Green Plan Reviewed for Final Draft, Public Hearing Date Set for Master Plan Revision

The final stage of the 2010 Bernards Master Plan reevaluation is nearing. The Green Master Plan element is entering it's final draft, the rest of the revised master plan is available online on the Bernards Township Web site, and a date, Tuesday, March 16, has been set for a public hearing.

The Planning Board discussed the "Green Buildings and Environmental Sustainability Plan for Bernards Township," which will become the newest master plan element if adopted by the board. The board reviewed the first draft on Jan. 19. A subcommittee went through and made changes to the original draft to make the document more planning oriented rather than policy focused.

"[The first draft] wasn't in master plan style format and language," Planning Board member Bert Fonde said. The group removed specific policy suggestions, replacing them with goals and objectives the board believes the town should aspire to in terms of ensuring a sustainable future.

The draft states, "The overriding goal of this Green Plan Element is to outline successful, sustainable practices to guide local business, industry, school, government and community policies, including efforts to reduce pollution, promote energy efficiency and use of renewable energy." The plan lists strategies for meeting that goal in the areas of land use and municipal planning and design. Under the latter, the draft addresses resource protection, energy conservation, operations and maintenance, and education and outreach.

Board planners also inserted a glossary of terms in the newest version of the draft to help residents unfamiliar with a variety of technical "green" or planning terms to understand the copy.

Issues of Contention

The board debated a few of the issues addressed in the green plan draft. Planning Board vice-chair Karen Del Vento was against the inclusion of a statement that suggested the township should necessarily encourage construction for building alterations to implement environmentally friendly improvements.

Del Vento expressed concern that the statement would set a precedent for the township committee to mandate environmental upgrades for homeowners doing work on their dwellings. Along with board member Ann Parsekian, she expressed worry about inappropriate alterations to historically significant houses as well.

At the recommendation of board professional David Schley, the board decided to add the clause "where appropriate" to the statement.

There was also a debate among board members over whether or not the township should reduce impervious coverage limits on local properties. Kevin Orr, who serves on the Planning Board and Zoning Board, said that he believes impervious coverage limits are already too low, and that the green plan should not recommend lowering them, as the current draft does.

Impervious coverage is limited to prevent the appearance of urban sprawl and to negate the environmental impacts of having decreased water absorption into the ground, leading to more runoff in some situations.

Orr suggested that the town could use mechanisms like requiring dry wells to be placed on the property to offset the increase in impervious coverage, but suggested that the limit itself should not be lowered.

Bernards resident Bill Allen was one of three people heard during public comment on the issue and comended the board for tackling the issue of sustainability. Allen's suggestion was to "put language that says the government really wants ideas and information from the community" instead of making it a one-way process. Allen suggested adding a line that read, "Encourage residents to initiate their own sustainability projects and share their experiences with local residents and the township government."

The draft will undergo its final revision and then will be posted online prior to the public hearing on the master plan revision. Residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on any of the issues presented in the new version of the master plan at the hearing before the board finalizes the copy.