Township Committee — March 9, 2026

The Township Committee’s minutes of this regular meeting, approved at its March 23 meeting, are on the Township’s Documents-On-Demand portal, linked from its Agendas/Minutes page, in the Township Committee and Board of Health minutes folder. Mayor James Schworn called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All five members were present: Mayor Schworn, Mr. Brendon Beatrice, Mr. Thomas Young, Mrs. Anna Columbus and Mr. David Owens. Also present were Township Administrator Gregory Bonin, Township Clerk Maggie Schmitt and Township Attorney William Willard. The minutes record 40 members of the public. No one commented on agenda items, and no one spoke at any of the three public hearings.

Three affordable-housing ordinances adopted

The Committee held the second reading and public hearing of the three ordinances introduced on February 9. The minutes note that, because of their length, their full text is available on the Township’s website or in the Clerk’s office.

• Ordinance No. 2026-1507, “Ordinance amending the Land Development Ordinance … to create and add a new ‘AH-8 — Route 22 Affordable Housing 8’ zone.” Mayor Schworn said it establishes the new zone in compliance with the Township’s Fourth Round affordable-housing obligations. Adopted on motion of Mrs. Columbus, seconded by Mr. Owens. Recorded vote: 5–0 (Aye: Young, Columbus, Owens, Beatrice, Schworn).
• Ordinance No. 2026-1508, “Ordinance adopting ‘Amended Evans Way Redevelopment Plan’ for the property identified on the Branchburg tax map as Block 58, Lot 36, and Block 58.01, Lot 4 …” Mayor Schworn said it amends the plan to accommodate inclusionary residential housing, also in compliance with the Fourth Round obligations. Adopted on motion of Mr. Owens, seconded by Mr. Young. Recorded vote: 5–0 (Aye: Young, Columbus, Owens, Beatrice, Schworn).
• Ordinance No. 2026-1509, “Ordinance repealing and replacing Article XIII ‘Affordable Housing’ and Article XIV ‘Development Fees’ of the Land Development Ordinance.” Mayor Schworn said it updates the affordable-housing and development-fee provisions. Mr. Willard said the State has amended its affordable-housing and Uniform Housing Affordability Controls (UHAC) regulations, so all municipalities must update these ordinances. Adopted on motion of Mr. Owens, seconded by Mrs. Columbus. Recorded vote: 5–0 (Aye: Young, Columbus, Owens, Beatrice, Schworn).

As filed with the court on March 13, 2026, Ordinance 2026-1507’s AH-8 zone, for the Vollers/Premier site, permits up to 250 multifamily apartment, townhouse and stacked-townhouse dwellings plus one special-needs group home, with 50 affordable credits; Ordinance 2026-1508’s amended plan permits up to 300 apartments and 100 townhouses on Block 58, Lot 36, with 80 affordable units (20% of each dwelling type), leaves Block 58.01, Lot 4 unchanged and contemplates a two-acre portion for future public use. It replaced the area’s 2022 warehouse plan.

Housing resolutions on the consent agenda

On motion of Mr. Owens, seconded by Mr. Beatrice, the Committee approved Resolutions No. 2026-61 through 2026-67, with the departmental reports. Recorded vote: 5–0 (Aye: Young, Columbus, Owens, Beatrice, Schworn). Four concerned affordable housing:

• 2026-64: Fair Share Housing — Fourth Round — affirmative marketing plan
• 2026-65: Fair Share Housing — Fourth Round — spending plan
• 2026-66: authorization to execute an extension of affordable housing restrictions, Whiton Hills
• 2026-67: authorization to execute an amended redevelopment agreement and affordable housing agreement with S/K Stoney Brook Associates

The others were the appointment of a municipal prosecutor (Campbell, 2026-61), a totally disabled veteran tax matter (Flynn, 2026-62) and acceptance of inspection fees for 201 Industrial Parkway (2026-63).

Discussion of the affordable-housing plan and Route 202

During the Administrator’s report:

• Mr. Young asked whether the Township had finalized its Fourth Round obligations. Mr. Willard said the Township has adopted the implementing ordinances and resolutions required by the Fair Housing Act, that some agreements still need to be finalized and executed, and that once they are, the developers can bring their applications to the Planning Board or Zoning Board. Further discussion followed on affordable-housing issues locally and statewide.
• Derek Orth, counsel for KRE Developers, said work remains to be done and summarized his client’s project. He said construction can begin once all items are finalized and State approvals are granted, and that the project would take about 24 to 36 months from breaking ground.
• Mr. Beatrice asked about the timeline for the proposed traffic signal at Route 202 and Holland Brook Road. Mr. Bonin said it should be in place within the next year.
• Mr. Owens asked Mr. Bonin for the occupancy percentage of the Township’s Round 3 affordable-housing developments. Discussion followed on other affordable-housing obligations and issues in surrounding towns.

Mr. Bonin also commended the Department of Public Works for clearing roads during the winter and said it is now repairing potholes.

Other business

Mayor Schworn read proclamations for Ronald Rinaldi, on his 50th consecutive Christmas Day crossing of the Delaware River, and for Kaylee Lauber, on surpassing 1,000 career points in high school girls’ basketball and tying the single-season goals record in soccer. He announced the Communications Committee’s 2025 Persons of the Year, Ileen and Bob Bradley, with honorable mention to Roger Johnson and nominees Nathalie Brogan, Himani Kaushik and Bindu Shah. The meeting recessed from 7:20 to 7:22 p.m.

The Mayor read commendations for retiring Code Enforcement employees Diane Strohl and Barbara Litchkowski, postponed from February 23, and the Committee adopted Resolutions No. 2026-56 and 2026-57 on motion of Mr. Owens, seconded by Mr. Beatrice. The claims for payment were approved on motion of Mrs. Columbus, seconded by Mr. Young, recorded vote: 5–0. The minutes of the February 23 executive and regular sessions were approved.

In public comment, Vince Carpentier, President of the Branchburg Board of Education, thanked Chief Buck and the Police Department for their presence at the schools and their response to a recent gas leak at one of the schools.

In liaison reports:

• Mrs. Columbus said the senior citizens’ group has grown to about 100 participants, filling the Community Room at Whiton Hills, and that alternative meeting space may be needed; the seniors also celebrated the 100th birthday of member Florence Huie Kee, with a proclamation from the Mayor. Mr. Bonin said senior meetings have grown from around 70 to 170 members over the past 10 years and that the Recreation Director is exploring ways to accommodate the group in the current space.
• Mr. Young said he met with Celltrion at Raritan Valley Community College and toured its Workforce Training Center, and that he hopes Celltrion will use its offerings.
• Mr. Beatrice said the Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee (ROPAC) met with the local sports clubs, whose consensus was that they need turf fields and lights rather than additional fields; he said clubs are renting lights at a cost and losing participants for lack of lighting, and that he is advocating for turf fields and lights. Mr. Bonin added that the clubs said membership is not increasing and their access to fields is sufficient, but they need better fields usable later into the night.
• Mayor Schworn said he and Mr. Young are working on the 2026 budget, that he will continue to try to publish a monthly newsletter, and encouraged residents to read his February newsletters about the Township’s emergency services volunteers.
• Mr. Owens had no report.

The meeting adjourned at 7:52 p.m.

See Branchburg’s Fourth Round affordable-housing plan, Evans Way redevelopment, Route 202 safety and open space and Township land stewardship.

Records

• Minutes and agenda: Agendas/Minutes page of the Township’s website, which links its Documents-On-Demand portal (Township Committee and Board of Health folder)
• Meeting video on the Township’s Granicus archive
• Ordinances 2026-1507 and 2026-1508 as filed with the court, March 13, 2026 (docket SOM-L-142-25)