Cedar Grove Lane Housing Project Returning To Zoning Board

The Grove at Somerset’s site plan calls for 34 2- and 3-bedroom townhomes in nine buildings.

A plan to build 34 townhomes on two Cedar Grove Lane lots will probably come before the Zoning Board of Adjustment sometime this fall, not that the board will have much choice in the matter.

That’s because the board must approve the project’s site plan and grant whatever variance waivers it needs as the result of a 2013 lawsuit settlement.

The project is targeted for nearly 8 acres near Cedar Hill Landscaping, across the street from Cedar Grove Plaza.

The suit was brought by the developer, Kings Row Homes, in 2010 after the board approved the project at one-third the number of units called for in the plans. At the time, Kings Row Homes, whose managing partner is Steve Rubin, wanted 68 homes; the board approved the project with 25 homes.

That prompted the lawsuit, at the end of which in 2012 Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman ruled against the township, sending the application back to the board.

The project was re-filed in 2013, this time calling for 55 homes. The developer and board entered into negotiations, and struck a deal at 34 units.

The project will include 26 3-bedroom units and eight 2-bedroom units.

The developer also needs several bulk variances, which the board must approve, under the settlement agreement.

The project will encompass 9 buildings totaling 49,504 square feet.

The developer will not have to provide any affordable units in the project, instead it will make an in-lieu payment to the township of 1 percent of the project’s assessed value, according to the settlement.

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