By Peter Elacqua
Staff Writer
HOWELL – The Planning Board has approved an application submitted by MGD Holdings to construct The Fountains, a development of 100 age-restricted apartments on Route 9 north between Estelle Lane and Alexander Avenue.
The 100 apartments will be constructed in four buildings. The 58-acre property is between Route 9 and Maxim-Southard Road to the east. There is 295 feet of frontage on Route 9. The property is a vacant/wooded area.
MGD Holdings was represented by attorney Steven Gouin, of the firm Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, of Red Bank.
Each building at The Fountains will be four stories tall and contain 25 apartments. There will be 44 one-bedroom apartments and 56 two-bedroom apartments. The apartments will have municipal water and sewer service. Storm water runoff will be retained in two underground water infiltration basins and discharged to the existing wetlands area onsite, according to the application.
A community building/clubhouse and pool area was also approved for the development.
Access into and out of The Fountains will only be available from a right-in/right-out driveway on Route 9. There will be a total of 191 parking spaces created to serve the development.
The MGD Holdings application was approved at the board’s Jan. 19 meeting with affirmative votes from Chairman Paul Schneider, Deputy Mayor Robert Nicastro and board members Kenneth French, William Gotto, Andrew Kudrick, Thomas Russo and Brian Tannenhaus
Mayor Theresa Berger, who sits on the board, and board member Nicholas Huszar were ineligible to vote on the application because they were not sitting members when testimony began and they did not watch the video of the prior hearing.