Entry road to project
concerns neighbors
HOWELL — The proposed development of 37 homes on Buckalew Road is drawing opposition from neighboring homeowners who may have to contend with a road built alongside their home with no buffer zone.
Patty and Mike Wagner, whose home would abut a proposed road on one side, were at the Jan. 17 Planning Board hearing along with neighbor Dave Ackerman, whose home is on the other side of the proposed road.
The Wagners have lived in their home for about four years and Ackerman has lived in his home for more than 31 years.
The Wagners and Ackerman said they are not opposed to the Deer Run housing development, just the entrance road to the project that would come with an approximate 10-foot buffer between their home and the road.
The building company, Christopher Stephen, of Belmar, is seeking a waiver from the 50-foot buffer zone requirement in order to construct a road into the proposed development to be built along the Long Brook stream.
When finished, the development would have a detention basin that the project engineer said could be dedicated to either the township or one of the development lots. That would make the maintenance of the detention basin the responsibility of the homeowner.
There are already seven basins in the area draining into the Long Brook and flooding is a concern not only of the neighboring homeowners but many members of the Planning Board.
As the application stands, the builder wants to construct 37 homes on a 62-acre site where an existing farmhouse sits. There are no sewer or water hookups in the area and the homes would have septic systems and well water, according to the plans.
The Wagners and Ackerman also questioned the safety of the proposed entrance road as its construction is proposed at a bend in Buckalew Road, making it what they called a sight triangle safety problem.
The only alternative to the proposed road, according to project engineer William Kurtz, would be the construction of a boulevard entrance or moving the Wagners’ driveway to better open the area and allow for a larger buffer zone than the proposed 10 feet.
So-called boulevard entrances are not desirable to the township’s emergency services organizations, however, because of their narrowness due to the median that runs down the middle that makes entrance by emergency vehicles difficult. Also, once the road is dedicated to the town, the municipality becomes responsible for the maintenance of the grass and landscaping along the median.
The builder was asked by board members to plan for the inclusion of active recreation at the site, such as a tot lot and a basketball court. The matter is scheduled for further public hearing in February.