Green Village Hearing Continues Tonight

The site plan hearing for 469-unit apartment complex, 130-room extended stay hotel, and a 20,000 square foot retail space on a 50-acre Route 206 lot continues during Thursday's Planning Board meeting.

The hearing, which had been postponed since January, met concern from both area neighbors and businesses, over traffic to and from the site.

The site is located on Route 206 North between Partridge Road and Valley Road, and one proposed entrance is opposite , according to the site plan. The current plan includes a full-turn access onto Route 206 on the southern part of the plan and a right-turn in, right-turn out at the northern entrance.

Of the apartments, 352 would be market-rate apartments and 117 would be affordable housing units. The apartments would be in 24 buildings that are two to three stories tall, and a swimming pool and recreation area is proposed for the center of the property. Residential buildings can be a maximum height of 48 feet, according to the Green Village zone ordinance.

The extended-stay hotel—there is no vendor to claim the buildings at present—would occupy eight buildings in 120,000 square feet. The retail space would comprise two buildings that are 10,000 square feet.

At its last hearing, a traffic engineer for Route 206 properties stated that a . The concern is that adding a light would create too many breaks or gaps in the traffic flow because of existing lights at Falcon Road and Partridge Road.

For residents nearby, particularly on the streets off Valley Road, traffic is the main concern. Several residents came to the most recent hearing, expressing worry about people using their streets to turn around rather than making a left out of the site.

In addition, the property has three drainage basins, located between the entrance roads on Route 206, and two near the stream corridor on the northwest corner of the property. The basins will outlet into the flood hazard area, meaning Robert Heibell, the applicant's engineer, will need to submit a permit to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for the outlet pipe.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Robert Heibell's first name and title.