WALL TOWNSHIP — The Wall Township Planning Board met Monday night, approving the application for The Carriages at Wall, a townhome development at 1601 18th Ave. A separate application for The Allegro at Old Mill apartment complex was carried to next month, after traffic testimony was deemed insufficient by the board.
The K. Hovnanian Carriages at Wall application calls for a 130-unit, age-restricted townhome community split into three main buildings on one lot, with 26 of the units reserved as affordable. The application is included under the Old Mill Redevelopment Plan, as is The Allegro apartments application.
Parking concerns shared by the board were addressed by the applicant since the last meeting, now providing more than the required amount of parking for the site.
“We went back and looked at the driveways, which we discussed were less than 20 feet wide,” said Dan Bush, Engineer for the applicant. “We are now going to widen those to 20 feet, which allows the driveways to be counted as two parking spaces each for the market rate units. That adds an additional 104 parking spaces, where the residential site improvement standard requires 310. We are now at 434 spaces, or 43% over the standard.”
The applicant also met with the township fire marshal to work out some buffer planting details.
“One comment from Mr. Clayton’s letter spoke to the 30 foot defensible perimeter associated with wildfires,” Bush said. “We subsequently met with Mr. Clayton on March 25, and came to a compromise, which is that we would clear existing vegetation within 30 feet of the homes, and would be able to replant inside that 30 feet, so closer to the homes, with our normal evergreen buffer planting. That doesn’t require any relief in your buffer standards, but it does allow us to plant within that 30 feet of the home…We will comply ultimately with all of his requirements.”
Concerns about basements in some of the units being improperly utilized as bedrooms by tenants were also addressed by the applicant, with changes made to the features of the basement. Joseph Lipanovski, architect for the application, spoke on the adjustments.
“There was some objection and concern that these dens could function as a bedroom,” Lipanowski said. “In response to that, we modified the finished basement design to eliminate both that room (walls) and the adjacent closet, to keep that basement wide open and to disincentivise anyone from sleeping down there, unless they want to sleep in a wide open basement.”
Traffic professional for the applicant, Michelle Briehof of Colliers Engineering, spoke on the overall small traffic impact the development would expectedly have on the area.
“What we are finding is that the impact overall of the development, with the realignment of 18th Avenue and Old Mill Road, would remain operating at similar levels of service, and would improve with the realignment and new signalization that is included within the Old Mill Redevelopment plan…we found that if we were to construct a left turn lane that it would be within the county’s right-of-way, so we are in discussions and preparing a response letter back to the county that discusses that option.”
Resident Tim Cain spoke during public comment on his approval of the traffic reconfigurations, but said he wants
“For me and my family, and other residents on Rue De La Port Drive and with increased traffic, I hope a crosswalk is considered between Rue De La Port and the Wall High School,” Cain said.
Chairman Richard Wonsala asked if the applicant would be willing to aid the board in getting a crosswalk implemented.
“If we could put a crosswalk and then a pedestrian sign…if they would be willing to help us out by putting a crosswalk there,” Wonsala said.
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