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ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS HERALD |
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PLANNING BOARD IS THE MOST INTERESTING SHOW IN TOWN There was a packed house in Atlantic Highlands last week. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for our two great theatres or a performance at one of our fine schools. Instead, the large audience of residents came to hear the Hovnanian proposal for the McConnell tract on before our borough’s planning board. . Shortly after the first act was completed, the hearing was carried over to the board’s next meeting in December. The general consensus among audience members is that this application could take several months and meetings before the board renders a decision. Unlike many other government entities, planning boards have strict protocol and rules that must be followed. Atlantic Highlands has a combined planning and zoning board. Most towns have two separate boards but several years ago, in a measure to save costs, the boards in Atlantic Highlands were combined. By hearing both zoning variances and planning issues, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on board members to sift through the issues and fairly apply our land use laws. Unlike the borough council, a planning board does not have wiggle room for compromise and in most cases, has to vote either up or down on an application. Furthermore, the actions of a planning board can wind up in court. Our planning board has been sued countless times, and several times the disputes surround our borough’s steep slope ordinance. Because of the possibility of lawsuits, board members have to be very sure and have clear reasons to deny or approve an application, and those reasons have to be articulated on the record. The procedures that a planning board meeting must follow are also well documented, and unlike a borough council meeting, there are specific times when the public is allowed to comment or question a witness. Finally, an application can take months to resolve. When that happens, other pending applications get backed up, and a homeowner looking to add a bedroom or a deck gets further delayed. Sometimes a board will call a special meeting to resolve those simple applications and that is at the discretion of the board. Planning board meetings can be very dry, but when an application like the McConnell tract appears, it can generate as much interest as a good flick at the Atlantic Cinema.
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