Zoning Board Approves Maxim Drive Development

A portion of Maxim Drive will be further developed with a paved road and four homes after the zoning board approved an application with conditions.

About half of Maxim Drive, which is a gravel road off of Lacey Road, will be paved. Curbs and sidewalks will not be put in although two streetlights will be added. The road will be widened to 30 feet and a small turn around, similar to a cul de sac, will be built about midway.

“There might be a ranch but right now the market is mostly two stories,” builder Robert Lang said. “Usually what I like to do is have people come in, tell me what their needs are and then meet their needs.”

Lang has been a custom builder for more than 30 years. He has built approximately 700 homes in Ocean County, 100 of which are in Lacey. He also operates a strip mall and a marina.

This plan has been in the works for many years, he said. Lang bought his first piece of property on Maxim in 2001. The homes would be sold for around $300,000.

The development will take place in two zones—residential and commercial. The use has to be reconciled to the master plan, T&M planner Martin Truscott said.

“I’ve been talking with the zoning board over the years and I’ve gotten the impression that they thought it would be better to do residential than more commercial,” Lang said. “And the fact that the school is right back there, they thought it was even better because there would be less traffic going down that road.”

The board did ask the builder to adjust setbacks so that the first home has a greater front setback, with a larger backyard.

“Most of the setback is because we’re in double zones,” Lang said. “That’s created the problems more than anything.”

The board had six votes in favor of the application and one in opposition. Board member Ed Scanlon asked the applicant to consider adding sidewalks for children walking to and from school bus stops.

“People are going to immediately want a safe pickup for their children,” he said. “The first complaint that’s going to come up is the safe pickup of children for school.”

The applicant has approval from Public Works, the fire department, Ocean County Planning Board the tax assessor’s office, the Lacey Municipal Utilities Authority and Ocean County Utilities Authority.

Public Works Director Casey Parker had shown concerns of the pavement breaking up where the pavement meets the rest of the gravel road so the applicant will add a depressed curb for a gradual change in surface.

“The cul de sac just doesn’t look appealing how you can have the blacktop and just stop and turn into gravel,” Mark Wasserbach, an owner of two homes on Maxim said. “I almost rather see it left gravel.”

Wasserbach also showed concerns over the sewer line, which could add to his expenses, he said.

“It was a great presentation. Everything looks nice. I don’t have problems in terms of subdividing the property,” he said. “The problem I have with variances is what’s ok once it starts costing other residents money.”

Once the builder runs a sewer line, the remaining residents will have to connect to it, he said. Wasserbach’s home is approximately 13 years old and he lives by septic.

“For many it becomes a great expense,” Wasserbach said. “You’re forced to tie into it. In this economy, we don’t want to spend money that we don’t happen to have.

The applicant will have to adhere to several conditions including the reflection of setback changes, no access from Plumstead Avenue, the depressed curb on the end of the cul de sac, follow all storm water management requirements and relocate utility poles.