JACKSON – Members of the Jackson Planning Board and the public have heard initial testimony on an applicant’s plan to construct 549 residences on a 129-acre tract off West Veterans Highway in the Cassville section of Jackson.
Attorney Jason Tuvel, engineer Daphne Galvin and traffic engineer Nick Verderese represented the Jackson Parke application during the board’s Nov. 16 meeting, which was conducted virtually during the ongoing 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
Specifically, board members are hearing a proposal for Jackson Parke South, after having previously approved the Jackson Parke North residential development, also in the Cassville section of Jackson.
Tuvel said the applicant is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval for Jackson Parke South. He said the project would consist of 61 single-family homes, 144 apartments and 344 townhouses.
The attorney said 100 of the proposed 144 apartments would be designated as affordable housing units.
Affordable housing is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below market rates to individuals and/or families whose income meets certain guidelines.
The developer is also proposing to construct a 6,100-square-foot clubhouse with recreational amenities including a pool and a tot lot.
Galvin testified on behalf of the applicant and said there is undeveloped land to the north of the project site and across West Veterans Highway to the south, and there are residential uses to the west, at Harvard West Drive, and also to the east.
Prospertown Road is an unimproved public right-of-way that separates the Jackson Parke South property into two parcels.
Galvin described Prospertown Road as a dirt path that “meanders in and out of the existing right-of-way and based on its condition, it appears to be used by pedestrians and ATVs.”
The property to be developed as Jackson Parke South is undeveloped and consists primarily of mixed forest uplands and wetlands.
Galvin said the Cedar Branch of the Toms River runs along the northern portion of the site, flows easterly, connects to the Pole Brook and goes under Cassville Road.
There is a flood hazard area associated with the Cedar Branch. Galvin said the applicant has obtained a Flood Hazard Area Verification from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and has no plans to disturb the regulated area.
The engineer said all permits required from the DEP regarding environmental constraints at the development site have been obtained by the applicant.
Galvin said 61 lots for single-family homes are proposed in the Jackson Parke South application. The minimum lot size for a single-family home is 9,000 square feet (1 acre is 40,000 square feet). Each home will have a two-car garage.
Second, she said the application proposes the construction of 168 townhouses in buildings that will contain four, five or six units. Parking for the townhouses is provided with two-car garages and one-car driveways, with on-street parking for guests.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Hudak asked how a home could have a two-car garage and a one-car driveway.
Galvin said that based on the width of the driveway, the driveway itself is not wide enough to get credit for the second space.
“Technically, the width that is required to get two spaces in the driveway cannot be provided. The driveway is physically wide enough for two cars to get in to access the garages, but it is not wide enough to get credit for two spaces in the driveway,” she said.
The third type of residential structure that is proposed at Jackson Parke South is what Galvin referred to as a stacked townhouse unit.
The applicant is proposing 176 stacked townhouse units in buildings of eight or 12 units. Parking is provided with a one-car garage and a one-car driveway, with on-street parking for guests.
Finally, multifamily units are proposed on the northwest corner of the site. Galvin said there would be 144 units in six buildings (24 units per building). This portion of Jackson Parke South includes 100 affordable housing units. Parking is proposed in parking lots.
She said the developer will provide areas for trash and recyclables in this section of the development.
The Jackson Parke South application was carried to the Planning Board’s Dec. 7 meeting.