Woodbridge seeking input on master plan First of many public hearings took place on Dec. 6 BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer Fred Heyer and Susan S. Gruel, principals in the New Brunswick planning firm Heyer, Gruel & Associates, want to know what the residents of Woodbridge Township like and dislike about the place they call home. "If people are not pleased [with the way their community is being built], the master plan can shift to where the people want their community to go," said Heyer. The planners said historic land use patterns prevent them from starting with a clean slate, but they said it does not prevent the communities from beginning to shift in the right direction. Approximately 30 residents came to the Dec. 6 meeting held at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, the first of many public meetings to discuss what they would like to see added to the township's master plan, which was last reexamined in 2003. Council President Brenda Velasco, Ward 4 Councilman James Major, Ward 1 Councilman Charles Kenny, Councilwoman Patricia Osborne, and Marta Lefsky, director of planning and development, were on hand to listen to the residents' concerns. Under the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law, the state requires municipalities to review their master plan and development regulations every six years. "We hope to have a first draft of the master plan by the spring," said Gruel. Residents brought up a variety of issues, including restoring historic buildings, preserving open space, seeing more neighborhood restaurants, redeveloping areas such as a section of Route 1 in Avenel, providing setbacks to streams and brooks, and preventing so-called McMansions on small lots. "There is very little undeveloped land in the township - only golf courses, cemeteries, and wetlands, which can't be developed on," said Heyer. The planners asked residents if there were specific areas where residences or buildings were being built that they felt did not fit in the area. Residents said it was hard to name a specific area, but named residences that went up on New Dover Road in Colonia, Oak Tree Road in Iselin, Star Street in Iselin, and areas in Woodbridge proper, and Menlo Park Terrace. "Now it's time to address these issues, because builders have been taking advantage of the zoning ordinances," said Heyer. Iselin resident Sergio Ghiano said when it comes to development, the township hits a double edged sword. "For example, Oak Tree Road in Iselin was a sleepy little street and today it's vibrant with tons of people," he said. "There is a monstrous building, which I do believe is excessive, but it pays a lot of money in taxes, which we also need." Heyer said that is what the township has to balance. "Edison and Woodbridge are getting bigger and bigger than the cities of Camden and Trenton," said Heyer. "With more people, balancing fiscal and quality of life becomes more complicated. It depends on how far the township wants to go." Heyer suggested that the Colonia Golf Course, which is currently zoned as a residential area, be rezoned as a golf course, and also said the township could work on connecting the Middlesex Greenway to the paper streets, a street marked on a map or recorded with a municipality that shows the existence of an intended public right of way, and sites like the beach front in Sewaren. Residents also said the township needs additional senior housing and assisted living residences, but no more residential units. The planners said they would hold a separate meeting with the township's Historic Preservation Commission to discuss historic preservation. The commission is currently compiling the historic places in the township that they would like to preserve. On Nov. 29, Mayor John E. McCormac announced the redevelopment plan for the section of Route 1 in Avenel that stretches from the Pier 1 site to the Douglass Motel. "The plan is broken up in 14 different areas of study," he said. The township will hold a series of meetings on the redevelopment plan. Heyer and Gruel said they hope to hold the next meeting on the master plan sometime in February and encourage residents to share their issues with them by sending their e-mails to mail@hgapa.com.