Politics & Government

Proposed Zone Change Matches Use to Area

Many areas in a current Corporate Development Zone are homes and preserved land.

An area currently designated as a development zone is mostly farms and homes—but a proposed zone change could fix that.

A proposed change to the township code would have areas near Township Line Road, Homestead Road and Willow road changed from Corporate Development Zones to Agricultural Zones.

The reason is that half of the surrounding properties are already preserved land and many of the remaining are already residences.

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“No property over 20 acres exists that hasn’t already been preserved in this zone,” Township Planner Bob Ringelheim said.  “The remaining properties are mostly residential in nature and I believe there are four commercial properties.”

“The majority of properties in this zone will be compliant as to use,” he added.

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The area encompasses the Conrail railroad tracks and contains several farms, including 17 preserved properties.  There are 33 properties in the area.

“It’s generally bounded by Homestead Road to the north, Willow Road to the east and Township Line Road to the south and the railroad is the border to the west,” Ringelheim said. “The 2005 Master Plan amendment phase two indicates that this area is part of a proposed green belt based on the phase two Master Plan map.  Almost all the significant parcels have already been preserved.”

In addition, the area is in a Planning Incentive Grant (PIG) area, meaning it can receive money from the state Agricultural Commission for preserving farmland, he added.

A string of properties along the railroad have been reserved by the state as well, for use in the Route 206 bypass.  Those areas will be used for right-of-ways when the bypass is built and for additional right-of-ways that exist already.

One business owner in the area asked whether the switch from a Corporate Development Zone to an Agricultural Zone would affect her property.

“How does this change my property,” Dinah Molantra, who owns a data processing business on Hillsborough Road, said.  “We are under two acres.  We are right besides the Cat Inn, which also has a ten-acre business as well.  Tell me how this affects me as a small business.”

According to Ringelheim, the use would become non-conforming to the zone regulations, though the lot size is already non-conforming to the existing zone regulations.  The non-conforming use would not affect business operations, however.

“You could continue to use your property as you’re using it now with no problems,” he said.  “If you wanted to change to use or wanted to expand your property, you would have to get a variance in the future.”

Molantra then asked whether the change would affect a property sale, since the use does not fit in the new zone.

Ringelheim said the use would remain if the property was sold, however, any new use may require a variance application.  The application would be subject to vote by the Township’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.

A public hearing on the ordinance will be held at the March 22 Township Committee meeting.


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