7 duplexes approved for Edison's Charlie Brown's site, residents likely to appeal

EDISON - Despite hours of neighborhood residents voicing objections, plans for multiple age-restricted duplex housing units on the site of the former Charlie Brown's restaurant on Plainfield Road were unanimously approved late Tuesday by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Markim Developers LLC received preliminary and final site plan approval to build seven two-bedroom, age-restricted duplex units at the 2-acre site of the former Charlie Brown's Restaurant, 222 Plainfield Road. The plan was modified from a 2021 proposal which called for 23 three-story, three-bedroom townhouses on the property between the Metuchen Golf and Country Club and one family homes.

Changes were made to reduce the number of buildings from eight to seven, which means 14 units will be constructed instead of 16 which were previously proposed. In addition the third floor attic area will be prohibited from being used as a bedroom, and if legally permitted no one under age 19 will be allowed to live in the units.

Nonetheless, residents are likely to appeal the board's approval to the Township Council.

"We are extremely disappointed by the Zoning Board’s decision to allow a large, multifamily development in a single-family home neighborhood,” said resident Nicholas Fagan. “We are currently considering our options, but it is likely that we will appeal this decision to the Edison Township Council."

A written appeal to the township clerk can be filed after a resolution adopting the Zoning Board decision is approved and published.

“Last night, our team referenced Municipal Land Use Law and Edison Master Plan facts. We didn’t just simply say ‘We don’t like townhouses, please vote no,' ” said resident Sandeep Ramakrishna. “Since June 2021, we understood that for the Zoning Board to reject an application, it must be supported by New Jersey law, not just residents’ emotions. Well, we referenced the law and believed we had a strong case. And we still do, and that is why we are likely to appeal.”

Mark Roshanski, Markim Developers managing member, said the duplex project feels like a single-family neighborhood and would allow older township residents looking to downsize to stay in town.

But residents argued the duplexes were multi-family housing, although township officials said the duplexes are not townhouses, which are characterized as three units or more while duplexes are two single-family dwelling units attached by a common wall running from the basement to the roof. Neighborhood residents requested that only single-family homes be built on the site.

"We have been at this for a year. Residents have said it loud and clear, we do not want multi-family," said resident Lori Jordan who expressed concern the duplexes could become rental units. "It's deceitful to say (Markim) took residents view into account."

Jordan said she was shocked the Zoning Board approved the development without a single "no" vote and feel the board didn't listen to residents objections in a sincere way.

Resident Joel Bassoff said the board is supposed to focus of preserving the character of the existing neighborhood but instead created a "hodge podge of single family and multi-family houses back to back."

For most of Tuesday's meeting residents from the neighborhood and throughout Edison voiced their objections to the project which would change the character of the single-family home area and set a precedent for future high density, multi-family housing in town. Some residents told board members that the duplex plan is closer to some of the existing homes on nearby Edgewood Road than the former townhouse project.

"What you have here is really an oddball isolated piece of property you have to do something with. It's in a golf course zone, but its never been used as a golf course, it's been a restaurant for years," said attorney Steven Tripp, who represented Markim Developers at the meeting. "At this point it's vacant, it's not currently being used. The question is what do you do with it, adaptive reuse of the property. You look at the property and it can't be used for anything other than what it is as a non conforming use."

Tripp said Markim has tried hard to come up with something that works. He said the project started with 23 townhouse units in larger buildings.

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"We've been trying to reach the neighbors as much as we can," said Tripp. "We reduced the density, we reduced the size of the buildings, we've reduced the number of stories, we've gone down to two bedroom, we age-restricted the units, we've done everything that we think is reasonable to create what we think is a reasonable low-intensity, low-density senior development that fits in well with this particular site, which again is unique."

"What we propose strikes a balance, it provides for a type of housing that is not found in the immediate area which is two-bedroom senior housing," Tripp said. "I'm disappointed the neighborhood does not agree, but I think we have met our burden of proof."

Board members agreed. One board member asked for a modification related to reducing the number of duplex buildings from eight to seven to create more open space. The board's approval also set hours for trash pickup and the planned locations for mailboxes as well prohibited children under age 19 if allowed by law, and restricted conversion of the attic into a bedroom.

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The duplex plans shows each unit with a garage, equipped with an electric vehicle charging station, dining room, family room, powder room, kitchen and dinette on the first floor. A main bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom, second bedroom, sitting area, another bathroom and laundry area are planned for the second floor, along with an office area in the attic and a basement. The units will all have elevators in the kitchen behind the staircase.

The Links at Edison development also calls for 48 parking spaces, with each unit having two spaces, a single-car garage and driveway and 16 spaces in two on-site, eight-space parking lots.

The project is planned for a section of busy Plainfield Road near the Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Woodbrook Elementary School in Edison and near St. Joseph High School in Metuchen.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: 7 duplexes approved for Edison's Charlie Brown's site