January 5, 2022 Regular Meeting Minutes

PRESENTATION Chairman Bagoff amounced that after a discussion with Mr. Wilkes, Ms. McGovern, and Mr. Grygiel that an understanding of the Reexamination of the Master Plan and plan element amendments should be discussed at the beginning of each calendar year so each member of the Planning Board has an understanding of the rules/roles of engagement and how the Board operates. Mr. Paul Grygiel gave brief presentation to explain that the Master Plan is a document to guide the growth of the redevelopment and community with text, maps, and figures to provide a vision for a community with three (3) general components: 1) What the community is today. 2) What the community wants to be. 3) How it will become what it wants to be. (Implementation component) Mr. Grygiel said that the Municipal Land Use Law (the enabling statue that regulates Planning and Zoning.) gives power for the Planning Board to exist and gives regulations (duties etc.). According to MLUL, a town (municipality) may not have Zoning unless it has a Master Plan in place. Every municipality in New Jersey has one. Mr. Grygiel testified further stating that the last full update was in 2004 with a reexamination taking place a number of times after that. Most recently this was done in 2019. State law requires a reexamination to be performed every ten (10) years. Planning Board adopts this reexamination. The Planning Board is the entity that adopts this but Town Council does not have a role other than that of implementing the recommendations. At anytime the Master Plan can be reexamined and follow proper procedures to do so. The idea is to keep it current at a minimum of every ten (10) years. Essentially, they deal with what major problems and issues were at the time of the last reexamination, how they have changed, general overview of what changes have taken place in the community in the previous ten (10) years or period of time it has been since the last Teexamination, and a section setting forth the recommendations to the Master Plan and Zoning. At the time this last adopted, a section pertaining to Redevelopment Plans added in regards to their status and recommendations for them. Since that time period a new component has been added pertaining the appropriate location for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure which was changed by state law to require this going forward. Mr. Grygiel’s testimony

d a new component has been added pertaining the appropriate location for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure which was changed by state law to require this going forward. Mr. Grygiel’s testimony specifically regarding the Township of West Orange, 2019 was the last reexamination/adoption of the Master Plan. It was developed through a process that involved community input with three (3) community meetings to try and gage concems and get ideas. The Board listened, gave their own ideas and this process occurred almost concurrently with the Open Space and Recreation Plan’s updates as well. The Master Plan has a role when variances are Tequested by applicants. When applying it is stated that there no substantial impairments to the Master Plan or Zoning Ordinance. Chairman Bagoff advised of the completeness review how to streamline the process is through SPRAB (Site Plan Review Advisory Board) with everything in the public view.