Hillsborough planning board corrects 2021 subdivision resolution, adds buffer and stormwater conditions

The Hillsborough Township Planning Board on March 2026 approved a correction to a 2021 subdivision resolution for a three-lot Farm Road development, resolving a drafting error that referenced a nonexistent "lot 3A" and adding conditions to protect neighboring properties.

Applicant attorney Jim Stall asked the board to correct condition 18 so it matches finding of fact 15, which described a 50-foot conservation easement along the easterly tract boundary. Stall said the project is under contract with a developer and requested a one-year extension of the subdivision approvals through Dec. 10, 2026 to allow filing of preliminary and final plats.

The board’s engineer and the applicant’s engineer, Michael Ford, testified that the record and presentation at the 2021 hearing intended a 50-foot easement on the easterly boundary, but that condition 18 in the adopted resolution incorrectly referred to "lot 3A," which does not exist. Ford told the board that many engineering conditions have since been satisfied and that a February 27, 2026 review memorandum documents remaining items the applicant must meet.

Residents who live north of the site said the change raises stormwater, drainage and well/septic concerns. Ken Baker, who said he lives at 452 Farm Road, asked whether an underground infiltration basin and curb-lined shared driveway would handle extreme storms and protect his well and septic from construction impacts. Linda Baker told the board, "This buffer is not just a boundary line to me. It is the only protection between the development and my home, my well, and my natural drainage patterns."

Ford and counsel responded with design and mitigation details: the project includes a curbed shared driveway that intercepts runoff and directs it to catch basins and a substantial underground infiltration basin. Ford said the applicant provided a supplemental drainage report showing the post-development condition does not increase runoff to the adjoining northern lot and cited engineering calculations showing the basin substantially reduces peak runoff compared with predevelopment conditions. The applicant’s counsel also noted a 2022 bond estimate for the required improvements that was close to $800,000.

Planning and engineering staff proposed specific conditions to address resident concerns. The board conditioned approval on compliance with the township engineer’s February 27, 2026 review memorandum, required the applicant to record a landscape buffer easement along the northerly boundary (approximately 295 feet long) with an expanded double row of evergreen plantings, and required a maintenance/bond guarantee for plant survival (board discussion referenced roughly a two-year replacement guarantee). The board also requested reconfirmation from the fire marshal that access and cartway widths meet emergency-access requirements.

After deliberation, the planning board moved and approved the resolution to (a) correct condition 18 to reflect the 50-foot easement described in the findings, (b) add the northern landscape buffer easement and maintenance guarantee, and (c) require compliance with the February 27, 2026 memorandum and any fire-marshal requirements. The motion also incorporated the applicant’s one-year extension request through Dec. 10, 2026. Board counsel summarized the amended resolution before the vote; members registered their affirmative votes and the board closed the matter for the evening.

The board noted that if neighbors observe active site-related runoff or construction impacts they should contact the township engineering department so staff can enforce erosion-and-sediment controls during construction. The board adjourned and said it would next meet on March 12.