Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears planner: variances, retaining wall and wetland buffer trade-offs
Summary
Planner and engineers told the board variances are required for at-grade features and a retaining wall up to 7 feet due to topography and wetland buffers; NJDEP applications and mitigation plantings were described as part of compliance.
James Higgins, the applicant's planning witness, told the board the limited manufacturing zone permits public-utility use when six conditions are met and said the proposed PSE&G substation satisfies those conditions. He described several requested bulk variances and design waivers, including for crushed-stone surfaces in the front buffer (8.5 feet from the front property line), utility trenches, and a retaining wall that varies by site topography and peaks at about 7 feet where needed to avoid wetland disturbance.
Higgins and the civil engineer explained the retaining wall and staggered profile were designed specifically to limit disturbance of wetlands and wetland buffers that NJDEP has delineated on the site. Jason Ringer added the site contains multiple wetlands and wetland buffers (northwest, western edge and southern portions) and that bioretention basins and stormwater measures were designed to manage runoff and groundwater recharge. The board required the applicant to pursue all outside-agency approvals and to provide required DEP documentation during the compliance process.
