The property currently sits in a zone designated for industrial use with offices complexes and other vacant properties
A two-acre plot of land on Stow Road could see senior housing in the future thanks to a zoning change approved by Evesham Township Council.
Although the land sits in an area of town zoned for industrial use, with office parks and several other vacant properties close by, Evesham Township’s Planning Board recommended council adopt the change.
According to township planner Leah Furey-Bruder, while the change for the lot is not “entirely consistent” with the land use element that was adopted as part of the township’s 2006 master plan or the plan’s subsequent updates, the zoning change does advance several of the “goals and objectives” in the current master plan.
Specifically, Furey-Bruder said the plan was committed to providing a variety of housing types in the township, including housing that would meet the needs of senior citizens.
While the township would normally alter its master plan and then adopt zoning consistent with that master plan, Furey-Bruder said the order was reversed in this instance as the situation also presented a chance for the township to help satisfy some of its Fair Share Housing requirements.
“This is an emerging opportunity that we didn’t want to lose,” Furey-Bruder said. “Ultimately, the zoning will be consistent with the master plan. We’re just getting one a little ahead of the other in this specific instance.”
Looking toward the future, Furey-Bruder said the township would also examine Stow Road and the area as a whole to determine how the township might need to further alter zoning rules in that area.
Furey-Bruder said the area started as an industrial area, but with the changing market, it had become filled mostly with offices and other vacancies.
“We will, next time we’re doing master planning, look at the area and see if there needs to be some revisions to the overall zone,” Furey-Bruder said. “We want to leave opportunities for the light industrial type places, but also be ready to accommodate the changing market.”
Furey-Bruder also noted that no specific application has yet to come before the planning board as it relates to actually building any type of senior housing or complex on the lot in question.
In response to concerns that the relatively small size of the plot wouldn’t provide enough green space, Furey-Bruder said any application that goes before the planning board in the future would be reviewed to ensure construction is consistent with aesthetics the township desires, which include adequate landscaping, attractive buildings and adequate stormwater management.
“It is my general opinion that when we’re in an area that’s meant for economic development or it’s in a smart growth planning area, then we don’t really need to have excessive green lawns just for the sake of having them, as long as we have the aesthetics that we want,” Furey-Bruder said.
