Committee recommends Partigan Township CN West ordinance aimed at clearer mixed‑use and continuing‑care standards

The Pinelands Commission’s CFP Policy and Implementation Committee on Jan. 31 voted to recommend Partigan Township ordinance 2024‑32 — a package of conditional‑use changes for the CN West neighborhood commercial zone — to the full commission for certification.

Executive Director Grogan told the committee the ordinance harmonizes earlier rules and allows multifamily apartments, independent living and assisted‑living units as part of continuing care retirement communities combined with retail or other commercial uses under conditional‑use standards. Grogan said the change ‘‘keeps the 25% PDC requirement for one‑family apartments, but also applies a mandatory 20% requirement to the independent living and assisted‑living units in a continuing‑care community,’’ and that the approach is meant to be easier to calculate than prior bonus‑based systems.

Why it matters: Staff said the new standards slightly reduce overall residential zoning capacity in the affected regional growth area (from about 450 units previously to roughly 380–382 units under the new densities) while providing ‘‘a small increase’’ in PDC potential and greater certainty that residential components will generate inventory credits. Commissioners and staff emphasized the on‑site commercial amenities that could benefit seniors, such as small groceries or pharmacies adjacent to residential units.

Committee discussion focused on utilities and site servicing. Commissioners asked about wastewater and hospital access; staff said the Southern Ocean wastewater treatment plant has available capacity and the water supply appears adequate based on permits and submissions the staff has reviewed. The committee also discussed how the ordinance’s conditional‑use framework is intended to avoid confusion among mixed‑use and continuing‑care provisions that previously applied in different and sometimes incompatible ways.

Outcome and next steps: A member moved and the committee seconded the motion to recommend the ordinance’s certification to the full commission; the motion passed on a voice vote with no objections or abstentions recorded on the record. The staff will forward the committee recommendation and the related report to the full Pinelands Commission for formal action.

Provenance: Committee discussion and vote (topic intro at SEG 024; staff overview and PDC/density detail SEG 112–166; motion and committee voice vote SEG 397–409).