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Residents warn of traffic, economic and neighborhood impacts from proposed redevelopment
Summary
Multiple residents told the board that the study understates traffic and economic impacts on nearby park users and small businesses, and urged the borough to factor mitigation into negotiations; one resident asked that town‑owned Lot 102 be considered to reduce traffic on Bernard/Burners Avenue.
Public comment at the Bernardsville Planning Board hearing focused heavily on traffic, parking and neighborhood effects of potential housing on the former industrial site. Residents said the study did not capture where workers and families who currently use on‑site parking and nearby park parking would go if the site becomes residential and suggested the study underestimates economic effects on local small businesses.
Multiple speakers asked for explicit traffic mitigation analysis and suggested using town‑owned Lot 102 (at the end of Mine Avenue) to provide alternate access and reduce traffic through Bernard/Burners Avenue. Carrie Hazelton asked whether the site had been subjected to environmental testing; staff and board members said that testing would likely occur later in the redevelopment process and that tonight's action was limited to a designation recommendation. A board member instructed staff to take public comments back to council and to consider Lot 102 in future negotiations.
Residents emphasized everyday safety concerns: one speaker, identifying herself as a retired police officer, described a lack of traffic control on nearby construction routes and warned that adding up to 180 units could create dangerous vehicle movements on narrow side streets. The board acknowledged the concerns and noted that the designation itself is not a final development approval; further studies and council decisions would be needed before construction proceeds.
