Planning board finds Windsor Place redevelopment plan consistent with Nutley master plan, recommends age restriction and green infrastructure

The Nutley planning board voted to find the Windsor Place townhouse redevelopment plan consistent with the town master plan and recommended the board of commissioners adopt the plan with two conditions: the project must adhere to an existing settlement agreement calling for age‑restricted units, and the board should urge the use of green‑infrastructure and sustainable technologies where feasible.

At a public meeting, a presenter for the applicant (identified in the record as Mr. Riner) outlined the three‑step process for redevelopment: an investigative study (already designated in February 2026), the current redevelopment‑plan adoption step, and a later site‑plan application stage. He said the redevelopment plan would permit “up to 12 town homes,” keep maximum building height consistent with R1 zoning (two‑and‑a‑half stories/30 feet), and introduce design standards for architecture, landscaping, EV parking and screening. He also stated that the plan includes stormwater and flood‑mitigation requirements meeting “the newest NJD flood management and storm water requirements,” which he said will make post‑construction runoff better than pre‑construction conditions.

Board members pressed for specifics on stormwater, unit size and setbacks. The presenter said there are no mapped flood issues for the parcel and that unit floor plans and bedroom counts are a matter for the later site‑plan application; zoning at this stage sets only the maximum unit count and bulk standards. He described proposed setbacks intended to increase the buffer to adjacent single‑family homes (for example, the minimum residential setback would move from roughly 6 feet to 10 feet) and said Windsor Place will function as a dead‑end off Kingsland Street rather than provide access to the adjacent innovation center.

Several members raised concerns about grading and buffering where the site abuts Wilmington Drive and asked the applicant to provide additional cross‑sections (south‑to‑north and east‑to‑west) and to show whether retaining walls will be necessary. The board also requested that the applicant’s traffic and noise experts testify at the continued hearing so those technical impacts can be examined with the site‑plan details.

Board members and a municipal representative cited language in settlement documents. As recited into the record by a municipal representative, the settlement text directs the township to adopt an overlay zone or redevelopment plan "to permit development of a 12 town home style age restricted units." That settlement language was discussed by members as the basis for recommending the age restriction condition.

The board moved and seconded a recommendation that the board of commissioners adopt the redevelopment plan with the stated conditions. A roll‑call vote recorded the following 'Yes' votes: Mr. Deltufo, Mr. Smith, Miss Tangora, Commissioner Scarpelli, Mr. Tendia, Mayor Kelly, Mr. Contella, Mr. Picheski, and Mr. Audi. The motion carried in the roll call as recorded.

Next steps: the planning‑board recommendation will be forwarded to the Nutley board of commissioners, which must decide whether to adopt the redevelopment plan at a later meeting. The board also set an August 5 meeting to continue the 536 Washington Avenue hearing and asked the applicant for additional exhibits (turning radii, cross‑sections) and for its traffic and sound consultants to appear.

Quotes (selected): "12 town homes is the maximum permitted," Mr. Riner said during the presentation. A municipal representative read part of the settlement into the record: "the township shall adopt an overlay zone or a redevelopment plan ... to permit development of a 12 town home style age restricted units." (municipal representative)

The board meeting closed after staff said resolutions would be drafted to reflect the board’s recommendation and the schedule for the continued Washington Avenue application was confirmed.