Franklin Lakes December 21, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Board schedules Colonial Road housing plan hearing by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Planning Board has scheduled a Jan. 4 public hearing for an amended site plan for the 14acre affordable housing site on Colonial Road. The proposal may include a subdivision of the property and some changes to the units in the two buildings planned for the site. The amended site plan would allow GS Realty, the current owner and developer of the site, to develop the property and market the site’s previously approved age-restricted housing units as non-age restricted units in accordance with legislation enacted by the state in July 2009. According to that legislation, the conversion of this development from an age-restricted to a non-age restricted use was based on the fact that the cost of both renting and home ownership remains unaffordable to a large percentage of New Jersey residents, including those who make vital contributions to their communities such as teachers, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and the general workforce population, even though the cost of housing in New Jersey has declined under currently eroding economic conditions. The legislation further stated that the shortage of affordably priced workforce housing has been made worse in recent years by an oversupply of age-restricted housing approvals and an inability among the majority of New Jersey’s workforce to live near their jobs. At its last public meeting, the planning board deemed the site plan application by GS Realty complete and classified it as a minor subdivision for filing and approval purposes. The board also gave permission to GS Realty to install 250 linear feet of piping and the construction of a headwall on the site prior to the hearing in order to meet the requirements of the stream encroachment permit the developer has received. Stephen Sinisi, the attorney for GS Realty, confirmed that his client will post whatever bond the borough requires to ensure the restoration of the property affected by the piping and headwall if the plan is not approved by the board. GS Realty received approval from the board in December 2009 to allow the marketing of the housing units previously approved for the site as non-age restricted units, to shorten one of the buildings by 25 percent, and to provide on-grade parking in the area previously occupied by that part of the building. Under that 2009 approval, there would be 87 units instead of the 84 previously approved. The total number of units would include 69 market rate units, a reduction of three; and 18 affordable housing units, an increase of six. This site was originally approved for affordable housing in September 2001 when the borough council authorized a settlement agreement with Colonial Road Associates, LLC, the contract purchaser and anticipated developer of the site. The agreement allowed the borough to rezone the prop- erty for affordable housing in order to meet its constitutional obligation to provide its fair share of affordable housing according to the Mount Laurel Supreme Court decisions in 1975 and 1983 and the state’s Fair Housing Act of 1985. The plans for this affordable housing site by Colonial Road Associates were then approved by the planning board in December 2003 to permit 84 senior citizen dwelling units on this site, 12 of which were to be set aside as lowand moderate-income household rental units. The board’s approval was granted in accordance with the court-endorsed settlement agreement reached between Colonial Road Associates and the borough as a result of the filing of a “builder’s remedy” lawsuit by University Heights, the developer of the Mill Pond affordable housing complex on Old Mill Road which was joined by Colonial Road Associates, the original developer of this site. Kara Homes later purchased the Colonial Road property, but declared bankruptcy. The site is now owned by the Amboy Bank; GS Realty is the bank’s subsidiary. The Oct. 29 snowstorm that caused the Franklin Lakes elementary schools to use one or more of the anticipated 2011-12 snow days has forced the district to make some changes to the school calendar. Frank Romano, the superintendent of the local school district, recently sent a letter to parents advising them that the school board has already converted the professional development day scheduled for Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 16, 2012 to a full day of instruction for students. That professional day is now scheduled for June after students have been released from school for the year. In spite of that change, Romano stated that the district will enter winter with two banked emergency days at the Franklin Avenue Middle School, the Colonial Road School, and the Woodside Avenue School, while there are no emer- Storm leads to school calendar change gency days left for the High Mountain Road School. A school calendar survey of parents and guardians was taken to obtain their input on contingency plans for any additional snowfalls this school year. According to Romano, 410 parents/guardians and 155 faculty staff took part in that survey. Romano said the survey was a success and the results were clear. Two thirds or more of the parents/guardians and faculty/staff responded that they would prefer to have their children attend school on June 22 before taking any days from the April break. The majority of respondents said that, if it becomes necessary to take days from the April break in order to make up for excessive snow days, they would prefer to use the final day of the spring break and (continued on page 20)