Planners hear proposal for Bank Street townhomes

BY LAYLI WHYTE
Staff Writer

RED BANK — The developer proposing to build 15 residential units at the western end of Bank Street was advised to reconsider its stand on affordable housing at last week’s meeting of the borough Planning Board.

The applicant, RW @ Rivers Edge, is seeking approval for a major subdivision to build 15 residential units in three buildings on four lots.

The application calls for buildings on the north and south sides of Bank Street as well as the north side of Drs. James Parker Boulevard.

The applicant will appear before the board again at its March 20 meeting.

The applicant is requesting two “C” variances. The borough requires a minimum lot area of 20,000 square feet, and the applicant is proposing 7,500 square feet.

The second “C” variance, if granted, would permit the applicant to build three residential units without public street frontage, while the borough ordinance requires lot frontage on a public street.

The applicant is also seeking several design waivers, including one that would allow 10-foot buffer zones along the eastern side of the development instead of the 15 feet required by the borough.

The properties are in the RD and RB-1 zones, and the proposed use is permitted in both zones.

According to Kevin J. Coakley, attorney for the applicant, 14 of the proposed units would be single-family homes and would be part of a homeowners association.

The 15th unit would go toward fulfilling the applicant’s affordable housing obligation. The unit would be a two-family, condominium-style home with low-income housing on the first floor and moderate-income housing on the second floor.

Coakley said that the affordable housing unit would have to form a separate condominium association, which would also be a part of the homeowners association, and would also be under the purview of the Red Bank Affordable Housing Committee.

Coakley also said that the affordable housing unit would be the only unit without a garage, while every other unit would have a single car garage and a space in the driveway for at least one other car.

“The unit would have space for two cars in the driveway, but no garage,” he said.

Board member Dr. Guy Maratta said that he wanted the applicant to rethink the affordable housing aspect of the project.

“Having the one unit without a garage be the affordable housing unit,” he said, “I find that offensive. COAH [Council on Affordable Housing] made stipulations that affordable units must be as good as the other units.”

COAH is a state agency that sets requirements for municipalities to provide affordable housing for residents.

The most recent COAH requirements obligate municipalities to provide affordable housing in each new residential and nonresidential development.

According to a recently passed Red Bank ordinance, developers must create one affordable housing unit for every eight market-rate units, as per COAH regulations.

Developers of nonresidential projects must create one new affordable housing unit for every 25 new jobs created by the development.

With an application such as RW @ Rivers Edge, the applicant would have to create one new affordable housing unit.

Maratta also expressed concern about stormwater run-off that he believes might increase as a result of the development.

“I don’t want to see the river polluted,” he said, “and I don’t want to see the neighbors affected.”

The application proposes that the houses be built with a 75-foot buffer between the new construction and the protected wetlands on the banks of the Navesink River.

According to professional engineer John Mallon, of Ernst, Ernst and Lissenden, Toms River, who testified on behalf of the applicant, the wetland area at the end of Bank Street and Drs. James Parker Boulevard is considered to be an eagle foraging area, which requires a 150-foot buffer.

“CAFRA [Coastal Area Facility Review Act],” Mallon said, “allowed a 75-foot buffer, but with no disturbance, except for the walkway.”

The proposed walkway along the river would not be built by the applicant at this time, and is a part of a borough plan to build a riverwalk along the eastern bank of the Navesink River, according to Mallon.

The borough has received a grant from the state Department of Community Affairs, which will put $85,000 into a study of the many waterfront access points now owned by the borough, according to Gail O’Reilly, who is heading up the project for the borough.

Mallon said that stormwater management would be the responsibility of the homeowners association.

The proposed plan calls for the demolition of two single-family dwellings on Bank Street.

Two of the new buildings to be constructed would contain five residential units each, and the third building would contain four residential units. The total area of land comprising the four lots amounts to 2.17 acres, according to Coakley.

If approved, Drs. James Parker Boulevard would be extended by approximately 45 feet westward, toward the Navesink River.

According to the borough shade tree ordinance, the applicant is required to plant 15 new trees; however, the applicant is planting only seven trees on the site.

The applicant did agree, according to Coakley, to plant the remaining eight required trees elsewhere in the borough.

The applicant is also required to add bulkheads at the river because of the proximity to the water.

“The [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] won’t permit that disturbance,” said Mallon, “because of the eagle foraging area.”

The applicant is requesting a waiver on the bulkhead based on the DEP recommendations.