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Warren planning board adopts focused reexamination of master plan tied to new affordable‑housing rules
Summary
The Warren Township Planning Board adopted a reexamination report that aligns the town’s Master Plan with the Amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan (HEFSP), lists replacement affordable‑housing sites and flags a March 15, 2026 deadline for adopting required ordinances to preserve immunity from builder’s remedy.
Katherine Samad, the township’s professional planner, told the Warren Township Planning Board on Feb. 11 that the board’s reexamination report focuses on the town’s affordable‑housing obligations under the Amended Fair Housing Act and on modest technical updates to the Master Plan. The board voted to adopt the reexamination report.
The report, Samad said, ties the Housing Element and Fair Share Plan adopted in June 2025 to an amendment required by the state, and it identifies replacement or “backup” sites that could be developed if planned sites do not move forward. Samad listed the backup locations as a firewood site on Washing Valley Road Extension, the Bardy property and the Chua site at the Village Square Mall shopping center, and noted the plan received a court finding of compliance on Feb. 3, 2026. She told the board there is an impending March 15, 2026 deadline to adopt an Amended HEFSP and related ordinances required by state law.
"This reexamination is focused in scope on affordable housing obligations and the Amended Fair Housing Act adopted in 2024," Samad said, explaining the town’s next steps. Board attorney Steve Warner reminded members the board’s role will be to review any ordinances the township introduces for consistency with the Master Plan.
Board members asked questions about timing and community impacts. Rakesh Ganta asked whether the reexamination frequency required annual updates; Samad said it did not. Mr. Ganta also asked whether the reexamination should analyze impacts to infrastructure and town character; Samad said those topics are typically addressed in a comprehensive Master Plan update rather than the focused reexamination.
The board adopted a resolution to approve the reexamination report on a motion by Sal DiBianca, seconded by Rakesh Ganta. The roll call vote in the record lists John Lindner (Chairman), Mario Serra (Mayor’s Designee), Deputy Mayor Vanessa Kian, Matt Lippitt, Barry Argiro, Sal DiBianca, Mike Scuderi, Lou Esposito, Rakesh Ganta and Will DiGrande as voting in favor; there were no votes against.
The board’s action starts a process in which the township will introduce and advertise the ordinances needed to implement the amended HEFSP. According to the report, those ordinances and any implementing rules must be reviewed by the Planning Board for Master Plan consistency before adoption; complying with the plan could preserve the township’s immunity from builder’s‑remedy litigation.
A public‑meeting record of the reexamination and the board’s resolution will be forwarded to the Office of Planning Advocacy in Trenton, the Somerset County Planning Board and the clerks of adjoining municipalities as required by state procedure.
