Green Township Land Use Board adopts Master Plan Reexamination with climate goals, new zoning and dark-sky recommendations

GREEN TOWNSHIP, N.J. — The Green Township Land Use Board voted Feb. 13 to adopt a Master Plan Reexamination Report that adds climate-change requirements, recommends several zoning changes and asks the governing body to pursue new lighting and landscaping standards.

Planner Jessica Caldwell reviewed the report’s proposed changes, calling for three new goals — including a climate-change requirement and sustainable economic and industrial development — and an updated land-use element that incorporates a climate-hazard vulnerability study and eight targeted land-use goals. The board’s motion to adopt the Reexamination, including four minor edits, passed on a roll-call vote with all eligible members voting in favor.

Why it matters: The Reexamination is advisory but shapes future ordinances and development permits. It recommends new district types and policy actions intended to guide growth while addressing hazard resilience, roadway drainage, and environmental protections around Lake Tranquility.

Key provisions and recommendations

- Zoning and district changes: The plan proposes an R-1.5/0.5 minimum-lot option in the Lake Tranquility area to reduce variance requests for small accessory features; consolidation of several commercial districts into a single neighborhood commercial (NC) district to allow retail, professional offices, small businesses and limited residential uses; and a mixed-use flex industrial district for the decommissioned Trica airport property that would permit low-impact light industrial uses, flex space, offices, recreation and small businesses.

- Recreation overlay and camping: A commercial recreation overlay in the AR-5/1 district would permit low-intensity commercial recreation uses and make the Great Divide campground an allowable use within that overlay.

- Infrastructure and resilience: The plan recommends a climate-change hazard vulnerability study, a drainage study for Lake Tranquility, disaster debris management, emergency generators at critical facilities, drainage system mapping and certified floodplain management training for municipal staff.

- Lighting, buffers and landscaping: The Reexamination recommends updates to the lighting ordinance to improve dark-sky protections, to regulate illuminated signage and to increase landscaping and buffer standards for nonresidential uses abutting residences.

- EV charging and public amenities: The plan identifies potential public electric-vehicle charging station locations at the Municipal Building, Evergreen Park and within the mixed-use area at the old airport site when public amenities are developed.

Public concerns and board responses

During the public comment period residents raised several concerns the board said it would pass to the governing body as it drafts ordinance language. Suzanne Sobel asked whether new 1-acre minimum lots would enable subdivision of larger holdings; Caldwell and board members clarified the proposed language includes a density cap (for example, a 100-acre parcel would still be limited to a maximum number of lots based on the density calculation) and that specific ordinance rules remain to be drafted by the township committee.

Several residents voiced environmental and quality-of-life worries around Lake Tranquility. Kim Hart urged limiting commercial expansion on Route 517, requested noise-impact statements for proposed development, asked for dark-sky lighting protections and sought riparian-buffer rules to restrict fertilizer and other pollutants. Planner Caldwell said the NJ DEP regulates riparian buffers but the township could adopt additional local standards; she also noted a forthcoming stormwater management reexamination that will address water-quality and drainage issues. Residents including Alice Kidd and Laura Bugay asked for larger, mature landscaping buffers and for limits on overnight exterior lighting on industrial sites.

Affordable housing and timing

Caldwell said the township will prepare a Housing Element and Fair Share Plan by the June 30 deadline. She said the township submitted alternate municipal need numbers to the state, reducing an initial estimate of about 290 units to a proposed 91 units; those alternate numbers remain subject to state review. Caldwell also described a possible durational adjustment — a way to temporarily reduce municipal obligations when necessary utilities are not available — as one of several plan options.

Votes and formal actions

Votes at a glance: - Adopt Master Plan Reexamination Report (with four minor edits) and Master Plan dated Feb. 13, 2025: Motion by Samuel Diaz, seconded by Kate Douglass; Roll-call: Cercone, Diaz, Douglass, Kobilinski, Lynch, Mullen, Phillips, Wilson, Holzhauer — all Ayes; motion carried. - Memorialize approval of Application LU#2423 (Alexis & Ashley Obolensky, Block 46 Lot 10 - 13 Crescent Road): Motion by Joseph Cercone, seconded by Jenny Kobilinski; roll-call of eligible voters recorded, all Ayes; memorialized approval. - Procedural motions (excuse absent members; approve minutes; close public portion; adjourn): Passed by voice vote; no recorded negatives.

What comes next

The Master Plan Reexamination sets recommendations; the governing body and planning officials will need to draft and adopt ordinances to implement specific zoning changes, setbacks, permitted uses and lighting standards. The township will also develop the Housing Element/Fair Share Plan by the state deadline; any final affordable-housing obligations are subject to state review and approval.

Board chair Scott Holzhauer closed the meeting at 8:52 p.m.