MILLSTONE – Municipal officials have adopted an ordinance which states that accessory apartments developed in Millstone Township will be made available for very low income households.
The ordinance was adopted on June 17. Income limits defined as very low, low and moderate have been established for regions throughout New Jersey in accordance with affordable housing regulations.
Township Committee members said the action will help the municipality meet its state mandated obligation to provide opportunities for the development of affordable housing, which is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below market rates to individuals and families whose income meets certain guidelines.
According to township officials, Millstone’s obligation is 231 affordable housing units.
And, committee members introduced an ordinance that will revise the fees for development applications.
In application fees, the ordinance will increase the concept plans/informal reviews for subdivisions, sketch plats/informal reviews for site plans, minor site plans, appeals of decisions by administrative officials to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, interpretations of the land use and development regulations or zoning map by the zoning board and extension of time requests for use variances from $350 to $500; minor subdivisions, use variances and conditional uses from $750 to $1,000; and final major subdivisions, final major site plans and general development plans and municipal agreement reviews from $500 to $1,000.
Further increases proposed by the ordinance in application fees include residential preliminary major site plans from $1,000 to $2,500; non-residential preliminary major site plans from $1,000 to $1,500 and $50 per acre, with 0.05 cents per square foot for the proposed building area (not to exceed $5,000); in-house administrative site plan review from $250 to $500; hardship or bulk variances from $350 to $500 each; variances for frontage on unimproved streets before the zoning board from $350 to $1,000; extension requests for hardship/bulk variances from $250 to $350; and tax map revision fees from $150 for the lot and $25 per unit to $200 for the lot and $50 per unit.
In escrow amount, the ordinance will increase minor subdivisions from $3,500 to $5,000; minor site plan approval from $3,000 to $5,000; in-house administrative site plan review from $2,000 to $2,500; appeals of decisions by administrative officials to the zoning board, interpretations of the land use and development regulations or zoning map by the zoning board and extension of time requests for use variances from $1,500 to $2,000; variances for frontage on unimproved streets before the zoning board from $1,000 to $1,500; and extension of time requests for hardship/bulk variances from $500 to $1,000.
The ordinance proposes removing the $300 additional cost per lot/unit from the $8,000 escrow amount for residential preliminary major site plans, making the new escrow amount $8,000.
Additionally, on June 3, committee members introduced an ordinance that will, if adopted, prohibit individuals from operating any motor vehicle – including two-wheel vehicles, mini-bikes, trail bikes, motor scooters and go-carts – in a manner that will endanger or is likely to endanger the safety or property of any person, including the operator of the vehicle, or damage public property.
The ordinance will also prohibit individuals from damaging or defacing structures, buildings, parking lots, benches, signs or any other property owned by the township in park areas or on municipally owned property.
