Planning board grants Fellowship Village six‑month extensions for final plans and permits

The Bernards Township Planning Board voted Jan. 20 to grant Fellowship Village, Inc. a modification of conditions and two time extensions for its application PB22-00005.

Kenneth McFersonson, counsel for Fellowship Village, told the board the applicant had resubmitted revised plans and received comments from the board engineer and other professionals and asked to move the plans-signing deadline from Dec. 31, 2025 to June 30, 2026, and to move the permit deadline six months later to Dec. 31, 2026. McFersonson said the extra time would allow the applicant and its engineer to address review comments and to complete administrative steps such as an easement and lot consolidation that must be recorded with the county.

Board members and the applicant agreed the request was an administrative extension that did not require sworn testimony or additional public notice under the Municipal Land Use Law. Members noted that the board has a new engineer and that the change in professionals could extend review timeframes. The motion to grant the two extensions was made by Miss Bannon and seconded by Mr. Seville; a roll-call vote approved the request.

The board recorded no conditions in the motion beyond the timeline changes; the applicant said it does not anticipate using the full extension and expects to move forward once outstanding technical comments are addressed.

The application for employee housing on Fellowship’s campus dates back to earlier approvals from 2016 and was previously extended by the board on May 20, 2025. The board’s action preserves the applicant’s current approvals while allowing the additional time specified.