The developer of a parcel of land in Toms River that was approved for the construction of nearly three-dozen townhomes in 2016 will return to the township’s planning board this week to pitch a new concept to the board.
Berkeley Development Group received approval from the board to build 35 townhome units on the property located at 2250 Massachusetts Avenue, adjacent to the Jesus Is Lord church. Notably, the development was included in a ruling handed down by Superior Court Judge Mark A. Troncone that counted seven of the units as part of the township’s affordable housing obligation under the state’s controversial Mt. Laurel doctrine.
The property at 2250 Massachusetts Avenue, Toms River, N.J., Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The property at 2250 Massachusetts Avenue, Toms River, N.J., Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The property, to date, remains empty and largely wooded. On Wednesday, the development group will return to the board to update its proposal, upending the plans for the townhomes. In its place, the company is proposing the construction of 22 single family home lots.
The property is located within the confines of the multifamily housing zone, however single-family detached dwellings are permitted if they comply with the regulations of the traditional R75 single-family zone, which calls for houses to be built on lots measuring 7,500 square feet in area.
The property at 2250 Massachusetts Avenue, Toms River, N.J., Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The Berkeley company is seeking to subdivide the property into the 22 parcels which will eventually contain the homes, and add a lot line adjustment of 27.2 feet to one of the residential tracts, derived from the church’s lot. A portion of the church lot which currently contains a stormwater basin will be subdivided to permit the enlargement of the existing basin to accommodate the stormwater runoff from the residential component of the subdivision. The basin would be owned and maintained by a private homeowners association.
A hearing on the project has been scheduled for the Jan. 18 meeting of the Toms River Township planning board, which begins at 6 p.m. at the municipal complex on Washington Street.
