119-Unit Luxury Active Adult Townhouse Complex Plan Proposed In Basking Ridge

BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ — A 119-unit high-end luxury active adult townhouse complex for ages 55 and older is being proposed in Basking Ridge.

The Bernards Township Zoning Board on April 16 heard an application by 131 Morristown Rd LLC seeking to remove two office buildings at the property and build the townshouse complex.

The proposal seeks preliminary and final major site plan approval, a D1 use variance, a D4 floor area ratio variance, bulk variances, and design waivers for the 32.47-acre property identified as Block 801, Lot 2.

Donna Jennings of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, appearing for the applicant, told the board the property sits in the E5 zone, where active adult townhomes are not a permitted use.

She said the applicant is seeking relief to replace the existing office complex.

"The two office buildings are basically one's completely vacant, and the other one has limited square footage," said Jennings.

She noted that later testimony in the hearing process would address unsuccessful efforts to attract a new office tenant.

The application also requires a floor area ratio variance because the proposed ratio is 0.21, above the permitted 0.10, while the property already has an existing nonconforming ratio of 0.16.

She argued the site could accommodate the project safely and said the proposed use would generate less traffic and noise than a permitted office use.

The hearing also focused on discussions between the developer and nearby residents.

Jennings said the applicant had met informally with some neighbors and was willing to incorporate reasonable suggestions as conditions of approval if the board grants the application.

Residents asked for changes to the clubhouse design so it would look more like the townhouses, along with additional landscaping, berming, and attention to buffering, noise, and lighting.

Neighbors also asked for a parking plan that fully accommodates residents and guests on site, with restrictions and enforcement to prevent overflow parking on nearby streets.

They also requested a construction management plan that would prohibit construction vehicles on local side streets, set defined construction hours, identify staging areas, address dust and debris, and provide a responsive point of contact.

Neighbor Dave Ruhlig of Van Dorn Road told the board, "Many of us have built our lives, raised our families in this neighborhood over years, decades, and in some cases a lifetime."

He said residents appreciated the applicant's outreach and "constructive dialogue."

"For clarity, our position is that if those items are incorporated as conditions of approval in the board's resolution, then the residents of Van Dorn Road do not object to the variances under consideration," said Ruhlig.

The application is scheduled to return to the Bernards Zoning Board of Adjustment on July 16.

To view the full application, click here.

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.