Your Weekly Update: A Week in Review of the WW Planning Board, by Supriya Mamidi

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There was no remote participation link for this meeting.

At the May 17th Planning Board meeting, there was a report on the most recent Environmental Commission meeting, a discussion on Ordinance 2023-03, the Historic Preservation Plan Element of the Master Plan, and a recommendation of a Historic Preservation Commission to the Board by the Historical Society of West Windsor.

Anis Baig presented the Environmental Commission(EC) report of their meeting on May 11th. Read more about that HERE.

EC discussed new developments in Community Solar. The State is finalizing the official program. It is expected that there will be more possibilities to produce and purchase solar energy for communities.

Next, the Board discussed Ordinance 2023-03, Flood Plain Management Regulations. The Board received Resolution 2023-R095 where a change in definition for hardship was bolded and underlined.

The Board edited the draft of the Historic Preservation Element in the Plan. There is no statutory due date on the Plan. There are 3 policies, section 2.1, that are designed to preserve and maintain the historic resources of the Township and avoid or minimize detrimental impacts of land development upon those resources. In Policy 1, “clustering” would allow the developer to implement smaller lot sizes in exchange for having historic space preserved. Policy 2 suggests we continue to use the Open Space Tax to preserve historic resources. In addition, pursue other State and County funding mechanisms and methods of acquisition and/or preservation as available and practical (i.e., conservation easements, private donations). Policy 3 is to maintain design and siting standards to protect the Township's historic and rural character throughout West Windsor, and particularly in the Township's original hamlets and along those roadways where natural vegetation, farmland, or open space remain. These historic features should be preserved wherever possible, as they contribute to the pastoral open character of much of the Township and represent the community's heritage.

ID #181 will include a documentary on Glenn Acres by Diane Ciccone, former member of the Board.

Michael Karp, Chair of the Board suggested a separate section on work life balance, detailing how one could take advantage of the benefits of West Windsor while working from home.

WW is currently doing a Dutch Neck planning study working on boxplots of lot sizes vs ages of buildings. The study will include a succinct history of the area, a summary of the current development pattern and zoning, as well as how specific properties meet the zoning criteria.

The Society has asked Mayor Marathe and the Council to consider the creation of a Historic Preservation Commission. Marathe wants to understand what the commission would entail, how the commission would work for West Windsor, and requests that the Society provide some documentation about it. The goal of the commission would be to make architectural street view recommendations for housing and the community aesthetic.

Finally, the 2020 Land Use Plan established new land use categories for the Berrien City and Dutch Neck communities. Both of these land use categories are intended to recognize the existing, historic, and unique development patterns of those neighborhoods while also adequately addressing the reasonable expectations of homeowners in regard to modern home improvements.

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