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Green Township considers smaller lot sizes at Lake Tranquility in Master Plan update; some board members and residents push back
Summary
Planner Jessica Caldwell presented a Master Plan reexamination that would lower lot-size thresholds in the Lake Tranquility area. Board member Sharon Mullen and resident Doug Van Brunt opposed the change; Caldwell said the committee will extend the study and report back before adoption planned at the January reorganization meeting.
The Green Township Land Use Board on Dec. 12 heard a progress report on a Master Plan reexamination that includes a proposed reduction in lot-size requirements for the Lake Tranquility area.
Board Planner Jessica Caldwell, assisted by associate Nick Meurer, said the committee’s three goals were to update Master Plan goals and objectives, review land-use districts and address ordinance changes. Caldwell noted a prescribed 10-year reexamination and said the committee had considered the Farmland Preservation Plan and the Sussex County Open Space Plan while preparing the draft.
Caldwell reported that the average lot size at Lake Tranquility is about 0.3 acres and described a proposed change that would lower the minimum lot size in that area. Board member Sharon Mullen said she was "absolutely opposed to the proposed zone change in Lake Tranquility," expressing concern that smaller minimum lot sizes would encourage further subdivision and worsen overcrowding around the lake. Chairman Scott Holzhauer and member Samuel Diaz said they did not view the change as likely to cause problems; Ms. Douglass said smaller lot allowances could support reasonable rateables and help tax revenue.
Resident Doug Van Brunt asked when a public hearing on the Master Plan would be held and reiterated his opposition to smaller lot sizes, saying he moved to town for tree cover and does not want more houses. Caldwell said she would extend the study and return with precise figures about how many lots could be subdivided under the proposed rules and agreed to email the findings to the board. The plan was set to be considered for adoption at the January reorganization meeting.
Board Engineer Cory Stoner said a drainage study for Lake Tranquility will be conducted in the coming year to assess documented issues; that study was described as separate from the Master Plan zoning work.
The board also noted several technical corrections raised by member Rick Wilson in the draft report and asked that those be fixed before final adoption.
