Township Council — June 9, 2026

What was decided

All nine members were present: Mr. Anbarasan, Ms. Francois, Deputy Mayor Kharazi, Mayor Kramer, Mr. Onyejiaka, Mr. Singh, Ms. Uddin, Mr. Vassanella and Mr. Wright, who arrived late. Unless noted, every vote was 9-0, with all nine voting aye.

• Ord. 4507-26 adopted, 6-3 (mover Kharazi, second Anbarasan). Ayes: Anbarasan, Francois, Kharazi, Kramer, Onyejiaka and Singh. Nays: Uddin, Vassanella and Wright. The ordinance amends Chapter 112 to address light industrial development, including warehouses, in the Business and Industry (B-I) zone. See warehouses.
• Ord. 4508-26 adopted (mover Wright, second Anbarasan): no parking at any time on Pine Grove Avenue. No one spoke at its hearing.
• Introduced, each with its hearing set for a later meeting:
  • Ord. 4509-26, amending Chapter 112 “to Implement Various Recommendations of the 2026 Reexamination of the Township Master Plan and Development Regulations Adopted by the Planning Board in February 2026” (mover Anbarasan, second Singh; hearing July 14). See master plan reexamination.
  • Ord. 4510-26, updating planning and zoning fees and escrow deposits (mover Uddin, second Singh; hearing July 14).
  • Ord. 4511-26, to acquire by purchase or condemnation, for open space, the Collins Property, Block 5.02, Lot 70Q, 4301 State Route 27, Princeton (mover Kharazi, second Uddin; hearing June 23).
  • Ord. 4512-26, appropriating $426,721.40 from the Open Space Trust Fund for the Collins Property (mover Anbarasan, second Uddin; hearing June 23). See open space and farmland.
• Consent agenda (Res. #26-239 to #26-265; mover Uddin, second Kharazi). It included:
  • Public Works trucks and equipment: four Freightliner SD108 cab and chassis at $140,603 each (#26-247 to #26-249), stainless-steel dump bodies (#26-250, #26-251, #26-254), mowers (#26-252, #26-253, #26-257), a brine tank (#26-256) and a Cat P285 asphalt paver, not to exceed $248,676.00 (#26-255);
  • Willow Avenue area resurfacing, Discover Construction, not to exceed $687,605.93 (#26-258);
  • Pierce Street resurfacing, Riverview Paving, not to exceed $442,733.99 (#26-259).
• Resolutions voted on separately (#26-266 to #26-270; mover Uddin, second Kharazi):
  • #26-269, a cost-share with the State Agriculture Development Committee to buy a development easement over the Horses and Hay Farm, 98 Coppermine Road (Block 11.01, Lot 46), preserving about 16.83 acres. The owners accepted $28,824 per acre. The resolution sets the SADC share at $388,109.40 ($23,059.20 per acre) and the Township’s at $97,027.35 ($5,764.80 per acre), a total of $485,136.74, with the SADC holding the easement.
  • #26-270, inserting a $35,526.00 NJDEP leaf composting grant into the 2026 budget;
  • #26-266 to #26-268, renewals of a plenary retail consumption license for Ekkam, LLC, t/a Urban Spice.
• The minutes of May 12 and May 26 were approved (mover Uddin, second Kharazi). The Mayor nominated Philip Seggio to the Historic Preservation Advisory Commission, carried by acclamation.

The Ord. 4507-26 hearing

A video clip was shown from the Planning Board meeting at which the ordinance was discussed. The minutes record that the Township’s planning consultant reported:

• the ordinance is consistent, or at least not inconsistent, with the master plan reexamination report;
• it is more restrictive than the Planning Board’s initial recommendations, limiting light industrial and warehouse development to low-intensity uses;
• it requires warehouses to be within one road mile of an I-287 interchange and no closer than 500 feet to a residential zone boundary;
• it requires truck routes to be laid out for the Board as part of a site plan application, keeps the requirement of access from higher-order streets and keeps the floor area ratio;
• it furthers the objective of minimizing truck traffic through residential areas more than the master plan’s initial recommendation did.

Speakers at the hearing, as the minutes record them:

• Dave Robertson of Biltmore Lane, supported the ordinance as more restrictive than earlier drafts, citing its limits on warehouse size, distance from residential areas and location within one mile of Route 287.
• Marlon Quan of Jay’s Corner, said it did not go far enough. He asked for amendments reducing the number of loading docks allowed and closing a loophole that allows 18-wheelers on local streets between commonly owned warehouse properties.
• Jan Brant of Bryant Court, asked the Council to table the ordinance for stronger safeguards and a clearer understanding of how much warehouse development it would permit. She suggested adjusting the highway-distance limit or the maximum warehouse size.
• John Kaplan, attorney, objected that the ordinance is contrary to proper zoning principles, a de facto warehouse prohibition and arbitrary. He criticized the one-mile interchange limit, the 500-foot residential setback and the ban on data centers, and cited ongoing litigation against similar prior ordinances.
• Matt Flynn, professional planner, questioned the planning goals of the one-road-mile limit, saying it could concentrate traffic at interchanges that already have problems. He said traditional zoning methods could better set intensity limits, and that the data-center ban lacked master plan support.
• Ken Berkowitz of Mayflower Court, supported the ordinance’s intent and asked that its summary say warehouse development has already created significant impacts, rather than that it will.
• William Lane, attorney, opposed it as a de facto warehouse prohibition that abandons the prior tiered system, and said it would make many existing and approved warehouses non-conforming uses.
• Skip Richards of Bryant Court, asked that traffic be built into the ordinance, citing truck trips generated per square foot of warehouse space and the potential for thousands more trucks a day at the I-287 exits.
• Dr. David Holland said the great majority of voters at Canal Walk support stricter warehouse rules.
• Sudhir Shah of Bryant Court, called it a good first step and asked for an analysis of vacant land and potential warehouse build-out in Wards 2 and 4.

Council statements before the vote.

• Mr. Singh thanked the study committee, the Planning Board and Mark Healey, and cited numerous emails in support. He called the ordinance a balance between the community’s needs and the reality that developers will keep applying, “a step in the right direction”.
• Ms. Uddin said “perfect is the enemy of the good” and called the ordinance a necessary step that adds guardrails. She said she still had concerns about traffic and public safety for residents sharing roads with large commercial vehicles, especially near senior communities such as Schoolhouse Road, praised not permitting data centers, and said the master plan remains a work in progress. She is recorded among the nays.
• Mayor Kramer said the consultant’s presentation spoke for him.

Public Discussion

The minutes record seven speakers in the general Public Discussion.

• Steven Savard, secretary of the Society Hill III HOA, asked for speed bumps, crosswalks and pedestrian signals on Beekman Road after recent accidents, and presented a petition with over 300 signatures.
• Debbie Stewart of Farrington Plaza, asked about collecting trash from roadsides and noted there are no “school” signs on Mettler’s Road near the charter school.
• Deborah Inman of Roberts Road, raised noise from a pool rented out short-term and asked that the noise ordinance be enforced with summonses.
• Alex Clark of Hamilton Street, asked the Council to support ranked-choice voting bills S1643 and A1745.
• Brenda Harper of Churchill Avenue, asked about the number of CBD businesses in the 4th Ward and the lack of supermarkets and healthy food nearby, and why the Juneteenth celebration was held before June 19.
• Skip Richards of Bryant Court, thanked the Council for the new Weston Canal Road sign and asked for a “No Trucks” sign at the turn by Schoolhouse Road.
• Jan Brant of Bryant Court, thanked Public Works for repairing a streetlight.

Answers. The minutes record that Mr. Vornlocker said speed bumps are not permitted on New Jersey public roads but speed humps are, under a policy on the Police Department’s website; that speed limits cannot be changed without an engineering study; that crosswalks on HOA-controlled sidewalks require ADA compliance and the engineer would contact the HOA; and that flashing beacons are a budget decision based on engineering studies. He said a school zone on Mettler’s Road was unlikely because there is no pedestrian traffic along the school’s frontage, and that the Township has no ordinance on short-term pool rentals, which could go to a future Administration meeting. Mayor Kramer said CBD shops differ from licensed cannabis dispensaries, of which there are about 20 to 21, not all in the 4th Ward. Ms. Francois said the Juneteenth event was organized by the Somerset County Democratic Black Caucus and likely set for Saturday, June 13 to reduce policing costs.

Council comments

• Mr. Singh said the 300 signatures on Beekman Road show genuine concern; a similar request had been denied before, but recent incidents call for a new look through engineering and public-safety staff.
• Mr. Vassanella encouraged residents to pursue speed humps if they meet the criteria, and said he and Mr. Wright would like to see them placed strategically.
• Mr. Anbarasan said the Sewerage Authority was researching water usage by commercial tenants to correct billing imbalances in sewer charges.
• Mr. Wright said Franklin Township does not build redevelopment housing but finds locations for developers, and pointed residents to the website to get on the affordable-housing list.

Records

• Minutes (approved June 23, 2026) · Agenda · Packet
• Video on Granicus (2:25). The video’s index lists item 13.a twice; the second index point (from 1:27:22) runs to item 13.b. Granicus publishes no captions for Franklin meetings; this page follows the Clerk’s minutes.