Zoning of a nine-acre undeveloped property at Route 73 and Dutch Road, included in Evesham Township's plan for affordable housing, would change to multi-family housing under proposed changes to the Township Master Plan before the Planning Board on Thursday.
A reexamination of the Master Plan — the blueprint of zoning restrictions in a community — also includes other zoning changes in the Township.
The board meeting, including a public hearing on the changes in the plan, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Thursday in the municipal building at 984 Tuckerton Road and will be livestreamed. More meeting information here and the agenda is here.
A senior living facility had been approved for the Route 73 and Dutch Road site in 2020, but the developer has since dropped the project, according to the Township affordable housing plan.
The change to the Master Plan simply makes the construction of affordable housing possible on the site. A developer would need to embrace the plan and propose construction to the Township.
The 58-page draft of the Master Plan Rexamination Report is available on the Township website here.
Only about four acres can be developed because of wetlands restrictions at the rear of the property, but a project could build 84 total units, with 17 of them used to fulfill the Township's affordable housing commitments, according to the affordable housing plan.
Another major zoning change in the proposed Master Plan would rezone and severely restrict development of undeveloped forest area near the Black Run Preserve.Â
Current zoning permits one housing unit per 3.2 acres. The new zoning would tighten that restriction to one unit per 25 acres, according to the reexamined Master Plan. The state Pinelands Commission has changed the designation of the area to Pinelands Forest Area from a Rural Designation Area and requires Evesham to change its zoning.
About 2,440 of the redesignated acres in Evesham are covered by the change, including 1,450 acres of preserved or public-owned land and 990 acres of privately owned land, according to Pinelands Commission documents. The 990 acres could be developed with one home per 25 acres under the new zoning restrictions.
Among the other changes in the reexamination is making multi-family housing permissible on the site of a former roller-skating rink at 471 Evesboro-Medford Road.Â
About 24 housing units could be built on the 24 acres and five of them could be designated to fulfill the Township's affordable housing commitment, according to the affordable housing plan.
The site of the former skating rink being considered for affordable housing.
