NEWS RELEASE

By: Mendham Township Planning Board

P.O. Box 520

Mendham, NJ 07926

Subject: Hearings set for new Mendham Township Master Plan

Contact: Samuel Tolley, Chairman of drafting committee (973) 543-7302

Date: 9/27/00

The Mendham Township Master Plan Drafting Committee has completed a draft of a new master plan for Mendham Township. The new plan recommends limiting future growth because of concerns that groundwater resources are reaching their limits to support development. It recommends specific changes to existing zone district boundaries and new R-10 (ten acre minimum lot size) districts designed to reduce the potential for new subdivision development.

Last year the Planning Board and Drafting Committee held public meetings preparatory to the development of the new plan. There were three issues of greatest public concern. Residents reported increasing problems with groundwater wells. Many residents were concerned that the recent development trend toward "oversized" homes on minimum sized lots was negatively affecting their neighborhoods. Other residents were most concerned about the increase in development activity and its general affect on changing the character of the town.

Groundwater is a particularly important and sensitive issue in the Township because the entire population is dependent on groundwater wells. A study initiated by the Township Environmental Commission confirmed that development is adversely affecting the resource and that a finite amount of homes (2,111) can be supported by the resource. With a total of 1,912 dwellings in the Township as of the end of 1999, the limits of the resource are being rapidly approached. The recommendations in the Master Plan for zone redistricting are to a large extent based upon the findings of the Study.

To address public complaints about "oversized" homes, the plan recommends floor area ratio (FAR) standards to require that very large homes in the future will have proportionately large lots. The recommendation seeks to balance individual desires for very large homes with the public’s desire to preserve the Township’s traditional character. The Master Plan Committee went to great effort in choosing district boundaries and FAR standards to minimize any effect on existing homeowners. Only a small percentage of existing homes will be made non-conforming by the proposed zone district changes or the new FAR standards.

The Planning Board has set a public hearing on the new master plan for 7:30 P.M. October 18^th at the Mendham Township Municipal Building in Brookside. Anyone interested can review the plan or purchase a copy at the Municipal Building during regular hours.