Sayreville, developer reach settlement over 132-unit housing plan
SAYREVILLE – After two years of litigation, a plan to build 132 homes on property owned by NL Industries in the area of Oak Street and Cross Avenue is moving forward.
Rocville LLC, of Red Bank, the developer and contract purchaser of the property, has applied to the Planning Board for approval to construct 18 buildings containing 125 market-rate townhouses and seven affordable units in flats and/or townhouses, for a total of 132 residential units.
In August 2020, NL Industries and Rocville filed suit against Sayreville, alleging that the borough and Planning Board were imposing “improper” conditions on the development of the site.
One of those conditions, according to the lawsuit, was requiring Rocville to plant "thousands of trees" on the 22-acre site at a cost of about $1.5 million, as required by the borough's Tree Reforestation Ordinance.
The lawsuit charged that the borough and Planning Board have been "selective" in enforcing the ordinance "to deter projects that are unpopular within Sayreville."
The requirement, the lawsuit charged, is "another example of Sayreville's long history of blocking the NL/Cross Avenue property … development and delaying the construction of affordable housing for low-income families."
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The lawsuit also charged that the borough is requiring Rocville to install "oversized water mains" to serve the proposed development. The lawsuit said that the water mains would carry four times the amount of water that the project needs.
The lawsuit also contended that the borough is requiring Rocville to undertake a study of the downstream sewer system that will be "time-consuming and expensive."
The lawsuit argued those requirements are "designed to delay and block the Rocville inclusionary development, thereby depriving affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families."
An out-of-court settlement in the litigation was reached in November.
The property is in the AH-3 (Affordable Housing 3) Zone, established by the borough to settle its affordable housing litigation.
In its application documents, Rocville says the proposal meets with the standards in the litigation agreement.
A public hearing on the application is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 1.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Sayreville, developer settle over 132-unit housing plan
