July 11, 2018

DISCUSSION: Ms. Gruel approached the podium, stated her professional credentials and was accepted by the Board to be an expert in planning. Ms. Gruel stated her firm had been retained in June 2018 to work with the Board to prepare a draft Redevelopment Plan for an area that in the beginning of 2018 the Township governing body had designated a Non-Condemnation Area in Need of Redevelopment per the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL). She stated the Board had gone through the statutory redevelopment process; the governing body had asked the Board to evaluate the area including the site located at 300 Executive Drive. She stated she was aware of litigation associated with the designation; however, the Township had determined it wanted to move forward with the preparation of a draft Redevelopment Plan, understanding that if there were to be a change in the designation status; it would have to be considered at a future date. Ms. Gruel stated the Redevelopment Plan was the next step in the process; the plan contained the elements required by the LHRL, it included the goals and objectives for the area, and provided use and design standards to guide the redevelopment of the area. She stated the Redevelopment Plan was a portion of a larger area that had been designated and would be discussed in a subsequent phase. The 300 Executive Drive parcel was a single tax parcel; it was approximately 8.7 acres in area that included an office building of approximately 130,000 sq. ft. and associated parking lots. She stated there were very specific conditions that had to be met in a Redevelopment Plan; it was really a hybrid of a Master Plan and a Zoning Ordinance. She stated a Redevelopment Plan was adopted by ordinance but had components of a Master Plan in terms of goals and objectives including land uses and building requirements. She gave a brief recapitulation of the statutory requirements governing a Redevelopment Plan. She stated the 300 Executive Drive Redevelopment Plan included each of the requirements, as applicable. She stated the existing zoning of the site was in the OB-1 Office Buildings Zone. She stated the OB-1 Zone permitted a number of permitted principal uses that included offices; there were also a number of permitted conditional uses associated with the Zone. She gave a brief summary of the bulk requirements for the OB-1 Zone. She stated the goal of

uses that included offices; there were also a number of permitted conditional uses associated with the Zone. She gave a brief summary of the bulk requirements for the OB-1 Zone. She stated the goal of the Redevelopment Plan was to encourage and support the modernization of the interior and exterior of the outdated office building at 300 Executive Drive constructed in the 1980s. She stated the building was old and needed to be upgraded. She stated some of the objectives of the Redevelopment Plan were to improve the exterior facade of the building to reflect a modern aesthetic and enhance its marketability, remodel the interior to provide brighter, more open, more desirable floor plan layouts, expand and improve the onsite amenities to include building a new cafeteria, modernize the mechanical equipment and utilities for better efficiency and enhanced quality, provide a desirable space in the competitive office building market, and enhance the environmental and economic sustainability of the property. She stated the Redevelopment Plan proposed to retain the OB-1 Office Buildings Zone. The permitted uses would remain the same as the permitted uses in the Township OB-1 Office Buildings Zone District. The Bulk Standards would remain the same as the Bulk Standards for the OB-1 Office Buildings Zone. She stated that any deviation in the redevelopment plan standards that would result in a “D” variance would require an amendment to the plan.