Lastest master plan draft for tonights planning board meeting.

[bog hopper]

I copyied the text here I also uploaded it to the group. It can be
veiwed at the bottom of the main page.

TOWNSHIP OF LONG HILL


MEYERSVILLE HAMLET

ELEMENT

of the

MASTER PLAN


Prepared for:

The Long Hill Township

Planning Board

12 May 2009




____________________

Kevin O’Brien, P.P., A.I.C.P.

Shamrock Enterprises, Ltd.

NJ License #5348

LONG HILL TOWNSHIP
PLANNING BOARD RESOLUTION


WHEREAS, the Municipal Land Use Law requires planning boards to
reexamine their Master Plans and the municipal development regulations
at least every six years; and,


WHEREAS, the last Master Plan was adopted in 1996 and the last Master
Plan Reexamination Report was adopted in 2003; and,


WHEREAS, the Long Hill Township Planning Board has prepared a new
Meyersville Hamlet Element of the Master Plan with the assistance of
Township Planner Kevin O’Brien, P.P., which has been the subject of
discussion at 6 Planning Board meetings and a noticed public hearing:


NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Long Hill Township Planning
Board hereby adopts the 12 May 2009 Meyersville Hamlet Element of the
Master Plan, as referenced above; and,


BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Planning and Zoning Administrator/
Secretary be directed to send a copy of the adopted report with this
resolution to the Morris County Planning Board and to the clerks of
each adjoining municipality.


I, Dawn V. Wolfe, Planning and Zoning Administrator/Secretary to the
Planning Board of the Township of Long Hill in the County of Morris,
do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of a
resolution duly adopted by the Planning Board at a regular meeting
held on the 12th day of May, 2009.


_____________________

Dawn V. Wolfe

Planning and Zoning Administrator/Secretary

Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION


The hamlet of Meyersville in Long Hill Township is more of a
crossroads or a hamlet than a hamlet. The designated Meyersville
Hamlet District consists of 8 properties that surround the Meyersville
Circle and include three eateries, a church, an antique shop and
residences. Yet Meyersville encompasses an entire community that
surrounds the core hamlet. The people of Meyersville have a long
history of protecting their small corner of the universe – a place
that is quiet, peaceful, unrushed and seen as a place removed somewhat
from the bustling modern world out there.


The hamlet is centered on the Meyersville Circle where four roads
intersect: Meyersville Road (Morris County Route 638); New Vernon Road
(Morris County Route 604) Hickory Tavern Road; and Gillette Road. The
‘circle’ consists of an oval shaped island offset slightly to the east
of the intersection of New Vernon and Meyersville Roads.


The people of Meyersville appreciate the peace and quiet of their
hamlet and have expressed their interest in keeping it that way. New
development and Redevelopment in general are not seen as a positive
unless it conforms to the current low density, semi-rural character of
the community.


Meyersville is the oldest section of the Township and was settled in
the 1730’s. People in Meyersville have attended the Presbyterian
Church since 1895, gone to social events at the Grange for 100 years
and played ball on the municipal field. Some pause to consider the
monument to Lou Schwankert, former Civil Defense Director, in the
Meyersville Circle. This dedication to community is a very strong
characteristic of the community.



The location of Meyersville is of great importance to the people of
Long Hill Township. Meyersville serves as one of the gateways to the
community and also represents one of the entry points to the Great
Swamp, a major recreational asset.


This Master Plan Element is based upon public comments at public
hearings of the Planning Board, responses to a community survey,
review of the 1993 Master Plan Element authored by Carl Lindbloom,
P.P. and observation of the area. This document examines existing
conditions in the hamlet and recommends goals on how the hamlet may be
developed in the future.

II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT


This Meyersville Hamlet Element was prepared with the assistance of a
Smart Growth planning grant from the Association of New Jersey
Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). The Planning Board and
Environmental Commission thank ANJEC for their support, guidance and
encouragement throughout this effort.

III. BACKGROUND STUDIES


The following Background Studies were performed to gather information
about Meyersville and are attached to the document as Appendices.


A. ANJEC Grant

Details of the ANJEC Grant from 2007 are listed in Appendix A.


B. Community Involvement in Master Planning

A list of Planning Board meetings on the Meyersville Element is
provided showing public involvement in the Master Plan effort in
Appendix B.


C. Community Survey

The Planning Board surveyed the Meyersville Community during March
2009. Surveys were distributed through the Township web site,
distributed at Township offices, distributed to residents and sent to
Meyersville property owners.


The survey garnered 76 responses with 32 identified as Meyersville
residents, 34 from Gillette, 9 from Millington and 1 from Stirling.
The survey was by no means a scientific one, and represents the
opinions of those who chose to take the time to respond. A majority
of the respondents had attended a Planning Board hearing (21) or
learned of the survey from another person (22).


The general sentiment expressed was to keep Meyersville as it is and
few people wished to see any change to the existing Meyersville
streetscape in terms of lighting, street trees and sidewalks.


There were some mixed sentiments expressed, such as a majority
supporting the current regulation allowing apartments above the first
floor (38-27) while a majority also supported a prohibition of
apartments above the first floor (38-26). A clear majority was also
against townhomes (58 – 13). A copy of the tabulated survey is
attached in Appendix C.






D. Current zoning

The current B-1-20 Neighborhood Business Zone regulations have been
attached in Appendix D.


E. Property review

Characteristics of the existing Meyersville properties are shown in
Addendix E.


F. Traffic Study

The Long Hill Township Police Department (Lieutenant Mazzeo and
Officer Winstock) graciously assisted this study by supplying area
traffic counts. Manual car counts were conducted on Wednesday, 18
March 2009 of the entire intersection. Peak hour traffic was
calculated from the data and compared to the 1993 data. The data is
included in Appendix F.


Very notable was the 41% drop in AM peak hour traffic, from 1,131
vehicles in 1993 to 671 vehicles in 2009. PM peak hour traffic also
dropped, but only by 13% from 819 vehicles to 712. Among the reasons
for the drop are: large scale construction on Routes I-287 and I-80
during 1993, the loss of ATT World Headquarters in Harding Township as
a major employer, and the current economic downtown.


G. 1994 Myersville Development Plan

The Meyersville Element of the Master Plan served as the initial
starting point for the community discussion about Meyersville. A
number of points made in the Report are still valid today. A copy of
this document is included in Appendix G.














IV. PLAN GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS


A. INTRODUCTION


This section of the development plan presents the planning goals and
recommendations for the future of Meyersville. The goals provide
general guidance to the Township in addressing the hamlet while the
recommendations provide specific details on how the goals can be
implemented.



B. PLAN GOALS


This land use plan for the hamlet of Meyersville establishes the
following planning goals:


To preserve and maintain the basic rural character of the hamlet by
limiting future commercial development to the present Hamlet Business
Zone and by limiting the provision of new streetscape improvements in
the area to those deemed necessary to the health, safety and welfare
of local residents and businesses.


To establish a Meyersville Hamlet Zone (MH) that would set specific
standards for the Meyersville Business District applicable to the
unique properties and specific physical characteristics of
Meyersville.


To create zone standards that preserve the current low density, semi-
rural character of the hamlet.


To encourage existing businesses in the area to continue to improve
their sites and to generally improve the visual appeal of the hamlet.


To cooperate with Morris County in improving the Meyersville Circle to
make it as safe as possible through additional or modified signage and
if necessary, redesign of the traffic circle.


To encourage the continued cooperation of merchants, property owners,
residents and government in the future planning of Meyersville




To allow live/work units for artists, artisans, professionals and
Internet entrepreneurs.


To emphasize the Great Swamp National Wildlife refuge as a destination
through appropriate signage and Meyersville as its southern gateway.


Insist on environmental best practices throughout the hamlet for both
new development and redevelopment and encourage the use of LEEDS and
other green building technology


Traffic plans and signage should recognize and promote the safety of
the large number of recreational bicyclists in the region.



C. PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS


This Plan offers the following specific recommendations as a means of
achieving the aforementioned planning goals:


When sidewalk improvements are deemed necessary for safety reasons,
alternative sidewalk materials should be used whenever possible to
minimize the visual impact of the sidewalks on the rural character of
the area. Encourage pedestrian walkways where prudent to connect
public areas.


Replace the "cobra" light fixture near the center of Meyersville with
one or more traditional fixtures. Additional streetlights at other
locations are not recommended unless required for public safety.
Energy efficiency should be a consideration consistent with Township
lighting standards.


Maintain existing street tree plantings and replace when necessary
throughout the hamlet. Provide new tree plantings where appropriate
in a manner consistent with the character of the hamlet.


New traffic safety signs at the Meyersville Circle which are
consistent with locally established traffic patterns should be
installed after consultation with Morris County. Generally, the signs
should provide greater clarity and direction for vehicular movements.
New stop signs may also be appropriate.





Meyersville area roadways should not be widened and should maintain a
consistent width and speed limit in the area.


Create new zoning standards for the Meyersville Hamlet zone to
encourage uses that will preserve the low density and semi-rural
character of Meyersville and serve the area community.


Establish minimum and maximum front yard setback standards that
consider the current physical development of the hamlet.


Require that all new development or renovations in the hamlet provide
an architectural design that is compatible with the low density and
semi-rural character of the area.


Review the list of permitted uses and adjust them as necessary to
insure business establishments are in scale with the hamlet.


Continue to allow residential uses on the second floor of commercial
buildings.
V. EPILOGUE
The Planning Board extends it gratitude to their colleagues on the
Environmental Commission chaired by Dr. Leonard Hamilton for securing
the ANJEC grant which allowed the Township to embark on the rewriting
of the Meyersville Hamlet Element.

The Board also wishes to express its gratitude to Mayor George
Vitureira who started the process of reexamining Meyersville by
inviting Rutgers University to study our community and make invaluable
suggestions.

We also express our thanks to Lieutenant Mazzeo and Officer Winstock
of the Long Hill Police Department and Joan Donat and Donna Ruggiero
of the Long Hill Tax Office for their invaluable assistance in
providing data.

This Meyersville Hamlet Element is the product of innumerable hours of
time contributed by many, many members of the Long Hill Community. We
thank each and every one of them for their guidance and wisdom.
Without them, this document would not have been possible.




VI. TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE AND BOARD MEMBERS

The Planning Board thanks the many concerned citizens who gave their
time, dedication and knowledge to the Meyersville Hamlet Element of
the Master Plan process. We also give our thanks to the selfless
volunteers and staff who make