PB 24 01 West Essex Highlands Inc Draft Resolution

created a public safety threat. Though there are proposed emergency access points through Essex Fells and Howell Drive, there was no defined safety access plan. Board members voting in opposition to the application concluded that it is a serious public safety issue that the application did not have a true second access road for almost 500 new potential families. Also related to significant traffic issues was the fact that Applicant did not offer any warrants for the Oval Road traffic light proposed by Applicant as an off-site improvement to relieve traffic issues to access Eagle Rock Avenue from Oval Road and the proposed traffic light was not supported by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Board members who voted to deny the application also concluded that though the Township has an affordable housing obligation, there are grave concerns about the negative effect to the environment from the removal of thousands of trees which are core forest and the fact that potential residents of the site would have an unsafe path if they choose to walk from the site to the main road for purposes of using public transportation as there are no sidewalks once a pedestrian steps foot outside of the development. Therefore, adding to the public safety issues, should the only true access to the complex on Oval Road be closed, pedestrian traffic would be the only way into or out of the complex, and those pedestrians would find themselves subject to dangerous walking conditions on the roads leading to the complex which have no sidewalks. Additionally, as this project is offered as an inclusionary development, persons who would qualify for the affordable housing units would find themselves without any means of safe ingress and egress (even outside of an emergency closure) unless they own an automobile. Furthermore, the Board members who voted against the application were not convinced that the proposed storm