Approval sought for 19-home development Planning Board hearing carried to March 5 BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN - An hour of testimony and questioning about an application to construct 19 single-family homes on a tract off Chapel Hill Road was sidetracked last week by a discussion on cluster housing. The application seeks preliminary and final major subdivision approval to create 19 residential building lots and one detention basin lot on a 64-acre tract. The Planning Board began hearing the application Jan. 9 and testimony will continue at the March 5 meeting. At first, the idea of developing the site with cluster housing was deemed unusable by John Giunco, attorney for the applicant, but he later said that he would consider such a compromise. "Clusters were initially considered, but as it turned out, it would cause three things to happen," Giunco said. "The first is that if you place cluster housing adjacent to neighbors and existing residents, they would have the entire development next to them as opposed to [homes being located] throughout the site." Another possibility, according to Giunco, is that the configuration of clusters would not be the best for the area. The application lists the estate of Michael Stavola as the applicant represented by Giunco, of Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla. Plans call for the subdivision on the east corner of Chapel Hill Road and Kings Highway East. The proposal would subdivide lot 93 into 20 lots, with 19 single-family residences, and the remaining lot to be used for storm-water retention and open space. Two new residential streets would be created where one will provide access to the property from Chapel Hill Road Planning Board Chairwoman Judith Stanley Coleman said she felt that until a full discussion of cluster housing was completed between borough engineers and Giunco, a full description of the plan would be a waste of time. "You said that you would still consider doing cluster housing," Stanley Coleman said. "What would be the point of sitting here, hearing the proposal, then for you to consider clusters and have a brandnew proposal?" Giunco agreed and said that a full discussion was a good idea. "We are completely willing to sit down and discuss cluster housing," Giunco said. "That way, we can sit down and discuss the negative and positive impacts." According to a cluster development study done by Ohio State University, cluster housing places houses on smaller parcels of land, while the additional land that would have been allocated to individual lots is converted to common shared open space for the subdivision residents. "Typically, road frontage, lot size, setbacks and other traditional subdivision regulations are redefined to permit the developer to preserve ecologically sensitive areas, historical sites, or other unique characteristics of the land being subdivided." Board vice chairman John Deus asked Giunco about meeting the COAH (Council on Affordable Housing) regulations that call for a unit of affordable housing to be built for every four houses in a development. Giunco said that affordable housing is not part of the plan. "Those aren't effective regulations at this point," Giunco said. "The ruling made on Dec. 17 is subject to a hearing process on whether to adopt that or not. However, we are aware of it, but the ordinance does not seek affordable housing at this time." Township Engineer Robert Bucco, in his review of the application, asked whether there would be some encroachment on the Kings Highway East right of way. Brian Decina, who testified for the applicant as a civil engineer expert, said that this would not be an issue. "Based on the layout, there should be no encroachment on Kings Highway," Decina said. "There would be a realignment of the curve so that the right of way will not be an issue."