us even though they’ve had these meetings,” she said.
She said she and others would be back to fight about these issues at the various application hearings. Her comments were followed by some applause from the audience.
Ahead of the vote, Councilman Leonard Sendelsky said he was voting for the plan because he felt the recommendations in it would properly incentivize developers to build in the area and give the area its “best chance for growth.” However, he cautioned that approval of the plan wasn’t a green light for developers to immediately start breaking ground.
“This is a long and deliberate process,” he said.
Councilman Ajay Patil said he would vote yes even though he agreed that the plan did not fully address residents’ concerns. “It’s a great beginning,” he said, but encouraged finding solutions to the issues at hand.
The plan was approved by all, except for Councilman Joe Coyle, who abstained.