Planning board adopts fourth‑round housing plan amendment, backs redevelopment designation for 1260 South River Road

The Cranberry Township Planning Board voted unanimously to adopt a fourth‑round housing element and fair share plan amendment that replaces the previously listed Henry Farm site with a new 1260 South River Road site and to forward related ordinance and redevelopment steps to the township committee.

The amendment, presented by licensed planner Mary Beth Lergen of Clark hatton hints, responds to court‑approved settlement agreements with Fairshare Housing Center and Cranberry Housing Associates (CHA) and to new state regulations. "I do find that the 1260 South River Road site is suitable, available, developable for affordable housing," Lergen told the board during her presentation, noting the site is just under 12 acres and is proposed for approximately 130 rental units in two phases.

Why it matters: Adopting the amendment and the implementing ordinance is designed to preserve statutory immunity from exclusionary‑zoning litigation under the Mount Laurel framework. Lergen and board members said that meeting related filing deadlines — including a March 16 filing — is necessary to avoid losing immunity and exposing the township to builder's‑remedy lawsuits.

What the plan includes: The amendment replaces the Henry Farm site with 1260 South River Road and formalizes settlement terms negotiated with CHA. The township will financially assist CHA with renovation and control‑extension work, providing up to $25,000 per eligible unit for major system upgrades and a $100,000 contribution to CHA for design, site plan engineering and funding applications. The township also agreed to fund two four‑bedroom group homes to generate eight special‑needs credits for the fourth round.

Financing and developer: Lergen said the Walters Group, an experienced affordable housing provider, is expected to develop the family rental complex at 1260 South River Road; the site was described as likely to perform well for competitive low‑income housing tax credits because it is in a sewer service area with public water and falls within a preferred state planning designation.

Site constraints and approvals: The presentation addressed industrial buffering and HMFA requirements (including a 250‑foot activity line tied to warehouse operations that affects building placement), flood hazard considerations and a Department flood‑hazard permit that, according to Lergen, allows development despite regulated flood hazard areas. She said the Walters Group will design sound attenuation and vegetative buffers, and that the township intends voluntary acquisition efforts with a contingency ordinance allowing friendly condemnation if necessary to demonstrate site control.

Ordinance and deed restrictions: The board also reviewed the omnibus implementing ordinance (02‑2607) that updates the township's affordable housing regulations and development‑fee rules to reflect Department of Community Affairs and Uniform Housing Affordability Controls changes enacted in December 2025. Lergen noted rental deed‑restriction terms increased to 40 years (and that 45 years would score better for tax credits), while for‑sale deed restrictions remain at 30 years. The board unanimously found the ordinance consistent with the amended housing element and the master plan.

Redevelopment designation: Planning‑board staff presented an area‑in‑need investigation for block 5, lot 18 (1260 South River Road). The consultant concluded that existing structures on the property — a flood‑damaged former farmhouse converted to office use, a deteriorated barn, and a warehouse — met multiple statutory redevelopment criteria (dilapidation/unsafe conditions, long‑term vacancy/obsolescence, and severe flood damage). The board voted unanimously to recommend that the township committee designate the property as a condemnation area in need of redevelopment pursuant to NJSA4A12A; that designation is a separate municipal action the township committee must take.

Votes at a glance: The planning board recorded unanimous roll‑call approvals on (1) the amended fourth‑round housing element and fair share plan, (2) the consistency finding for ordinance 02‑2607, and (3) the resolution recommending condemnation area status for 1260 South River Road. Each approval will be forwarded to the township committee and must be filed with the court within the statutory timeframes.

Next steps and deadlines: The planning board's adoption and resolution must be filed with the court (and the planning board's report forwarded to the township committee) within the required 48‑hour window; the township committee is expected to consider the implementing ordinances and to endorse the plan and redevelopment designation at its next meeting. Lergen emphasized the March 16 deadline set in the amended fair housing act and warned that failure to file required documents could jeopardize the township's immunity from exclusionary‑zoning litigation.

Context and community impact: The amendment formalizes settlement agreements the township negotiated after challenges to its prior fourth‑round elements and is intended to provide realistic opportunity for affordable housing while preserving municipal land‑use control. The package includes direct township subsidies for CHA, potential land acquisition tools, and design requirements intended to address adjacency to industrial uses and flood hazards.

The planning board adjourned after completing votes and sending the amendment, ordinance consistency finding and redevelopment recommendation to the township committee for follow‑up.