Articles Land use and development
Franklin's 2026 Master Plan Reexaminations, Explained
What a master plan reexamination is, the two Franklin adopted in 2026 (one for the B-I warehouse zone and one townwide), the ordinances that followed, and the items still on the Planning Board's list.
What a reexamination is
A town’s master plan sets out how land should be used; its zoning ordinances put that plan into rules. New Jersey’s Municipal Land Use Law requires the Planning Board to reexamine the master plan and development regulations at least every ten years: what the last plan recommended, what has been done, what has changed, and what it now recommends. Planning Director Mark Healey described the process to the Board on February 18, 2026 in those terms, the minutes record.
Franklin’s last comprehensive master plan was adopted on March 22, 2006, and reexamined on March 2, 2016. Since 2016 the Board has adopted three Land Use Plan updates and several elements: a Third Round housing plan (April 2018); Historic Preservation, Comprehensive Farmland Preservation and an Environmental Resources Inventory (August 2019); Circulation (2021); Pathways and Trails (June 2025); and the Fourth Round housing plan (2025–26).
Reexamination 1: the B-I zone
The Business and Industry (B-I) zone is where Franklin’s warehouses are built. The Planning Board commissioned Bright View Engineering (David Glynn Roberts, PP, AICP) to study it.
- Process. An ad-hoc steering committee met on June 6, August 29, October 9 and December 12, 2024. Community meetings were held on June 27, 2024 and January 30, 2025. A traffic impact study of the zone is dated August 18, 2024.
- Recommendations. “Intensity standards” for warehouses and light manufacturing, location limits tied to intensity, and conditional-use standards.
- Adoption. Public hearing January 14, 2026, with six public speakers: Dave Robinson, Debbie Stewart, Sally Zaharchek, Norman Roberts, Suti Shah and Kiki Anastasikos. Adopted 5–0 (Chase, LaCorte, Rafiq, Thomas, Orsini). Resolution memorialized January 21, 2026.
- Result. The Council adopted Ordinance 4507-26 on June 9, 2026, 6–3. The planner’s report read at that hearing called the Council’s version “more restrictive than the Planning Board’s initial recommendations.” See Warehouses.
Reexamination 2: the whole township
The 2026 Reexamination of the Master Plan and Development Regulations was prepared by Mr. Healey.
- Process. Board members sent comments on earlier drafts, and the Board held work sessions on January 21 and February 4, 2026.
- Adoption. At the hearing on February 18, 2026, the minutes record, the Board opened the meeting to the public and, “seeing no public present in the chambers that evening,” closed it. The roll call was 9–0: Councilman Anbarasan, Dr. Chase, Mr. LaCorte, Mr. Dancy, Ms. Rangnow, Ms. Rafiq, Vice Chair Brown, Mr. Thomas and Chairman Orsini. The resolution was memorialized on March 4.
- Priorities. Chairman Orsini asked Mr. Healey for a breakdown of what remained, sorted from “easy and quick to long and difficult.” On March 4 the Board saw a priority matrix grading each item by priority (high, medium or low) and difficulty (easy, medium or hard).
The report calls itself “a precursor to the comprehensive update.” The draft posted with the January 21 agenda still has blanks such as “Adopted ____2026”; the adopted version is on the township site.
The follow-up ordinances
| Ordinance | What it does | Introduced | Adopted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4509-26 | Carries out reexamination recommendations. Removes several non-residential uses from residential zones (golf courses except in the A zone, hospitals, philanthropic uses, membership swim clubs except in R-40, kennels) and treats community residences as the Municipal Land Use Law provides, among other items | June 9, 2026, 9–0 | July 14, 2026, 8–0 (Singh absent) |
| 4510-26 | Updates planning and zoning fees and escrow deposits | June 9, 2026, 9–0 | July 14, 2026, 8–0 (Singh absent) |
| 4517-26 | Updates cluster subdivisions: keeps Article XXX (Natural Resources Preservation Cluster) and eliminates Article XXXI (Agricultural Cluster) | August 11, 2026, 6–0 (Singh, Vassanella, Wright absent) | October 13, 2026, 9–0 |
The Planning Board reviewed 4509 and 4510 on June 17 and 4517 on October 7. The ordinance summary for 4517-26 says about 30 parcels totalling over 1,000 acres have been preserved through clustering. On September 8 the Council moved the 4517-26 hearing to October 13, 9–0. The August 11 minutes print a cannabis-chapter title above 4517-26; the agenda and later minutes give its cluster-subdivision title. No public comment was recorded at any of the three hearings.
Still on the list
Items in the priority matrix not yet acted on, as far as the record shows:
- loading-dock depth;
- requiring sidewalks, with a payment in lieu;
- drive-aisle width (26 feet to 24 feet);
- how building height is measured;
- rezoning the ISL zone at 1135 Hamilton Street back to R-15;
- place-of-worship parking (the matrix calls the standard of one space per 15 sq ft “too high/ likely in error”);
- the B-I zone along Hamilton Street near the armory;
- moving R-40 land north of Skillmans Lane to the A zone;
- signage;
- conditional-use standards.
On May 12, 2026 Councilman Singh raised accessory dwelling units for elderly parents, which current zoning does not permit. No ordinance has followed. The reexamination also says several recommendations of the 2013 Open Space and Recreation Plan have not been carried out and remain valid.
One date in the record
The Planning Board’s Fourth Round housing resolutions recite a master plan “adopted … on August 20, 2013.” The reexaminations give the comprehensive plan’s date as March 22, 2006, with the 2016 reexamination. The 2026 reexamination gives the Open Space and Recreation Plan’s adoption as December 2013.
What residents can do
- Watch Planning Board agendas. Reexamination items come up under “Work Session / New Business.”
- Speak at Council hearings. Each zoning change is adopted by ordinance, with a public hearing at second reading.
- Read the plan. The adopted reexaminations are linked under Sources.