In the last 2 years
two separate development applications were submitted in
Bernards Township for building assisted living
facilities in town. One was from Sunrise Development, a
for-profit corporation based in Northern Virginia, the
other from the non-profit organization that runs the
Ridge Oak senior citizen housing facility.
A public hearing on
the proposed Sunrise Development assisted living
facility was held on October 2nd 1997. The township
committee discussed the proposal at its September 19th
meeting with regard to a plan for granting a necessary
zoning variance in return for having 20% of the units be
assigned as affordable housing. No conclusion was
reached. There was neighborhood protest to the
development, since the land is zoned 3 acre residential
and development of the facility might have renewed
efforts at commercial development between the site and
Rt. 287. As recently as 1993 attempts to develop
property in the area for commercial use have been
proposed and turned down.
Then Mayor Kevin
Krause was quoted in the local paper as saying
"There's always opposition because [assisted living
facilities are] in buildings that look like hotels in a
residential area."
The developers of
"Sunrise at Basking Ridge" were looking for 4
variances: a use variance (assisted-living vs.
single-family home), a height variance (37+' roof and
44+' turrets vs. 35'), a lot coverage variance (26.1%
vs. 15% for single family home), and a variance for use
of a sales trailer on the site during construction.
In response to
questioning by Board members, Sunrise testified that
there would be anywhere from 4 to 25 employees on the
premises depending on the time of day and that, due to
the nature of the facility, there would be employees on
the premises 24 hours a day. The remaining parking
spaces would be for visitors. It was not anticipated
that residents would own cars. Sunrise also testified
that the facility requires a state license: either a
boarding house license from the Department of Community
Affairs or a health care license from the Department of
Health.
After several
meetings of testimony and public comment, the
Sunrise application was denied by the Board of
Adjustment on 2/5/97. Sunrise sued the township in state
Superior Court to have the application approved, but was
not successful. They are currently (March 1999) in
negotiation with a developer of a residential
sub-division in town to build on a site along King
George Road, outside the watershed.
The Ridge Oak
application was heard in 15 hearings over 11 months.
Again, there was great objection from the local
neighborhood residents. At 7 acres of buildable land the
site was considered small for a 77,000 square foot
building, designed not only for assisted living but also
out-patient services. There were also traffic and noise
concerns, as well as potential drainage problems into
the swamp from storm water runoff.
In December of 1998
the application was rejected by a unanimous vote. Ridge
Oak filed suit in state Superior Court and also filed a
discrimination suit in Federal Court, alleging that the
rejection discriminated against the handicapped. As of
this writing both suits are pending.
