Brock Farms Re-Zoning Ordinance is Effectively Dead

Residents will not have to come out once again to protest the re-zoning of

Deputy Mayor David Salkin motioned to table the re-zoning of the 118-acre farm at the workshop meeting on Tuesday, March 6 at .

“I would suggest that we table this indefinitely and just sort of let it die on the vine so we don’t have to have the residents come out and do this all over again unless this is going to be a 4-1 vote and go through as is,” said Salkin.

This ordinance was originally tabled for a second public hearing on April 24 after over a hundred residents showed up at the meeting on Feb. 28 to . According to the ordinance, the re-zoning would allow for Brock Farms to become a B-2 (Commercial) zone and a new PAC-2 (Planned Adult Community) zone. Click to read more about the first public hearing.

Committeeman Eugene Golub and Committeewoman Barbara McMorrow voted yes to this motion. Mayor Anthony Ammiano and Committeeman Robert McGirr said no.

According to Duane Davidson, the township attorney, when an ordinance is tabled indefinitely it is effectively dead.

“If you are going to carry an ordinance, you have to carry it to a specific date so everyone can have notice when it is going to come up again. Once you carry it indefinitely, it is procedurally defective, and obviously on purpose here,” said Davidson. “If it can’t come up to be voted upon, and eventually adopted, it’s over.”

Now it is back to the drawing board for the owner of Brock Farms and the interested redevelopers. According to Davidson, if they want to continue, they have to come up with a new plan and submit for re-zoning, develop something that fits the R-80 zoning (which allows one residential home to be built on every 2 acres of land) or keep it as is.