Is this zone busting? The thought has occurred to several GSWA members that a pattern is evolving. Developers buy parcels originally zoned for residential use but later generously given zoning variances for special charitable or non-profit institutions. The zoning boards presumably intended the land to revert to its original zoning status when the institution sold the land. Instead, developers are pushing in the other direction -- to change the zoning toward more housing density, more impervious cover, and more stormwater and sewage.
(excerpts from a Chatham Courier article, May 9, 1996, reprinted with permission)
Building an assisted living facility on about three acres of land at 300, Madison Ave. would be too much for the site, according to Borough Planner Susan Gruel.
Gruel got a chance, along with the public, to comment on the Board of Adjustment application Monday night. On Monday, May 20, Pike attorney Carlotta Budd and opposing attorney Philip Glucksman will present closing arguments.
The board may reach a decision that night.
Pike Development has a two-part application to divide the property into two parcels and return with plans for a 75-unit assisted living facility, which would provide the opportunity for senior citizens to buy or rent a home and choose from a corresponding menu of medical and home services.
Gruel said, in her opinion, assisted living facilities are inherently beneficial uses because there is a need for such facilities.
In this case, because of the proposed facility's size, mass and scale, the negative impact of constructing such a facility on the lot outweighs its benefits, according to Gruel.
According to Gruel, the development of the property would also oppose the 1985 resolution to maintain open space on the site.