Second Bunn Drive Senior Housing Plan Set to be Examined

Matthew Hersh

On the heels of a much-maligned proposal to build 140 senior housing units on the western side of Bunn Drive in Princeton Township, a second plan by a separate developer is taking shape on the horizon on the eastern side of Bunn, just south of Princeton Community Village.

The application for 98 age-restricted condominium units submitted by the Orange-based Morgan Estates, LLC, has been deemed complete by the Princeton Township Department of Zoning and is slated for a full hearing before the Zoning Board of Adjustment by the end of the month.

The proposal would place three three-story apartment-style buildings, all 45-feet tall, on two lots (14.1 one acres total) abutting Journey's End Lane, Bunn Drive, and a proposed right-of-way. One lot is located in the Township's R-2 residential zone and the other in the OR-2 office research zone.

The task at hand for the Zoning Board at the upcoming hearing is to consider granting Morgan Estates a variance that would allow the development. As it stands, the OR-2 allows for office and research uses, and the R-2 permits single-family residential development.

According to the Zoning Department's report prepared upon the application's review, the granting of such variances would not cause "substantial detriment to the public good," adding that the Morgan Estates plan is "better suited for the neighborhood and the community than the permitted uses" currently permitted under the Township's zoning ordinance for that area.

While the Morgan proposal is far from approved, it runs alongside a heavily-criticized plan by developer K. Hovnanian to build 140 senior units in five, three-story garden-style apartments along the western portion of Bunn, south of Hilltop Park.

That proposal, "Four Seasons," was spurned by both the Environmental Commission and the Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) in July due to the potential environmental risks of building on that site. Extensive blasting due to the rocky soil and bedrock in the region, and the sloping nature of the 20.9-acre site led to members to discourage approval by the Regional Planning Board of Princeton when it appears before the board this fall.

Other concerns regarding the Hovnanian plan involve the Transco pipeline that runs directly beneath the site. Several officials expressed concerns related to the proximity between the blasting sites and the pipeline.

The Morgan Estates application is expected to appear before the Township's Zoning Board of Adjustment September 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Township Hall.