Planning Board finds council’s BI zone ordinance not inconsistent with Franklin master plan, refers it to council

The Planning Board of the Township of Franklin voted on June 3 to find the council‑introduced BI (Business‑Industrial) zone ordinance "not inconsistent" with the township master plan and to forward a memorializing resolution to the Township Council for final reading and adoption.

David Glenn Roberts, the planner who prepared the master plan re‑examination for Bright View Engineering, told the board that after comparing the master plan amendments and the proposed ordinance in a seven‑page memo, he found "nothing in the proposed ordinance that would be inconsistent with those recommendations." Roberts said the ordinance incorporates many of the board’s recommended definitions and conditional standards while adding some more restrictive safeguards.

Roberts and board members discussed three principal differences between the board’s earlier recommended draft and the ordinance now before the council. The council’s draft limits permitted light‑industrial and warehouse development to low‑intensity uses, applies a one‑road‑mile location parameter tied to proximity to I‑287, and creates a 500‑foot buffer prohibiting warehouse development within that distance of residential zone boundaries. Roberts characterized those changes as more restrictive but still responsive to the master plan’s stated goals to minimize traffic, noise and air‑quality impacts of light industrial uses.

Board members pressed staff on enforcement mechanisms for truck routing and traffic impacts if applications are approved under the ordinance. Roberts and staff explained the ordinance would require applicants to show proposed truck routes as part of a site plan; approved truck routes and specific site‑plan conditions could then be enforced as conditions of approval. They noted that county truck‑route designation and police enforcement are outside the Planning Board’s authority.

The board also discussed development controls that limit circumvention, including a floor‑area‑ratio rule intended to prevent parcel consolidation from defeating intensity limits. Members noted the ordinance also removes data centers as a permitted use in the BI zone and includes controls on building size and loading‑dock ratios intended to limit truck activity (a 150,000‑square‑foot cap for warehouses was discussed during the hearing).

Chairman Orcsini moved to deem the council’s revised BI zone ordinance not inconsistent with the Franklin Township master plan; the motion passed on a roll‑call voice vote with the board’s named members recorded as voting yes. The board then approved a memorializing resolution to refer the ordinance back to the Township Council for its second reading and final adoption. The board did not open this item to public testimony because it was acting only on the narrow legal question of consistency with the master plan.

The ordinance now proceeds to the Township Council for final action. If approved by council, the ordinance’s provisions (distance limits, buffers, permitted‑use list changes and site‑plan truck‑routing requirements) will apply to future applications in the BI zone.