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Planning board finds redevelopment amendment for Westfield Avenue substantially consistent with master plan
Summary
On Aug. 7 the Clark Township Planning Board concluded that Ordinance 25-25, which amends a redevelopment plan to add an adjoining bank property and increase density and building coverage on Westfield Avenue, is substantially consistent with the township master plan and approved a report to the governing body.
Clark Township Planning Board on Aug. 7 voted to approve a report finding Ordinance 25-25 — an amendment to an existing redevelopment plan for the Downtown Village (DTV) area along Westfield Avenue — substantially consistent with the township master plan.
The review was requested by the governing body because the ordinance revises a prior redevelopment plan to include the adjoining bank parcel at 56 Westfield Avenue (Block 105, Lot 1.10.01), raise allowable building coverage from 80% to 85%, increase residential density from 40 units per acre to 63 units per acre (enabling up to 140 units on the redevelopment site), and require a minimum of 21 affordable units. The board’s report will be transmitted to the mayor and council under the redevelopment review standards cited during the hearing.
Why it matters: the amendment would add the bank property into the redevelopment area and increase the site’s capacity for housing, including affordable units that municipal staff and the board said would help the township meet its affordable‑housing obligations in the DTV area.
Planning staff summarized the ordinance and the master‑plan history, noting the DTV district was created after the town’s 2003 master plan and reiterated in subsequent reexaminations (2010, 2013 and 2023) as an area where redevelopment powers could be used to encourage revitalization. The township’s 2025 housing plan (Round 4) was cited during the presentation: the plan anticipates 101 affordable units in the DTV district and had previously included 18 units at the former A&P site; prior approvals on nearby parcels account for about 20 affordable units (12 previously approved at the A&P site, six at 2729 Westfield Avenue, and a potential two units at 175–181 Westfield Avenue). The presenter said the amendment would increase the approved affordable units tied to the A&P area from about 12 to approximately 21.
Legal standard: At the hearing a speaker referenced both the municipal land‑use review provision and the local redevelopment statute (N.J.S.A. 40:55D‑26 and N.J.S.A. 48:12A‑7(d)) as the basis for the planning board’s review and report requirement. One board member asked whether the plan’s inclusion of “condemnation” language made a taking imminent; staff replied that condemnation authority exists under redevelopment law but that, based on current developer activity, a condemnation proceeding did not appear necessary in the short term and that the developer is expected to return with a site plan application if the ordinance is adopted.
Action: Following the presentation and limited questions, a motion to approve the board’s substantial‑consistency report for Ordinance 25-25 was made and seconded. The roll call on the motion recorded affirmative votes from members who participated in the roll call (Mister Ullrich; Mister Koch; Mister Triola; Mister Steinberg; Mister Gribb). The planning board clerk announced the resolution passed and the board will transmit the report to the governing body for its consideration.
Next steps: Staff said the developer intends to submit a site plan for the amended redevelopment area; the board did not adopt any site plan or development approvals at the Aug. 7 meeting. Any future site plan review and approvals will return to the planning board for separate action.
