Planning board conditionally approves three‑lot subdivision at 59 Cornell Boulevard amid stormwater and tree preservation concerns

The Bridgewater Planning Board on June 2 conditionally approved a subdivision that will split 59 Cornell Boulevard into three single‑family R‑10 lots, subject to a package of conditions addressing stormwater management, grading, tree preservation and recorded maintenance responsibilities.

Attorney Evan Pickas presented the application to divide the roughly 33,000‑square‑foot property into three conforming lots (approximately 11,000, 10,000 and 12,000 square feet). William Scott, the applicant’s licensed engineer, described a grading and drainage plan that adds curbing along West Summit Street to capture roadway runoff, directs on‑lot runoff into a rear swale and uses a detention pond (designed to hold up to about 3 feet at a 100‑year event) that will discharge to an existing inlet on Cornell Boulevard.

Scott told the board that subsurface conditions drove the decision to use a basin rather than infiltration dry wells. “Groundwater is high,” he testified, and infiltration testing showed poor percolation; the basin and conveyance network are intended to hold and release stormwater at a controlled rate. He said the applicant will record an operation and maintenance manual for the detention feature and that the lot owner of the downstream lot (lot 1.03) will be responsible for basin maintenance.

Landscape and design issues drew sustained attention. Scott said 14 qualifying trees would be removed but that the plan adds 18 deciduous and 30 evergreen trees to screen properties along the rear boundary; the scheme also includes a capped, interlocking 3‑foot wall and a planted berm to provide privacy and screening. Board professionals raised questions about species selection (concern about Leyland cypress and deer‑browsing of arborvitae), and asked the applicant to work with the township planner to select a mix of native species better suited to local conditions.

Neighbors spoke at length about runoff and long‑term maintenance. One nearby resident asked who would maintain the rear wall and planted buffers and whether the pond might become a mosquito source; the applicant committed to record deeds and maintenance obligations and to an annual certification that the basin is being maintained in accordance with the O&M manual. The engineer said the basin is designed to drain in hours under normal conditions and to meet township requirements for temporary storage, and that the submitted maintenance program and recorded deed notices will prevent future neglect.

Board professionals requested additional specificity before final filings: lot‑by‑lot impervious coverage caps so that future building permits will not unintentionally trigger 'major' stormwater development requirements; completion of the basin and primary drainage improvements prior to issuance of any certificates of occupancy; and a revised grading plan (to be reviewed and accepted by the board engineer) showing the final rear conveyance and any buried inlet piping or surface swales. The board also required either construction of sidewalks or payment into the township sidewalk fund, and said the planting schedule and fence details must be approved by planning staff.

With those conditions recorded on the subdivision plat and in deed restrictions, the board moved and approved the subdivision application. The conditional approval requires the applicant to submit the revised grading plan, the operation and maintenance manual for the basin, recorded deed restrictions assigning maintenance responsibilities, impervious coverage calculations that keep each lot below the township major‑development threshold, and final landscape/species selections to the satisfaction of board professionals before final plat endorsement.