Idea is to cut cost to the applicants and the city
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK
Sentinel staff
LINWOOD — Getting approval for a development project in Linwood just got a little easier.
Councilman Eric Ford proposed creation of a technical review committee so that residents could meet somewhat informally with city officials to discuss planning and zoning issues. During a meeting Wednesday, Jan. 27, he also suggested making it simpler — and less costly — to get the OK to have solar panels mounted on the roof of a home or business.
City Council approved both resolutions, which are intended to streamline the process and cut down on the cost to both the applicant and the city.
Ford said he got the idea for the technical review committee from Egg Harbor Township, where it helps people get information before moving forward with a project and reduces the number of applicants that go before the boards.
“If somebody has an idea — say the Bloom property that has been sitting vacant. What Scarborough (Properties) was proposing there fell through. If he wanted to do something, it provides a consistent outlet for him to sign up, get on the agenda and come to the committee with whatever idea he may have,” Ford said, noting all of the development entities in the city would be at the same table to discuss the proposition and address its pros and cons.
“Although we don’t give an approval — it’s just purely guidance — it has the development minds of the municipality as part of that meeting and it will allow that applicant to get some good, sound advice to make an application and move through the normal planning board stages,” Ford said, adding that the applicant could avoid making application completely by learning their proposal likely would not be approved.
“If they wanted to do something quirky in their yard or to their house, rather than hiring an attorney, paying for a variance application, you can go in front of the technical review committee and ask the questions and get the guidance.”
He said it would benefit the city by taking some of the workload off City Clerk Leigh Ann Napoli.
“I like to call her an octopus, but I think all eight of her arms are used right now,” Ford said, noting that Angie Marshall, the technical assistant to the construction official, or TACO, has been very busy as well.
“Due to the pandemic, everybody is trying to be comfortable in their home,” said Marshall, who has been with the city for about a year.
Ford said one side effect of the pandemic is that a lot of people are taking on home-improvement projects, making both the clerk and TACO very busy.
“If we can do something and create a process that takes something off their plate, gives people a consistent avenue to ask questions and happens once a month, twice a month, I think it’s good for the city,” Ford said. “It’s an avenue to help not hinder.”
He said the committee would include the mayor, a member of City Council, chairman of the planning and zoning board, city engineer and solicitor, and could cut down on applications to the board that could be settled out of hand or avoided all together.
There would be a set meeting time each month when members of the public could meet with the committee after having scheduled in advance. Ford said if the schedule were light, people may be able to get on the agenda as late as the day of the meeting.
He said he expects about 80 percent of inquiries to involve commercial development such as the Bloom property on Route 9, the former bank next door and the lot next to the post office.
But there will be residential participants as well, he said, offering a hypothetical example of a homeowner with a pre-existing nonconforming lot who wanted to add a detached garage. The homeowner could meet with the committee for guidance and be able to determine whether the project were even feasible or what steps would need to be taken to make it so.
“We have the engineer there who knows the ordinance, the attorney, head of the planning board, and can give them guidance — such as ‘this is out of the ordinary but if done correctly it could be something the planning board could accept,’” Ford said.
The overarching goal, of course, is to get the vacant or underutilized properties developed to generate tax revenue.
“We have several spaces in the municipality that are not occupied right now — the old Sun Bank, the old haircutting place next to the post office, the post office lot — the folks who are developing those or have any ideas to develop them, it will give them some idea of what we’re looking for and what to expect in front of the planning board,” Ford said, noting there would be a fee he characterized as nominal.
“A planning board application can cost an applicant $1,000 — you need an attorney, a plan and an application fee — and if we can help our residents out by getting to avoid that, that’s what we want to do,” Ford said.
“I think that’s a great idea,” City Council President Ralph Paolone said.
“I think it would make residents more comfortable with the process,” Councilwoman June Byrnes said.
Mayor Darren Matik said it’s a good idea to let the public avoid going to the planning board for something that is a nonissue.
Ford also proposed changing the city’s rules for roof-mounted solar panels to make it easier for residents to get approval.
He said the current ordinance would require someone with a pre-existing nonconforming lot — for instance someone with a detached garage or a house where the setback is smaller than required because it was part of an old subdivision — to go before the planning board.
The resolution passed Jan. 27 streamlines that process, allowing for approval with just a $50 permit.
“We wanted to clean up the language making is easier for folks to get solar with only a simple zoning permit,” Ford said. “It still has to conform with setbacks and height restrictions, but if it’s a conforming application it only needs a zoning permit.”
Ford said the increase in home improvements is likely to continue and solar projects are part of that activity.
“I see a big movement toward solar. I think more and more homeowners are going to look to put solar on their roof,” he said. “This is just cleaning up the language but is going to make everyone’s life a little easier.”
Ford said both changes would save the city money on professional services. Any project with lot coverage issues such as installation of a pool, deck or addition to a house would have to go before the planning board, he said, but “if you take care of things with a simple zoning permit, there is no need to have that meeting and no need to have a secretary, an attorney, all of the members present. It just streamlines everything.”
He called Linwood a built-out community with very few areas left for development.
The locations that are available for development are highly visible, including the Bloom property, the former 7-Eleven, Sun Bank and the gas station, all within a mile or so of each other on Route 9.
“That’s where we’d like to generate a commercial ratable that would benefit our town exponentially,” Ford said. “It has little to no impact on the school system, on the services, but we’ll generate revenue from the tax perspective and bring people into town.”