Jackson Planning Board denies proposed boys'high school at 49 Grand Boulevard

The Jackson Township Planning Board voted to deny an application to build a private boys high school at 49 Grand Boulevard (Block 19703, Lot 29) after three hours of testimony and a lengthy public comment period focusing on traffic safety and environmental review.

Attorney Donna Jennings, representing the applicant, opened the presentation by describing a proposed two'story, roughly 31,000-square-foot school for up to 120 students and about 12 staff, with the existing house on the 5.87'acre lot to be used as a rabbi'residence. Engineer Eric Halpert said the school would be serviced by on'site septic (the public sewer in front of the property lacks capacity) and public water through Jackson MUA, and the applicant had obtained a Pinelands certificate of filing while agreeing to address stormwater comments as conditions of approval.

The applicant's traffic expert, John Ray, presented a traffic impact study revised Aug. 12, 2025, that projected a design-year level of service of A for the site driveway and estimated three buses would be needed (the applicant testified the regular operation likely would rely on two buses and that about 10% of students would be parent drop'offs). Ray also testified that Grand Boulevard functions as a collector roadway in practice and argued that the board could grant the c.2 variance for siting.

Planner Christine Caffone told the board the application was for an "inherently beneficial use" permitted in the RG'2 zone and that the applicant had put forward conditions intended to mitigate impacts, including no banquets or rentals, no student driving to the site, restricting faculty guest stays to a maximum of three nights and agreeing to no parking along the Grand Boulevard frontage.

Neighborhood residents and members of the township's environmental commission pressed the board and applicant on multiple fronts. Speakers raised concerns about pedestrian safety on the narrow residential roadway, the practicality of the proposed loading and delivery arrangement for a full kitchen (with some deliveries potentially as far as 45 feet from a freight lift), and whether a New Jersey DEP Letter of Interpretation (LOI) or additional DEP review was required in addition to the Pinelands certificate of filing. Sam Weinsack, who lives adjacent to the site, said the proposal posed "a big safety concern" for the entire block. Other residents said they feared an influx of student traffic and cited recent nearby construction and parking behavior as reasons the site was unsuitable.

Board members focused deliberations on whether Grand Boulevard should be treated as a local road under the township master plan and ordinance or characterized as a collector roadway for the variance test. Multiple members expressed that while the applicant had proposed conditions and plan revisions, the road'classification and safety questions weighed against granting relief. One member summarized the view of several colleagues, saying, "If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's a duck," in reference to Grand Boulevard's existing character as a narrow, residential roadway.

A motion to deny the application with prejudice carried on roll call. Recorded votes were entered by board members during the meeting record. The denial means the applicant would need to seek a change in road classification or other relief before pursuing the same project at this location; the applicant also agreed earlier in the hearing to provide additional correspondence to both the Pinelands Commission and the New Jersey DEP regarding presence/absence determinations and wetlands jurisdiction.

The planning board adjourned following the vote.

Sources: Board testimony from attorney Donna Jennings, engineer Eric Halpert, architect Schemen Greenbaum, traffic engineer John Ray, planner Christine Caffone; public comments from adjacent residents and environmental commission members.