Issues Over Proposed 198-Home Development Expressed In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Issues encompassing stormwater and sewer management plans and replacing of trees arose at the latest Hillsborough Planning Board meeting that discussed a proposal to build 198 homes.

The applicant M&M Realty Partners at Hillsborough, LLC presented its application at the July 28 meeting to subdivide the "Western Tract" of the former Glen Gery Quarry consisting of 209.59 acres into 198 lots.

The application is also seeking to build 198 single-family homes on lots of varying sizes from 8,000 square feet to 18,700 with two open space lots and associated roads, stormwater, lighting, and improvement.

Planning Board Director David Maski noted that the application is part of a court settlement agreement with M&M Realty Partners over affordable housing. In total, the settlement agrees to allow M&M Realty Partners to build 380 units overall on the Glenn Gary Quarry site along with 88 affordable units to be built in a second phase on the Sherman property.

Doug Wilson, who represents M&M Realty Partners, noted that only the west tract of the project was being presented last week as the east tract of the project is still dealing with the Department of Environmental Protection in relation to the sewer area.

Craig Hermann, an engineer for the application, presented the 198-home plan which will be located between Falcon Road and Hamilton Road near the Hillsborough Promenade.

"The site is constrained by flood hazard areas and the Delaware & Raritan Canal Corridor," said Hermann.

The site consists of 79 acres of wetlands and transition areas, 80 acres of flood hazard areas, and a combination of flood hazard areas and [Delaware & Raritan Canal] stream corridor for 116 acres, according to Hermann.

The property slopes west to east towards Roycebrook.

The south end of the site along Hamilton Road will have 68 single-family home on separate lots. On the north side of the site, there will be two neighborhoods along Falcon Road called Falcon East with 15 lots and Falcon West with 115 lots.

Additionally, Hermann said the subdivision includes a stormwater management plan where eight large above-ground bio-retention basins (for water quantity control), one small bio-retention device (for water quantity control and water quantity) and supporting water quality treatment devices will be constructed.

Mayor Shawn Lipani who sits on the Planning Board raised concerns about whether the stormwater plan took into account driveways and patios that a resident may want to add at a later time.

After a short recess, the township engineer Todd Hay of Pennoni Engineering asked M&M Realty Partners for more information regarding groundwater and sewer.

"It is an exorbitant amount of water and sewage. The capacity may be there but we still want to understand it a bit better in terms of calculations so we can review that," said Hay.

Additionally, issues over landscaping where transition areas may need to be added in relation to DEP requirements due to the freshwater wetlands were raised.

One board member also expressed an issue with the removal of trees. M&M Realty Partners is proposing to remove 22.36 percent of existing trees on the site or 1,955 where the township only allows 20 percent.

Additionally, the application is seeking a variance to not replace any trees where the township would require 4,462 trees to be replaced.

The hearing will be carried to the Sept. 22 planning board meeting at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in person at the Hillsborough Township Municipal Complex, The Peter J. Biondi Building, 379 South Branch Road, Hillsborough.

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