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Planning commissioners declines to support Tecce tract zoning change.
Because the planning commission is an advisory board without real power, however, the township commissioners could still vote to advertise the proposed revision to the zoning code.Currently, the Tecce tract is governed by a zoning overlay requiring Nolan”s development to be restricted to residents over age 55. The overlay, negotiated by the township and the developer, provides for a greater density of housing on the property than would be allowed under the previous zoning regulations in exchange for the age restriction, which lowers ‘the intensity of use,’ zoning officer Rob Dunlop said in an interview April 7.’The theory is … you”re going to have fewer occupants per unit, fewer trips generated for traffic impact, community demand for services will not be the same - you”re not sending kids to the school district,’ he said.The new ordinance would do away with the age qualification and replace it with language codifying the design of the home and the surrounding property in ways that would make the development more attractive to ‘empty-nesters’ than to couples raising children, thereby preserving the intent of the current overlay, Weiss said.With little yard space next to the homes, narrow streets, no playgrounds, limited sidewalks and large master bedrooms on the first floors, the homes would be ‘age-targeted’ and would likely differ from the ‘age-restricted’ homes only in that some of the residents would be in their 40s, Weiss said.’Age-restricted’ not only limits the group of potential buyers to those over 55, but also makes buyers nervous about their ability to resell the homes in the future, he said.’In today”s economy, since the housing market bottomed out, it”s become obvious to real estate developers and to state and federal governments that age-restricted has become something not practical for development,’ Weiss said.more