Council will rezone parcels as part of deal
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO - The Township Council has introduced an ordinance that will rezone the property where the Northpointe multi-family housing development will be built.

The property is near Marlboro's border with Aberdeen Township at Lloyd and Nolan roads.

The ordinance was introduced on Nov. 7 and is scheduled for a public hearing and possible adoption on Dec. 6.

Officials said the ordinance is the result of a mediation process in which it was decided that Marlboro is obligated to rezone the property.

All of this stems from an application that was denied by the Planning Board in June 2004. The application filed by Ohad Associates LLC was for an amended site plan for the Northpointe project which is part of Marlboro's affordable housing plan.

Following the board's decision, Ohad Associates took Marlboro to court and sought to have the court overturn and reverse the board's denial of the amended plan, according to the ordinance.

The ordinance states that in September 2004 Ohad Associates filed a formal objection with the state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) to Marlboro's affordable housing plan. In response, Marlboro and Ohad Associates engaged in mediation and agreed on a settlement.

Pursuant to the agreement, the township is obligated to rezone the property. One lot will be rezoned from Multi-Family District to Multi-Family District IV (MFD-IV) and a second lot will be changed from an R-60 residential district (houses on 1.5-acre lots) to an MFD-IV zone to be developed as the Northpointe multi-family residential housing project.

According to an article that appeared in the News Transcript on Jan. 17, 2007, Northpointe developer Michael Weitz will be permitted to construct 299 market rate apartments and 71 affordable rentals at the site in Marlboro. Weitz agreed to fund 14 affordable housing units through a Regional Contribution Agreement to be included in a 252-unit deal with Trenton.

In other business at the Nov. 7 meeting a citizen spoke out about a deer bow hunt in the Big Brook area which began in October and will continue into February.

The deer hunt is sanctioned by the Monmouth County Park System.

Bernette Nieb asked the council members to make residents aware of the hunt since some people may be unaware of its existence.

Nieb said she did not want to see anyone who is unaware of the hunt enter the area where deer hunting is permitted and possibly be injured. She suggested that scout troops and schools be notified.

Council President Jeff Cantor said the council would find out about the possibility of having a sign posted near the area and having a warning posted online.

On Nov. 12 a reporter noticed that a warning concerning the deer hunt had been posted on Marlboro's Internet Web site.

Also discussed that evening were the proposed new fees for 2008 at the recreation department's summer camps. The proposed fees submitted by the recreation commission include a $100 increase for the summer camp registration fee, from $400 to $500 per session. The summer camp activity fee will remain at $250.

The teen camp registration fee will decrease from $300 to $250 per session, however, the teen camp activity fee will increase from $500 to $600 per session.

Registration for the lacrosse program (all grades) is not to exceed $100 per session.

The recreation commission's theater and arts camps, along with Aqua-Time, have no listed changes in fees for 2008.

The new fees will be considered for passage at the council's meeting Dec. 6.

Finally, the issue of campaign signs that spring up all over town during the election season was discussed. The idea of adopting an ordinance to regulate campaign signs was mentioned.

Councilman Steve Rosenthal said he would like to see neighborhoods not polluted by a large number of campaign signs.

Other council members agreed with Rosenthal, but cautioned that any ordinance would have to be carefully worded so as not to infringe on a citizen's right to free speech