Planning board hears master plan update; land-use recommendations due in February, climate element later

On Dec. 18, 2024, the Township of Washington Planning Board heard an update from its master‑plan consultant on progress toward revised land‑use recommendations and a new climate‑change element required by recent amendments to the municipal land use law.

The update matters because the master plan guides zoning, housing strategy and capital planning for the township. The consultant told the board that background studies, an existing‑land‑use map and environmental mapping are complete and that land‑use recommendations will be presented to the full board in early February for review.

Consultants told the board they have completed a community baseline map and an existing‑land‑use inventory, including a housing inventory that distinguishes single‑family, two‑family (59 two‑family homes noted) and townhouse stock. They also completed environmental mapping—identifying steep slopes, flood plains, wetlands and state‑designated “Seymour Streams” that carry expanded buffer requirements. The consultant said the land‑use recommendations build on those data and on clarified goals and objectives from the 2019 reexamination.

The consultant said the team is also preparing a climate change and sustainability chapter, a new requirement under recent amendments to the municipal land use law. The board was told the climate element and related green‑building strategies are still evolving and could take another month or two to finish. The consultant summarized progress this way: “we're actually on schedule.” This presentation was made to an advisory committee that includes the mayor, the town administrator, the zoning officer and a zoning‑board representative; that advisory committee will meet Jan. 13 to review the land‑use recommendations.

Board members discussed how the plan will address an aging population and housing mix. The consultant said demographic data on an older population will inform the housing plan and services analysis; board members noted that different multifamily forms (including townhouses with elevators) may be appropriate in some locations. The board discussed a recent Board of Adjustment denial of a townhouse proposal on Pascack Road as an example of how current zoning and the plan’s recommendations interact. According to the discussion, the site is in the AA zone (half‑acre single‑family lots); the denied application sought nine units on the property (about eight units per acre) where two units per acre were permitted under the existing zoning.

Members asked about public outreach and review. The board chair and consultant said the staff will present the first set of deliverables to the planning board on Feb. 5 and that a broader public hearing will likely follow after the climate and sustainability section is complete—board discussion placed that public hearing roughly in early May. The board also discussed budget tracking: members said staff maintain a spreadsheet that records bills versus the approved budget and that the project has run slightly over earlier estimates but is being monitored.

The update concluded with instructions to submit follow‑up questions to the consultant (Joe Burgess of Burgess Associates was named as the lead consultant) or to the board secretary for consolidation before the February presentation. The board will review the February deliverable, comment, and then the consultant will prepare the climate section for subsequent review and public comment.