Bridgewater officials ask why 64 townhomes should replace Route 202-206 farmstand

BRIDGEWATER – A hearing on a proposal to build 64 age-restricted townhomes on Route 202-206 near Talamini Road will continue on Oct. 22.

The township Zoning Board of Adjustment began considering on Tuesday the plan by 821 Bridgewater LLC, part of JMF Properties of Whippany, to build the townhomes on 12 acres of the 15-acre property, now occupied by a farmstand along the highway, two houses and several outbuildings.

The remaining three acres will be subdivided and conveyed to the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties which fronts on Talamini Road

Laura Friedman, CEO of the JCC, told the Zoning Board on Tuesday, that the organization wants to use the vacant house on the three acres for offices and classes. A barn on the three acres will be used for storage, she said.

The remaining open space will be used for recreation, Friedman said.

Kevin Coakley, attorney for the developer, said the Poliacik family has been trying to sell the property zoned for single-family housing for about a dozen years.

"It's been kicked around for a long time," he said.

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JMF signed a contract to purchase the lot from the Poliacik family in July 2022. "It's a pretty unusual transaction," the attorney said.

Coakley said the property is in a "zoning quandary" because in a 1990 Master Plan, it was zoned for multi-family development.

Because it is now zoned for single-family use, the application requires a use variance from the Zoning Board.

"It's an opportunity to give that property fair zoning," Coakley said.

There is a "dire need" for age-restricted housing in the township, the attorney said.

"Local residents don't want to leave Bridgewater," Coakley said, adding people aged 55 and up want to stay near their friends and families.

A traffic expert will testify at a future public meeting that the development will "generate almost no traffic" and will have "no discernable impact," he said.

Jeff Foose, chairman of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, told Coakley that one of the board's main concerns about any proposed development is stormwater management.

"Safety is paramount," he said, noting the severe flash flooding three years ago from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

The application will be considered in two stages. First will be a vote on the use variance to allow townhomes on the single-family zoned property and second will be consideration of the site plan.

Residents from both Talamini Road and West Foothill Road attended the meeting and had questions about traffic, drainage and architecture.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Bridgewater officials ask why 64 townhomes should replace Route 202-206 farmstand