Planning Board

EXPLAINING THE PLAN – Samantha DeAndrea, Director of Planning for Somerset County, tells the Planning Board about the County’s subdivision application at the May 6 meeting. The Township Planning Board voted unanimously May 6 to approve a Somerset County application to subdivide a 32.9-acre property on Canal Road, preserving nearly 24 acres as permanent open space in the Millstone Valley …

GUIDING THE DISCUSSION – Township Planner Mark Healey led the Planning Board in its initial review of recommendations made in the 2026 Master Plan Reexamination Report at the May 6 meeting. The Franklin Township Planning Board on May 6 began its review of a series of proposed zoning ordinance changes drawn from the township’s 2026 Master Plan Reexamination, with Board members …

ARTIST’S RENDERING – An exhibit showing what the proposed charging stations at WaWa would look like was presented at the April 15 Planning Board meeting. The Township Planning Board on April 15 approved an application for a major electric vehicle charging upgrade at the Wawa gas station and convenience store at 607 Somerset St., paving the way for 12 EV …

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 …

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 …

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 …

DISCUSSING THE PLAN – Planning Board chairman Michael Orsini leads the January 21 discussion on five ordinances connected to the Township’s Fair Share Housing Plan. The township Planning Board on January 21 moved the township’s proposed affordable housing plan along through a series of technical votes. The votes affirmed the Board’s finding that five projects were consistent with the Township’s …

NEW ORDINANCE REVIEW – Mark Healey, the Township’s principal planner, reviews some of the aspects of the proposed zoning changes to the BI Zone at the January 14 Planning Board meeting. A series of design and location specifications designed to limit where in the township warehouses can be built – and how large they can be – was approved and …

ENGINEER’S TESTIMONY – Joe Holzapfel testifies about the proposed warehouse on Davidson Avenue at the January 7 Planning Board meeting. A 37,000-square-foot warehouse planned for a site on Davidson Avenue was approved January 7 by the Planning Board. The warehouse will be located behind an existing building housing a light manufacturing business. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering …

MAKING A POINT – Chris Szalay, an engineer for the 14-home project, gestures while he testifies at the January 7 Planning Board meeting. The developer of a proposed 14-unit luxury home community on Cedar Grove Lane was sent back to the drawing board by the Planning Board on January 7. Board members objected to a number of the plan’s elements, …