Manalapan board carries 10-unit Village at St. James affordable housing plan to Jan. 8 after resident concerns

The Manalapan Planning Board on Nov. 13 carried the Village at St. James site-plan hearing to the Board’s Jan. 8, 2026 reorganization meeting after residents raised parking, sight-line and stormwater questions about the proposed 10-unit affordable townhouse development on Lewis Street.

Attorney Steven H. Merman, representing the applicant, said the property is municipally owned and the application seeks preliminary and final major site-plan approval for 10 units (six two-bedroom units and four three-bedroom units). Engineer Robert Curley testified the plan proposes a single building with individual driveways, 27 off-street parking spaces, and an infiltration basin for stormwater that overflows to Wood Avenue and then ties into the county drainage system.

The project triggers a cartway-width variance from the Township’s AH-TH ordinance, which requires a 34-foot cartway. Curley told the Board the applicant is proposing a 28-foot cartway that complies with the Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS) and "can be granted without detriment to public health, safety, or welfare." Board engineer Danny Lopez requested the applicant consider widening Lewis Street to 30 feet to create a straight pavement edge; Curley agreed to revise plans to a maximum 30-foot width across the frontage for further review.

Planner Jennifer Beahm emphasized legal limits on the Board’s review, noting the application is a permitted use under the township zoning and that offsite traffic impacts are outside the scope of the Board’s review. Beahm said the units will be income-qualified through the Township’s administrative agent and placed by lottery, and that "affordable housing does not inherently equate to crime or disorder," noting that management companies typically conduct additional tenant screenings.

Neighbors at the public hearing raised a range of operational concerns. Thomas Schwerthoffer asked about potential schoolchildren counts and bus access, and testified about sight-line constraints approaching Route 522; Eric Sparks (Lot 11 owner) and Gregory Hodge questioned the feasibility of improving visibility where vegetation and grading are on private property. Residents also questioned whether 27 parking spaces would be sufficient for families with multiple cars and whether enforcement of "No Parking" signs would be effective.

On technical issues, the county requested a sight-distance exhibit at the Lewis/Wood intersection and recommended the applicant document outreach to Lot 11’s owner; the applicant produced a letter sent the previous day and committed to continuing good-faith outreach. The engineering review also identified a calculation error that initially included offsite water in the 100‑year peak runoff reduction analysis; Curley said that correction would show the onsite reductions do meet requirements and the applicant committed to addressing the remaining engineering comments.

Design details discussed included unit sizes (~1,000 sq. ft. for two-bedrooms; ~1,200 sq. ft. for three-bedrooms), two first-floor ADA-accessible units (Units 1C and 2C), unit pre-wiring for EV charging (agreed to per Environmental Commission recommendation), a fenced infiltration basin (Board asked for split-rail fence with anti-climb mesh), and a hammerhead turnaround designed to accommodate a full-size garbage truck and emergency vehicles. The architect described exterior materials and articulated façades intended to avoid a continuous rowhouse appearance.

No formal vote on the application was taken; Merman asked to carry the matter to the Jan. 8, 2026 reorganization meeting to avoid re-noticing. The Board agreed and also offered nonbinding suggestions — including considering a pocket-park use for a right-of-way dedication, further study of potential sewer connections for neighboring properties before paving, and evaluating whether additional curb markings or signage could mitigate on-street parking pressure.

Next steps: the applicant will submit revised plans reflecting requested cartway dimensions, provide the county sight-distance exhibit and additional engineering responses (including corrected runoff calculations), continue documented outreach to Lot 11’s owner, and return to the Board on Jan. 8, 2026.