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Great
Swamp Greenhouse - 2002
The Long Hill Township Board of Adjustment is once again
hearing an application from the Great Swamp Greenhouse. The
applicant, Michael Beneduce, faced a barrage of questions from
both the Board and the public regarding alleged wetlands
violations and apparent failure to meet requirements from previous
applications. The applicant is seeking relief from all
restrictions and citations for violations imposed by Long Hill
Township, claiming that the municipality has no jurisdiction over
farms. The applicant, whose ‘farm’ already involves 32 percent
impervious cover from commercial retail greenhouses and associated
parking lots, is seeking additional parking to bring the
percentage up to 34 (the zoning permits only 20 percent). The
runoff from the Great Swamp Greenhouses goes directly into Refuge
property. Yet, the applicant submitted no hydrology report, no
calculations of possible pollution from pesticides and
fertilizers, and no calculations of groundwater used in watering
more than 3 acres of greenhouse plants with a private well. The
next hearing is scheduled for August 20, 2002. Len
Hamilton
Rose
Wood Estates - 2002
The Planning Board is also hearing an application that has been
before the Board and/or the courts for several years. The
property, known as Rose Wood Estates, is entirely within the Great
Swamp watershed with both wetland and steep slope limitations. In
a conceptual hearing, the applicant proposed four houses (as
opposed to the original seven), some repositioning of the houses
to protect steep slopes, and offered conservation easements to
limit any future development. The most notable environmental
impact will come from the roadway and cul-de-sac that is almost
entirely within steep slopes. Alternative plans had been developed
both by the public and by other Planning Board members to route
the road away from steep slopes, but Board Chair David Welch ruled
that due to a recent Morris County Superior Court decision, the
applicant must be permitted to use the proposed road plan. Welch
also strongly urged the applicant to seek the advice of the
Watershed Association and its experts to come up with a final
design that would have as little environmental impact as possible.
The next hearing is scheduled for August 13, 2002. Len
Hamilton
Disputed Subdivision Would Increase Stormwater Volume - December
2001
The Long Hill Township planning board continues a hearing on an
in-fill proposal on Meyersville Road. The applicant lives in a
modest house on a 3-acre parcel zoned for 1 acre and wants to
subdivide and build a "McMansion" on the rear of the
property. The board already turned down a flag lot plan last year
and the applicant sued. Although still in court, the applicant has
returned with a subdivision plan that replaces the driveway with a
250-ft formal roadway (20-ft wide plus cul-de-sac) and an
additional 150-ft meandering driveway to an external garage. This
is all to serve one house and it will destroy 87 mature trees,
leaving 39. The application presumes to meet all the NJ RSIS
requirements in terms of stormwater rates, but the total volume
of stormwater reaching the swamp will increase significantly. The
hearing continues on January 8.
County Widens Historic Road Despite Township’s Plan
- December 2001
The Morris County roads department is still having some
difficulty giving up the 1950s road designs. Only a tiny portion
of their current project on Long Hill Road and Mountain Avenue in
the Gillette area lies within the Great Swamp watershed (the
reminder is in the Upper Passaic), but it bears watching because
they have selected areas where they felt it "necessary"
to install Belgian block curbing to these historic, rural
roadways. And, of course, it is a pity to go to all that effort of
installing the block without widening the roadway a few inches.
These roadways are older than our nation’s Constitution; they
are featured in our Township Master Plan; and they have been
designated for special protection by resolution of the Township
Committee. Leave them alone!
Builder Michael Menza Again Applauded
- December 2001
Once again, Michael Menza (Menza and Beissel, Inc.) is
providing good news. You may recall that the Ten Towns Committee
gave him an award for sensitive environmental design for his 8-lot
subdivision in Long Hill. One of these lots contained the historic
Torrey Mansion. Menza stepped aside from the profit motive and
agreed to allow the Long Hill Historic Commission nine months to
find a buyer rather than destroy the old house and rebuild. He
then graciously extended the time frame by several more months,
with the final deadline looming at midnight on October 31--a
contract for purchase was signed with less than 24 hours
remaining! Perhaps it had something to do with the deadline being
on Halloween with a rare blue moon, but the kudos go to Mr. Menza
for helping to maintain the character of Long Hill. Len Hamilton
Disputed Subdivision Would
Increase Stormwater Volume - Long Hill Twp., Nov. 1, 2001
The Long Hill Township Planning Board continues a hearing on an
in-fill proposal on Meyersville Road. The applicant lives in a
modest house on a 3-acre parcel zoned for 1 acre and wants to
subdivide and build a "McMansion" on the rear of the
property. The Board already turned down a flag lot plan last year
and the applicant sued. Although still in court, the applicant has
returned with a subdivision plan that replaces the driveway with a
250-ft formal roadway (20-ft wide plus cul-de-sac) and an
additional 150-ft meandering driveway to an external garage. This
is all to serve one house and it will destroy 87 mature trees,
leaving 39. The application presumes to meet all the NJ RSIS
requirements in terms of stormwater rates, but according to
my calculations, something on the order of 10,000 cu ft of
additional volume will go to the Great Swamp in a 100-year
storm. The hearing continues on January 8.
Long Hill Planning Board Denies Application to Build on Steep Slopes
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(April 24, 2001)
The Long Hill Township Planning Board met on 24APR01 for the final hearing of the Rose Wood Estates
application. The applicant had appeared before the board intermittently for nearly a year, reducing the
number of houses from seven to five, but still requiring variances on
all the lots. Citing the encroachment on steep slopes and their buffers as the primary problem, the planning
board voted unanimously to deny the application.
County Widens Historic Roads
Despite Township's Plan -
Long Hill Twp., Nov. 1, 2001
The Morris County roads department is still having some
difficulty giving up the 1950s road designs. Only a tiny portion
of their current project on Long Hill Road and Mountain Avenue in
the Gillette area lies within the Great Swamp watershed (the
remainder is in the Upper Passaic), but it bears watching because
they have selected areas where they felt it "necessary"
to install Belgian block curbing to these historic, rural
roadways. And, of course, it is a pity to go to all that effort of
installing the block without widening the roadway a few inches.
These roadways are older than our nation’s Constitution; they
are featured in our Township Master Plan; and they have been
designated for special protection by resolution of the Township
Committee. Leave them alone!
Builder Michael Menza Again Applauded
- Long Hill Twp., Nov. 1, 2001
Once again, Michael Menza (Menza and Beissel, Inc.) is
providing good news. You may recall that the Ten Towns Committee
gave him an award for sensitive environmental design for his 8-lot
subdivision in Long Hill. One of these lots contained the historic
Torrey Mansion. Menza stepped aside from the profit motive and
agreed to allow the Long Hill Historic Commission nine months to
find a buyer rather than destroy the old house and rebuild. He
then graciously extended the time frame by several more months,
with the final deadline looming at midnight on October 31--a
contract for purchase was signed with less than 24 hours
remaining! Perhaps it had something to do with the deadline being
on Halloween with a rare blue moon, but the kudos go to Mr. Menza
for helping to maintain the character of Long Hill.
Menza Gets Best Site Plan Award: Long
Hill Swampwatch - July 2001
The Ten Towns Committee's award
for best site plan of
the year went to Michael Menza (Menza & Beissel, Inc.) for an
8-lot subdivision in Long Hill Township. The merits
of the project, currently under construction along the southern
portion of Pleasant Plains Road, included best management
practices for stormwater, significant conservation easements
around every house, and preservation of an existing historical
house on
the site. The award was presented at the Ten Towns
Committee's sixth anniversary meeting by Len Hamilton, vice-chair
of the Ten Towns Committee, and Long Hill Committeewoman Suzanne
Dapkins.
Long Hill Focuses New Master Plan on Open Space
- July 2001
Long Hill has also launched its Master Plan 2002
project by re-examining its open space and recreation
element. The new master plan is expected to set aside some
significant parcels of land as open space,
provide additional protection for historic roadways, strengthen
the requirements for conservation easements, and give special
attention to potential development within the Great Swamp
watershed. Len Hamilton, Ph.D.
Long Hill Planning Board Denies Application to Build on Steep Slopes
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April 24, 2001
The Long Hill Township Planning Board met on 24APR01 for the final hearing of the Rose Wood Estates
application. The applicant had appeared before the board intermittently for nearly a year, reducing the
number of houses from seven to five, but still requiring variances on
all the lots. Citing the encroachment on steep slopes and their buffers as the primary problem, the planning
board voted unanimously to deny the application.
Long Hill Township - March
2001
For those of you who were here a few years back for the
Einsiedler Estates saga, the sequel is out. An application
known as Rose Wood Estates is proposing a subdivision that involves
the extension of Charles (Einsiedler) Road to Woodgate Lane and
Carlton Road. The property, consisting of mature woods with wetlands
and steep slopes, lies entirely within the Great Swamp watershed.
The planning board rejected the original proposal for seven lots
last summer and is now hearing a proposal for five lots. Four
of the five lots are in violation of what the applicant refers to as
"literal reading of the steep slope ordinance." To
my eye, they are all in violation of good planning practices.
The applicant makes no attempt to use modern stormwater management principles or to position the houses to
conserve trees and other natural features. The hearing will
probably conclude at the April 24 planning board meeting in Long
Hill's Town Hall. A strong public presence might help the board make the
right decision.
The irony of this 1950's vintage proposal is that it comes on the
heels of a particularly sensitive development just down the road.
Menza and Beissel, Inc. worked with the Watershed Association to
outline a plan that meets the no-net requirements of the stormwater
ordinance and preserves most of the woods through conservation
easements. Michael Menza presented the details of this and
another model project within the watershed at the March meeting of the Ten Towns
Great Swamp Watershed Management Committee.
If you are a developer and reading this, take note: One of Menza
and Beissel's projects was approved in two meetings and the second
in one meeting. When you are friendly to the environment, the
boards are friendly to your application.
Len Hamilton
Meyersville
March 2001
Proposed Development Warrants Close Scrutiny
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Long Hill Township, October 2000
The Long Hill Township Planning Board in August was reviewing a project that requires our close attention. The applicant is proposing to merge three parcels, extend a roadway from the Autumn Crest development (aka Einsiedler Estate), and add several houses to an area that contains steep slopes, upland wetlands, and mature woods. This is a parcel that ought to remain undeveloped, but if that proves to be impossible, local residents and Watershed Association members need to monitor the project closely to ensure that the project meets all of the no-net stormwater requirements of Long Hill's ordinance.
Long Hill Sewer Ban Points Up System Stresses
The Long Hill Township Committee voted to impose a voluntary sewer ban effective August 14. They expect this ban to be temporary, perhaps for a year, while attempts are made to resolve the problems with the sewage treatment plant.
The plant has been routinely exceeding its daily flow rating during rain events, leading to the suspicion that stormwater is entering into the system. No fines have been levied for either volume or untreated sewage, but NJDEP officials warn that the excess loadings will stress the system and cause early failure. An engineering firm is studying the situation.
While it is tempting to view a sewer ban as something positive, many residents fear that this attention to the limited capacity might trigger an application for expansion of the plant’s capacity. There is tremendous pressure for commercial development and redevelopment along Long Hill’s Valley Road corridor. The plant’s effluent enters the Passaic River below the Great Swamp watershed, but there are still many properties, private and commercial, within the watershed that lie within the plant’s service area.
Long Hill should certainly not be singled out in this regard, but this is yet another case of the failure to have a master plan in place that holds development within the boundaries of the infrastructure. This issue should be watched closely, because any future expansion would surely trigger the "need" for yet another round of development. It could, as the saying goes, be déjà vu all over again.
High Point Estates Sets High Standard for Development
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Long Hill Twp., June 20, 1999
The Long Hill Township planning board approved a plan to develop eight houses on what is perhaps the finest remaining parcel in Long Hill. The new homes, to be known as High Point Estates, will be built on heavily wooded three-acre lots along the mountain ridge of Long Hill Road, affording spectacular views that stretch some 20 to 30 miles to the north and south. That's the bad news. The good news is that the project is a model of developing with a lighter touch. The applicant, Michael Menza, worked closely with the Watershed Association, re-drawing the plans to meet virtually all of the goals of the Ten Towns model ordinance for stormwater! Steep slopes are being protected under Long Hill's strict ordinance, utilities will be placed under narrow, shared driveways, and with the exception of a 75-foot perimeter around each of the proposed houses, most of the remaining parcel will be protected by a conservation easement. A good community effort!
Another applicant proposed a single-home subdivision on Meyersville Road and was turned down by the planning board. The public raised issues of inadequate stormwater management, an oversized house for the neighborhood, and the fact that this would be a flag lot.
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