Development

EXPLAINING THE NEED – Somerset Bible Baptist Church Pastor Brian Fisher tells the Zoning Board why the church needs the proposed gymnasium at the April 2 hearing. Variances that would help pave the way for construction of a 1-story gymnasium behind the Somerset Bible Baptist Church on Cedar Grove Lane were approved April 2 by the township Zoning Board of …

MAKING THE CASE – Engineer Michael Ford, foreground, testifies for a minor subdivision application at the April 1 Planning Board hearing. The township Planning Board on April 1 approved a minor subdivision application that will carve out a 1-acre residential lot from a preserved farm along Skillman’s Lane, though not before a lively exchange over whether a future fence might …

EXPLAINING THE DESIGN – Shaun Joseph, an architectural consultant for VDS Development Partners & Advisors, explains aspects to the company’s conceptual plan to finish the Renaissance 2000 project along Route 27 to the Redevelopment Agency on March 30. The company that wants to take over the unfinished Renaissance 2000 development project along Route 27 introduced itself to the township Redevelopment …

A schematic view of the proposed Catalpa Park. It was déjà vu all over again March 24 when the Township Council went out for bids on the construction of Catalpa Park. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are the only truly …

ENGINEER TESTIFIES – Greg Oman, center, the project’s engineer, tells the Planning Board that his firm employed an arborist to study the trees on the target land. An application for a 14-unit housing development on Cedar Grove Lane was approved March 4 by the Planning Board, but there was a hitch. The applicant, Odin Duhn, wanted to make the development …

ENGINEERING TESTIMONY – Mitchell Ardman, the engineer for Tahweed Dahwah Center Masjid, testifies at the February 19 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on a proposal to build a 19,000-square-foot mosque on a 16-acre South Middlebush Road tract resumed on February 19, and all indications are that this will not be a smooth process. The project’s …

EXPLAINING THE SITUATION – Township attorney Lou Rainone explains to an objector why the Council cannot delay approval of five affordable housing-related ordinances at the February 10 meeting. The Township Council on February 10 approved on second reading five ordinances relating to its affordable housing plan, but not without a speed bump. The five ordinances were: Don’t Miss Out! No …

THE NEW PLAN – Jeffrey Haberman explains changes made to the plan for an outdoor storage site on Route 27 at the February 5 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. The second time proved to be the charm February 5 for a company that wants to create an outdoor commercial storage space on Route 27. JC IOS Acquisitions won Zoning Board …

LEADING PLANNING DISCUSSION – Mark Healey, the Township’s Principal Planner, leads the Planning Board in a discussion of the township’s Master Plan at the February 4 Board meeting. Elements for a list of topics related to the township’s Master Plan were discussed at the February 4 Planning Board meeting. Mark Healey, the Township’s Principal Planner, will collate those comments and …

PLAN WITHDRAWN – The property sheet for Rutgers Plaza shows that a lease is pending for the former K-Mart building and attached retail spaces. The owner of Rutgers Plaza on Easton Avenue has withdrawn a controversial application to build a 4-story apartment building in the footprint of the former K-Mart building. Levin Properties was scheduled to return to the Zoning …