Oyster Creek Area to be Zoned to Allow for New Power Plant

The township Planning Board adopted a resolution Monday  to include land behind Oyster Creek Generating Station for the possible construction of a new power plant.

The board also unanimously approved several recommendations presented by the Master Plan subcommittee that will be considered by the Township Committee in the future.

Results of Power Facility Study Coming

The rezoning of the property owned by Jersey Central Power & Light was a priority in the process of updating the township Master Plan, a guiding document on land use and development that hasn’t been modified in 15 years.

The rezoning from a M-6 zone to the M-100 zone is one of the first steps in moving toward a new facility after Oyster Creek closes in 2019.

The township currently awaits the final results of a $22,500 feasibility study performed by for a new power generation facility to be built upon Oyster Creek’s closure. The study provides an assessment of existing conditions, development constraints and permitting requirements at 798 South Main St.

The current Master Plan did not encompass that property. The township is seeking to  on that property once  but it was not zoned for that purpose.

Now that the property is zoned properly, the township can begin the permit process with the Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies, Committeeman Dave Most previously said.

Master Plan Suggestions

The Planning Board also unanimously approved several recommendations that were presented by the Master Plan subcommittee for a Re-Examination Report:

• Update the plan for age-restricted housing in commercial zones along the Route 9 and Lacey Road corridors and RO-100 zone of Manchester Avenue to allow townhouses, apartments and condos.
• Allow mixed-use buildings along Lacey Road and Route 9 such as apartments on top of buildings and duplexes between Lacey Road and Western Boulevard on Manchester Avenue.
• Develop an ordinance for wireless telecommunication equipment, solar and wind energy.
• Re-evaluate the intersection of Route 9 and Taylor Lane.
• Evaluate and restrict parking on side streets along Lacey Road to reduce the number of accidents.
• Adopt and incorporate New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Complete Street Policy, which requires future roadway improvement projects to include safe accommodations for all users including bicyclists and pedestrians. This would include sidewalks and bikeways along Lacey’s major streets.
• Update the recreation element by developing an appendix listing all of Lacey’s different recreational facilities. This hasn’t been updated since 1991.
• Work with the Department of Environmental Protection for municipal access plans to different waterways in town.
• Work with the Department of Public Works to locate a place to develop a lacrosse field.
• Add the existing recycling plan ordinance.
• Work on a shade tree ordinance and landscaping along the Lacey Road and Route 9 corridors and update sign ordinance.

Typically a township updates its every seven to 10 years to modify its land use and development laws as more developers approach the town, Committeeman Gary Quinn said. Last year, the township budgeted $5,000 to re-examine the Master Plan.

“I’m glad to see that it is being done, that these things are being addressed,” said Quinn, who was a member of the Master Plan subcommittee.

In the initial stages of the Re-examination Report, the Planning Board had discussed the importance of a town center. This was not included in the report, as the Economic Development Commission will play a large role the development of a town center.

“The Economic Development Commission is looking for additional ways to bring more growth in the area,” Quinn said. “A town center would give them more tools to work with to draw different types of uses into town…It’s a nice situation to be in.”

The lack of a town center restricts the township because the Department of Environmental Protection imposes greater limitations, Quinn said. With a future cluster of businesses, it would be easier to work with the state on projects.

The township will need funding for the permit process for a town center, he said.

Return to Lacey Patch for more information once we obtain the Re-examination Report as well as a copy of the feasibility study.