Politics & Government

Farming, Paving Up for Discussion Thursday

The Chatham Township Committee meets Thursday.

The Chatham Township Committee plans to discuss the paving of Crestwood Drive and a potential farming or market garden ordinance.

A subcommittee of two committee members, Mayor Nicole Hagner and Committee Member Bob Gallop, met over the summer to discuss potential ways to allow small family farms in the township. 

Hagner said farming could be deemed a "potential use, which would allow people to have a farm or garden as long as it meets the regulations we set forth, or a conditional use. ... Or else you would need a variance."

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All options will be discussed at the meeting, Hagner said, with time permitting.

Paving on Crestwood

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The committee will also discuss their plans to pave Crestwood Drive, which begins off of Lafayette Avenue near Joanna Way, and Williams Road, which Crestwood leads into. Williams is a narrow road, according to committee discussions, and the width of Crestwood varies from one end of the road to the other. Sections of Crestwood are lined with gravel, which residents say is a danger to children playing or riding bicycles. Others say cars often park illegally, half way on the grass and half in the street.

Some of the homes on the two roads have Belgian block curbing, but not all. Usually, according to residents and committee members, the curbing is paid for either by the developer as part of construction of a new home, or by the current homeowner as an out-of-pocket expense.

As part of the paving project, these curbs will be torn out to make the width of Crestwood uniform at 24 feet.

"I think that replacing the area with something that's consistent and uniform is the better solution," Hagner said.

Crestwood also has drainage issues, and the committee, along with Engineer John Ruschke, discussing what additional expense it would require to fix the drainage and replace the curbing as well as paving the road.

According to Ruschke, the cost of paving Crestwood and Williams without adding curbing or drainage improvements is $125,000. With curbing on Crestwood, the cost rises to $180,000. With drainage improvements, Ruschke estimated roughly "upwards of $260,000 total."

Hagner said that throughout several meetings with residents of the two roads, no clear consensus has come through regarding what the residents want for their street.

The Chatham Township Committee meets Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the .


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