Fewer Units Proposed For Route 202 Senior Townhouse Plan In Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The number of units proposed for a luxury active adult community in Basking Ridge continues to change.

Morristown Road LLC returned before the Bernards Township Zoning Board of Adjustment on Sept. 17 saying it would reduce the project from 131 units to 125 and add garages to the affordable units before returning with revised plans.

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"I think the board is happy with fewer units," said a board official at the meeting.

The applicant is looking to tear down a largely vacant office complex on Route 202 and build age-restricted townhomes at 131 Morristown Road in Bernards Township.

During the public hearing, residents and board members questioned whether the project fills a local housing need, how it compares with existing senior housing in town, and whether the proposed density and lot coverage provide enough benefit to the township.

The planner for the applicant said the proposal is aimed at independent living for active adults, not assisted living, and said the township's demographics support that type of housing.

"As I said, the fastest-growing cohort in the township is 65 and older. The second one is 55 and older," the planner said.

The planner also said, "This is independent living for active adults."

In response to questions about traffic, the planner said the projected traffic from the 131-unit proposal was "less than 10 percent of what exists from the current office building."

The hearing also focused on affordable housing.

The applicant said 26 of the 131 units in the original plan were affordable because "The town has a mandatory set aside ordinance."

The planner said, "20 percent is the standard number that provides for an appropriate amount of affordable housing while still providing for a financially viable project."

Later in the hearing, township representatives said the municipality has already satisfied its fourth-round affordable housing requirement, but the local ordinance still requires a 20 percent set-aside for the development.

Architect Rob Larsen said the applicant would revise the affordable units to include garages after hearing the board's comments.

"We are going to add garages to the affordable dwellings," Larson said.

He also said the affordable units "will remain accessible and their size cannot get small because I can't change that requirement."

Larsen said he believed the change would likely require dropping "five or six units," and later the discussion settled on a 125-unit plan with 25 affordable units.

Board members also discussed whether market-rate homes should remain in clusters of three rather than larger groupings.

The board carried the hearing to a special meeting on Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

The applicant is expected to return with revised architectural and engineering plans for continued testimony and public questions.

Click here to see Morristown Road LLC's application.

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