This failure to provide these revised recommendations is detrimental to our case. It is critical that you attend the July 24th Zoning Board meeting to tell them: there is no greater advisory opinion than that from the Environmental Commission. The developer’s complex resides right in the middle of the sensitive preserved open space between Baldpate Mountain and the Fiddlers Creek Preserve.
You may Join Zoom Meeting by accessing the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81125733844?pwd=d2RNYzFuOU8wNEFodkQ2dURWRnRsZz09
OR
By calling 1-646-876-9923
Meeting ID: 811 2573 3844 Passcode: 887992
Since November 2022, we’ve been urging the Township’s Environmental Commission (EC) to review again all testimony from the experts about the serious risks to the flora, fauna and species within Fiddlers Creek Preserve and Baldpate Mountain. At their June 2023 meeting, the EC voted to send an updated memo to the Zoning Board outlining their
deeper concerns after learning that the environmental risks are far greater than the developer presented at the EC’s October 2022 meeting.
At the EC July 2023 meeting, many of us attended to find out whether they will send this updated memo to the Zoning Board in time for their upcoming meeting on Monday, July 24th. The Township told us “the attorneys will hash that out.”
The day after this important Environmental Commission meeting occurred, the agenda for the upcoming Zoning Board meeting was posted on the township website, and the critical memo is missing. Any inappropriate suppression of this critical revised memo is improper — and insulting to the dedicated members of the Environmental Commission.
The minutes of this recent meaningful EC meeting were properly posted on the township website. They reveal the contents of the memo and the much stronger recommendations to the Zoning Board. You can find those minutes here: https://www.hopewelltwp.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06202023-2094
The EC’s final opinion reads: “We reiterate our strong concerns about the proposed activities causing disturbances in noise and specific frequency sound levels (e.g., from pickleball), more light intrusion into the forest, and the negative effects on bird and insect populations which are vital to the ecosystem.…
We are concerned that the environmental impacts may outweigh the potential benefits of the proposal…
The Commission emphasizes that the intensity of the activities proposed is at the heart of the environmental issues.
The Zoning Board must learn this new conclusion from the EC before they vote on this commercial use variance. To ensure this memo reaches the Zoning Board in time, please email your concerns to the Zoning Board’s attorney, Kevin Van Hise at k.vanhise@mgplaw.com.
Please take action and attend the meeting Monday, July 24th at 7:00 pm.
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