Planning board adopts amended housing element; recommends Island Road and North Franklin overlays amid resident concerns

The Ramsey Planning Board voted March 3 to adopt the borough's 2026 amended housing element and fair share plan and then recommended three related ordinances to the governing body: the R5E Island Road multifamily overlay, the R5F North Franklin Turnpike overlay and a borough-wide mandatory affordable-housing set-aside.

Mr. Burgess, a licensed professional planner who testified as an expert, told the board the fourth-round statewide process produced high preliminary need numbers that Ramsey negotiated down (preliminary DCA numbers of roughly 503'504 were reduced to 450, with a realistic development potential, RDP, of 26 units). He said the borough used a combination of already-approved projects, bonus credits and overlay provisions to satisfy the RDP and to address part of the larger unmet need. "If they do not vote on this plan and adopt a plan by March 15th, you can lose your immunity and ... a builder's remedy could follow," Mr. Burgess said, urging timely action to avoid court-ordered development outcomes.

Residents who live along Island Road and North Franklin urged the board to slow the process, citing short notice for reviewing the 213-page amended plan, a lack of site-by-site analyses, and the prospect that overlay zoning would invite investor solicitations. "Members of the public have not had a reasonable opportunity to review application materials in advance," said Joe Carrie (498 Island Road), who urged the board to address late availability of materials before testimony proceeded. Jamie Stevenson (521 Island Road) pointed to the borough's 2021 land-use objectives, noting the master plan seeks to protect the borough's single-family character. "How does this increased intensity of use on Island Road reconcile with these policies?" she asked.

Several residents pressed safety and service concerns. Linda Dunn cited a 2004 corridor traffic study and a history of crashes near driveways; she said the corridor remains hostile to pedestrians and bicyclists and asked whether a cumulative traffic-capacity study had been performed. "This corridor is a traffic nightmare," Dunn said. Stacy Tossy, whose family has first-responder ties, asked whether the borough had analyzed fire and EMS response times and apparatus access for the proposed densities; Mr. Burgess and staff said those technical reviews occur at the site-plan stage and would involve the borough's fire and police departments.

Speakers also raised alternatives they said had not been fully explored, including reuse of underused downtown parking lots near transit, accessory-dwelling-unit programs, and other distributed strategies. Mr. Burgess said some municipal or DOT-owned sites require a developer pro forma to be viable in the mediation process and that many such options are difficult to finalize within the statutory mediation timelines.

After extended discussion about legal deadlines and the consequences of failing to adopt a plan, the board approved the amended housing element and fair share plan and then voted separately to recommend each ordinance to the mayor and council. Roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript with the board's members voting in the affirmative. The board also approved a related resolution prepared by special litigation counsel.

Next steps: the board's recommendations go to the borough governing body, which may choose to adopt or reject the ordinances. Mr. Burgess noted that if the governing body does not adopt the ordinances the town could still be exposed to litigation and builder's-remedy claims; he repeatedly urged residents concerned about state policy to contact their state legislators.

Votes at a glance: the transcript records the board adopting the amended housing element and fair share plan and recommending: Ordinance 04-2026 (R5E Island Road overlay), Ordinance 05-2026 (R5F North Franklin Turnpike overlay) and Ordinance 06-2026 (mandatory affordable-housing set-aside). The motions and roll-call recommendations were recorded in the meeting minutes and forwarded to the governing body for final action.