BASEMENT WATERPROOFING IN Millstone

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MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP - The planning board denied plans to construct a new neighborhood at 711 Perrineville Road, rejecting a proposal for the 36.49-acre development would have included 122 market-rate townhouses and 48 affordable apartment units where a house and farm currently exist.

The plan was part of the township’s affordable housing settlement agreement negotiated the state’s Council on Affordable Housing in 2020. The owner of 711 Perrineville Road, Gerald Baldacino, had expressed interest in constructing a neighborhood on his land in 2018. Original plans called for building 194 market-rate units with 48 affordable units, but due to environmental constrains, the plans downsized.

The developer, Hexa Builders LLC, also improved traffic circulation by getting rid of dead-ends and gravel roads and agreeing to reconfigure its detention basins if the state Department of Environmental Protection determined the current plans encroached upon flood hazard lines. Engineer for the developer Chester DiLorenzo said the plans would include 15 electric vehicle charging stations for the apartment building and wires in every townhouse to accommodate possible future charging stations.

DiLorenzo also said the proposed neighborhood would use water from an aquifer located underneath the aquifer neighboring residents are using. He said the usage of the lower aquifer would not impact usage of the neighbor’s aquifer.

“We’re going down below your water,” he said.

But the board expressed concerns regarding the soil and animals living on the property.

Matt Leatherwood, one of the developer’s environmental consultants, said because the land was used for agriculture, a lead-based pesticide was detected at a level that would not require remediation.

Board Chair Mitchell Newman asked if the developer was willing to voluntarily remove the contaminant. Leatherwood said there would be no need since the total amount would equate to a small four-ounce jar.

Kyle Weise, the developer’s other environmental consultant, said the project would not impede on any endangered species’ territory.

Board member Stephen Lambros said the studies conducted looked at animals on land and air, but wondered if the developer took in consideration the animals in the streams surrounding the property.

“Millstone Township is recognized as having some of the most unique waters in the state,” he said citing previous municipal tests that found unique organisms in the township’s waters.

Weise said those tests would be under the Department of Environmental Protection’s jurisdiction.

The board’s engineer Matt Shafai asked about the identification of trees that would be removed for the development of the proposed neighborhood.

The developer’s lawyer John Giunco said that under an agreement with the township, the tree survey requirement for the development was relaxed.

Board member Jeff Ziner said a requirement was relaxed, not excused.

Resident Charles Boris questioned the developer’s reasoning for not conducting more tests. ‘You want to say the reason why you’re not going to spend the extra money is because 'We don’t want to incur extra cost, now we’re affordable units,'" he said. He said the market-rate townhouses are proposed to outnumber the affordable apartments.

Without deliberating the merits and concerns of the application among themselves, the board voted against granting the developer preliminary site plan approval in a 5-1 vote. The board chair Newman was the sole “yes” vote for the application.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at [email protected].

Don't swim in the Millstone River between Rocky Hill and Blackwells Mills in southern Somerset County.

And don't eat any fish you may catch or drink any water, keep your pets out of the water and do not canoe, kayak or boat in the slow-flowing river.

The state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a warning about harmful algal blooms (HABs) in the Millstone River that could lead to serious health risks.

Testing of the water late in July found dangerous levels of macrocystis, a class of toxins produced by certain freshwater cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae.

These microorganisms could pose, according to the DEP, a high risk of health effects, including abdominal pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting and nausea, dry cough, diarrhea, blistering around the mouth, pneumonia and liver toxicity.

Children and pets are particularly vulnerable because they ingest more water in relation to their weight, according to The Watershed Institute which monitors waterways in Central Jersey.

The Delaware and Raritan Canal, which runs alongside the river, is not affected at this time.

The DEP is posting warning signs at entry points along that stretch of the river.

HABs have been found in the river from Lake Carnegie in Princeton to Manville. The DEP has issued an advisory for Lake Carnegie and the river north to Rocky Hill, but no advisories or warnings have been posted north of Blackwells Mills.

The HABs, which have plagued several state lakes in recent years, are not caused by true algae, but by cyanobacteria that, in many ways, resemble and behave like algae, according to The Watershed Institute.

These cyanobacteria naturally occur in fresh water and can multiply to unhealthful levels in sunlight and hot weather, forming dense mats resembling pea soup or spilled paint.

Elevated levels of nutrients from polluted stormwater runoff and hot temperatures create the perfect conditions for HABs to thrive, according to The Watershed Institute.

According to National Weather Service data, the river is a little less than 2 feet deep at Blackwells Mills and has risen a few inches since the spotty overnight rain on Sunday.

Email: [email protected]

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

MILLSTONE – Construction of a traffic roundabout in Millstone Township that will replace an intersection which has been an ongoing source of safety concerns is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023.

The roundabout will be constructed at the local intersection known as Scooter Corner, a five-spoke intersection that is not controlled by a traffic signal. Scooter Corner is the meeting point of Stagecoach Road (Route 524), Millstone Road and Paint Island Spring Road.

A roundabout is a traffic calming device. It is smaller than a traffic circle.

Because the Scooter Corner intersection is on a Monmouth County road (Route 524), the roundabout project is under the jurisdiction of Monmouth County officials.

According to Robert Strang-Wolf, a principal engineer with Monmouth County, county officials are in the process of finalizing the project’s construction documents, acquiring the necessary right of way and preparing the construction proposal for the planned roundabout.

The county expects to receive bids for the roundabout’s construction in the fall, according to Strang-Wolf. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023.

All work on the Scooter Corner project is being performed in conjunction with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). Those agencies are funding the approximate $3 million construction cost, according to Strang-Wolf.

According to Monmouth County, the intersection has safety and operational concerns, including a crash history and significant delays. The DOT has reported that between 2011 and 2015 there were 21 motor vehicle crashes at Scooter Corner.

The DOT reported that the 21 collisions caused six injuries (no deaths).

County officials have described the intersection as being at a rural location and having unconventional geometry. Each road at Scooter Corner has a different speed limit, according to a previous presentation.

The highest speed limit is 50 mph on Stagecoach Road and the lowest speed limit is 35 mph on Paint Island Spring Road.

North of Stagecoach Road, the speed limit on Millstone Road is 40 mph.

South of Stagecoach Road, the speed limit on Millstone Road is 45 mph.

According to the county, the Scooter Corner roundabout will have five approach legs and a diameter of 190 feet. There will be storm water management basins, road lighting, pavement markings and signs, and handicap ramps. The roundabout will accommodate large vehicles.

Within the past few years, the county has constructed two roundabouts: one roundabout is at the Route 520 entrance to Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, and the second roundabout is in Colts Neck at a location similar to the multi-spoked Scooter Corner intersection in Millstone.

According to county officials, compared to other intersection treatments, a roundabout reduces the number of conflict points and produces a reduction in the severity and number of crashes.

MILLSTONE – An application that proposes the construction of a 170-unit residential development will be heard during a special meeting of the Millstone Township Planning Board on a date to be announced.

Hexa Builders, LLC, is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct a development at 711 Perrineville Road, Millstone Township, near Route 571 and the border of East Windsor.

The application was heard on March 9 and most recently on May 11. No decision regarding the application has been made by the board. Attorney John Giunco presented the application on behalf of Hexa Builders.

Following testimony on May 11, the application was carried to the board’s June 8 meeting, but testimony will not be heard that evening. At that time, board members are expected to announce the date of the special meeting when testimony will continue.

Hexa Builders has said the proposed development at 711 Perrineville Road will consist of 18 buildings on a 36-acre lot. There will be 122 townhouses constructed in 16 buildings and 48 condominiums constructed in two buildings.

The townhouses will be sold at market rates and the condominiums will be marketed for sale under New Jersey’s affordable housing guidelines, according to the applicant.

The proposed development was initially announced by municipal officials in 2019 as part of the township’s plan to provide opportunities for the development of affordable housing in the community.

All of Millstone’s previously approved affordable housing projects contain only affordable housing units. Those developments are referred to as 100% affordable housing projects.

The project envisioned by Hexa Builders is the first development proposed in Millstone that would include market rate homes and affordable housing units. This type of development is referred to as an inclusionary project.

The property is owned by Gerald Baldachino, who presented the township with the initial plan to develop the lot on Perrineville Road.

At the start of the May 11 meeting, Christopher Huss, the superintendent of schools of the Millstone Township K-8 School District, asked questions about the proposed development’s potential impact on the township’s schools.

The district consists of a primary school, an elementary school and a middle school.

Huss said a residential development of this size is estimated to bring between 50 and 120 students into the school district.

While Huss said that number of students would be sustainable in the district’s total enrollment, he also said there could be other impacts on the school district, such as if the new students require special education services or are English as a Second Language pupils.

“No formula can predict those special circumstances,” he said.

The superintendent said all students in the school district are offered bus transportation to and from school. He asked if the proposed development would have an outlet or a way for a bus to turn around.

The applicant’s representatives said the development would have two points of access for vehicles.

Giunco noted that the Hexa Builders application cannot be denied based on the potential number of children who may enroll in the school district. The attorney and the applicant’s other representatives emphasized that the residential development is a permitted use in the zone where it is being proposed.

As part of a settlement agreement involving affordable housing, the members of the Township Committee adopted an ordinance that rezoned the Perrineville Road property from rural preservation to rural multi-family.

The development proposed by Hexa Builders conforms to the new zoning at the site and does not require a variance.

Potential traffic issues associated with the proposed development were also a concern raised by board members and members of the public.

Traffic engineer John Rea, representing the applicant, said the application would be discussed with Monmouth County officials because Perrineville Road is under the jurisdiction of the county.

Representatives from Millstone will be permitted to attend the meeting with the county, although Giunco questioned the necessity of municipal officials being present because the county will ultimately be responsible for the road’s safety.

Planning Board member Steve Lambros was critical of what he said was missing information, including information from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and details about the proposed development’s storm water management.

“I have not seen an application with this many conditions,” said Lambros, who has been a member of the board since 2004. “It’s important for the applicant to come here completely ready.”

Giunco said the basic elements of the proposed development were provided and said other factors would be conditions of the board’s approval.

The application was not concluded that evening. The board members initially sought to carry the public hearing to July 13, but Giunco took issue with the length of time between meetings (May 11 to July 13).

The application was carried to June 8. The Hexa Builders application will not be heard that evening, but the date of a special meeting when the application will be heard is expected to be announced at that time.

MILLSTONE — The public hearing on an application that proposes the construction of a 170-unit residential development is scheduled to continue during a special meeting of the Millstone Township Planning Board that has been scheduled for Aug. 2.

Hexa Builders, LLC, is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct a development at 711 Perrineville Road, Millstone Township, near Route 571 and the border of East Windsor.

The application has been heard by the board on March 9, May 11 and during a special meeting on June 29. No decision regarding the application has been made by the board members. Attorney John Giunco represents Hexa Builders.

Following the presentation of testimony on June 29, the application was carried to the board’s July 13 meeting, but testimony was not heard that evening.

During the July 13 meeting, board members voted to carry the Hexa Builders public hearing to a special meeting on Aug. 2. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Wagner Farm Park facility, Baird Road.

Representatives of Hexa Builders have said the proposed development at 711 Perrineville Road will consist of 18 buildings on a 36-acre lot. There will be 122 townhouses constructed in 16 buildings and 48 condominiums constructed in two buildings.

The townhouses will be sold at market rates and the condominiums will be marketed for sale under New Jersey’s affordable housing guidelines, according to the applicant.

The proposed development was initially announced by municipal officials in 2019 as part of a plan to provide opportunities for the development of affordable housing in the community.

All of Millstone Township’s previously approved affordable housing projects contain only affordable housing units. Those developments are referred to as 100% affordable housing projects.

The project envisioned by Hexa Builders is the first development proposed in Millstone Township that would include market rate homes and affordable housing units. This type of development is referred to as an inclusionary project.

The property where Hexa Builders is proposing to construct the residential units is owned by Gerald Baldachino, who presented township officials with the initial plan to develop the parcel on Perrineville Road.

During the public hearings, some board members have criticized what they said is missing information from the application. They have expressed concern about the possibility of being forced to vote on the application without having what they said is all of the necessary information.