Way behind schedule, it affects Strathmere, B.L. England site and more
By BILL BARLOW/Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – Even before COVID-19 threw all plans into disarray, Upper Township’s work on its master plan was behind schedule. That includes consideration of proposed zoning changes for the beachfront Strathmere section of the township.
The township Planning Board was most recently set to discuss its master plan reexamination on March 19, but that meeting was canceled in compliance with Gov. Phil Murphy’s declaration of a state of emergency related to the pandemic.
Before that, the process already met several delays, including the death of James Kelly, the well-liked and respected chairman of the Planning Board, and the resignation of another board member.
Since then, new members have been appointed, and former vice chairman Joseph Haney has been named the new chairman, with Gary Riordan now the vice chairman.
It’s been almost a year since proposed changes to zoning in Strathmere drew the ire of some property owners. Supporters of the change said they were aimed at addressing density issues in that section of the township, but some owners feared the changes would damage their property values.
In May 2019, Township Committee withdrew a zoning amendment after several property owners objected at a meeting. At that time, Mayor Richard Palombo promised there would be more input from owners as zoning changes were reconsidered.
According to township engineer Paul Dietrich, the concerns raised over the last proposed amendment were incorporated into the latest version of the proposed ordinance amendment.
But there is far more in the master plan to discuss than Strathmere. The plan looks at issues throughout the township, including at the Marmora town center and affordable housing, along with conservation and transportation in the township.
The reexamination report also looks at the site of the B.L. England electric generating plant, which closed a year ago. The report, available on the township website, suggests the 487-acre site could be redeveloped.
“The site should be considered for an advanced redevelopment designation,” the report reads. It suggests the creation of a comprehensive waterfront town center, permitting marinas and “resort-oriented entertainment uses.”
The site is under consideration as a landing point for power generated by the planned offshore wind farm.
“The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recently approved our request to purchase capacity interconnection rights, known as CIRs, for our offshore wind project, Ocean Wind,” said Gabriel Martinez, a spokesman for Ørsted, the company set to construct the project.
The company already had approvals to bring power to the idled Oyster Creek nuclear plant. The former plants have the infrastructure in place to add the wind-generated electricity to the power grid.
But it is not certain that the Upper Township site will be chosen.
“The board’s action provides our project with additional certainty in the interconnection process and advances our efforts to secure the option of connecting Ocean Wind to the existing electrical grid infrastructure located at retired generating station, B.L. England, in Upper Township,” reads a prepared statement from Martinez. The B.L. England site remains just one of the potential options for interconnection for the project.
For Strathmere, the plan envisions new limits to the height and size of residential buildings as well as raising roads and other infrastructure to address persistent flooding.
“Over the past year, the township Planning Board has worked with members of the Strathmere community to update the current land use ordinances regulating development on the island,” states the report. “There are unique conditions that influence development on the island that are not present on the mainland and this has resulted in special attention to portions of the land development ordinance.”
By law, municipalities must regularly review their master plans. The plans are distinct from the local zoning ordinance, and do not set building limits or establish zones. They are instead a broader outline of the local concerns and priorities to be addressed through zoning law.
The plan will also guide future zoning amendments, including the potential amendment to the zoning ordinance as it applies to Strathmere.
The Planning Board had expected to complete its review of the plan and have it ready for adoption by February, with the zoning amendments then sent back to Township Committee for introduction as an ordinance.
Plans are now to discuss the report at the April 16 meeting, set to be held remotely, and to gather public input at that meeting. Residents and other interested people will be able to listen in to the meeting by phone or participate electronically. According to Dietrich, that will include a chance for members of the public to speak to the board.
The township Zoning Board has met remotely, and the Township Committee’s recent meetings have also been held remotely, first by phone and over the internet on Monday.
Township staff members worked with committee members and with members of the board and held test runs to make sure the meetings go smoothly.
For the April 2 Zoning Board meeting, no one was in Township Hall.
“It’s a 100 percent virtual meeting,” Dietrich said.
The members of the Planning and Zoning boards need to be able to see the applicant, he said, so those meetings need a video capability to be held remotely.
“For the board members, it’s really not that different” meeting remotely, Dietrich said. Paper copies of applications are distributed to board members in advance. “Whether they’re sitting at their kitchen table or in their office or at Township Hall, it’s pretty much the same.”
Public input is a required part of the master plan process.