Bardy Farms: the zoning and what comes next

How the site entered the plan

The property owner wrote to the township on November 20, 2024 asking it to consider the two parcels for affordable housing, according to the amended Housing Element and Fair Share Plan. The plan says the letter reported letters of intent and contracts from local developers but gave no concept plan or proposal details. The township’s earlier plan excluded the site as too unspecified.

The site entered through the court process. The township signed a mediation agreement with Fair Share Housing Center on December 21, 2025; paragraph 7 of that agreement listed the property as a potential “Replacement Site” to the 100 percent affordable development previously proposed. The amended plan says the Affordable Housing Dispute Resolution Program issued its recommendation on January 29, 2026, and a February 3, 2026 court order approved the agreement and dismissed a challenge.

The Planning Board adopted the amended plan on February 25, 2026, after a public hearing. The Township Committee endorsed it on March 12, 2026, with Resolution 2026-104. They also adopted six affordable-housing ordinances. The plan includes the Bardy site as a way to meet its obligation for 262 units in the Fourth Round. The section on site suitability states that the tract has no C-1 streams. It also says that estimated wetlands and riparian buffers need verification from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Water and sewer capacity are adequate. These are statements from the plan, not independent checks of site conditions.

What AH-11 permits

Ordinance 26-08, adopted March 12, 2026, rezones Block 70.03, Lots 24 and 25.01 from BR-40 to AH-11. The district permits townhouses and multifamily dwellings, with a minimum lot area of 3 acres and a maximum of 115 units including the affordable ones. The ordinance states the intent as 87 market-rate units and 28 affordable units, a 25 percent set-aside.

The standards include a maximum height of 3.5 stories and 42 feet. Maximum impervious coverage is 50 percent. The front yard must be 30 feet on North Road and 35 feet on Washington Valley Road. The Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, Table G, credits the site with 26 affordable rental units plus 13 bonus credits, totaling 39 credits. The plan narrative and the ordinance both state “up to 28” affordable units. The plan’s table and text differ by two units. Both figures are reported here as printed.

The plan proposes an affordable distribution of 26 units for the site. This includes 4 very-low-income units, 9 low-income units, and 13 moderate-income units. These units would be 4 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom, and 6 three-bedroom rentals. The ordinance only covers zoning. It does not approve a project. A development would still need site-plan review and a public hearing before the Planning Board. Any approval would be limited to the zoning maximum of 115 units.

What residents said

At the Planning Board’s February 25, 2026 hearing, one resident spoke about sidewalks and trails. Another asked about total unit counts and the affordability ratio; the minutes do not give the speakers’ names. The March 12 Committee hearings on Ordinances 26-06 through 26-11 drew no comments, according to the minutes.

On April 16, 2026, nineteen residents spoke during privilege of the floor. They raised concerns about environmental conditions, traffic, flooding, impact on schools, sewer capacity, the number of units, impact on emergency services, and what the minutes describe as a lack of communication. The minutes list addresses on North Road, Morning Glory Road, Lara Place, Promenade, and Washington Valley Road. The mayor, township attorney, and planner explained the affordable-housing process before the comments, according to the minutes.

On May 14, 2026, one resident from North Road discussed development at the Bardy and Firewood sites. Another resident raised concerns about density for developments near North Road. At the April 22 Planning Board meeting, a resident asked if the township would buy the Bardy and Firewood properties. The planner said both are privately owned and not being purchased. No petition or objector filing on the site appears in the records reviewed.

Application status and record limits

As of November 2, 2026, the township’s pending-applications page lists no Bardy case. No Bardy application appears on any 2026 Planning Board agenda that was reviewed. LocalWhy has not reviewed whether any application or concept plan exists outside these records. Therefore, a filing date, unit count, or hearing schedule cannot be verified.

The records reviewed do not name the owner of Block 70.03, Lots 24 and 25.01. They also do not say if a concept plan has been discussed with the Land Use Office. The Planning Board minutes for June 10 and July 22, 2026, could not be retrieved and need a browser. They are not evidence either way about a filing.

A TAPinto Warren story on the Bardy turnout is saved without a visible publication date and its full text needs a browser, so it is not used for any fact here. The next Planning Board meeting is November 25, 2026, 7:30 p.m., in the Susie B. Boyce Meeting Room at 44 Mountain Boulevard.