MONROE — The Planning Board has postponed its decision to approve the construction of 68 single-family homes near two elementary schools, pending further review by the township engineer.
The developer, Realty Management Associates, was unsuccessful in seeking approval from the board at its April 25 meeting to build homes within 200 feet from Brookside and Barclay Brook Elementary Schools on Buckelew Avenue. Township Engineer Ernie Feist cited flaws in the developer’s conceptual design of the roads that will be built within the new housing development as the main cause for the postponement.
"I wasn’t comfortable with the geometry of it," Feist said. "The design creates an uncomfortable driving situation."
According to Feist, safety was not an issue in the board’s decision to request a new road design from the developer. However, some board members questioned the developer about what it intended to do about a "dangerous curve" on a county-owned road which leads to the proposed housing development.
"At the bottom of County Road 522, there’s an extremely bad curve," said Councilman John Riggs, who also sits on the Planning Board. "I think it’s such a danger to someone; it’s something that has to be addressed now."
Riggs referred to an area on County Road 522 which merges with Buckelew Avenue to create a sharp curve. The curve is located on a small section of land in the southerly portion of the proposed housing development.
Kenneth Fears, traffic engineer for Realty Associates, told the board that the developer is not obligated to rectify the perceived problem with the curve in the road because only a section of the curve lies within the developer’s parcel of land. Fears said the developer’s section of land complies with all township building requirements.
"Frankly, it’s not our job," Fears said. "We didn’t create that problem. Modification of the curb radius is an appropriate treatment, but I don’t think it should be placed on the shoulders of this applicant."
While the developer agreed to donate to the township its portion of land where part of the curve is located, Feist said that the township cannot pursue its own plans to straighten out the curve unless it succeeds in acquiring more land near the site of the curve.
"The county would have to acquire land from homeowners," Feist said. "The curve runs across land on three properties. The county will have to negotiate with the homeowners to acquire the land, or the town would have to acquire the necessary land to smooth out the curve.
"The county may choose to do that at a future time," Feist said. "We wanted to make sure we got the land from Realty Associates."