Applications to the Planning or Zoning Boards would be reviewed and deemed complete by an advisory committee of the city’s professionals before being granted hearings, under an ordinance approved by City Council.
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The governing body introduced an ordinance (O-6-21) during its Feb. 8 meeting to amend land use procedures and establish a Technical Review Committee (TRC), which is not uncommon in other New Jersey municipalities. The ordinance was approved after a public hearing during the March 11 meeting, with no comments or questions from the public or council members.
The Technical Review Committee is established to “streamline and make the development process more cost efficient by providing assistance to applicants to address technical issues prior to applications reaching the respective board,” according to the ordinance. The TRC would review all development applications to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, with the exception of one- and two-family dwellings, according to the ordinance.
The committee is an attempt to get professionals to do a thorough review of technical issues prior to it going to the board, City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Robert Landolfi said during a recent telephone interview. Professionals for the various boards — such as engineers and planners — often make recommendations or comments on an application or plan. “Those comments would go directly to the board and either be resolved there or not,” he said. “Sometimes when they don’t get resolved, applications are approved conditionally, putting the onus on the applicant and board professionals to find solutions to any questions.”
With a TRC, comments would go back to the applicant or developer so all technical issues have been addressed before the application gets to the board level. In addition to feedback, the committee may request additional information or modifications but recommendations are non-binding and don’t guarantee approval.
“What the board thinks it’s approving might not be what’s in the field; it’s dependent on conditions,” Landolfi said. For example, drainage requirements may be met in an application but when it’s time to fulfill the requirements, and it’s not as easy to do as it was thought to be, it might change the design of the underlying development, he added.
The Technical Review Committee would meet the third Wednesday of each month and be comprised of the city administrator, director of community development, city engineer, city planner, construction official, planning or zoning board’s engineering and planning consultants, planning or zoning board’s attorney, and representatives from the city’s emergency services, as needed.
Applications would not be scheduled for review by the Planning Board or Zoning Board until the TRC “has deemed the application complete in writing and indicated that all technical items have been addressed.”
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