JACKSON – Township Council President Jennifer Kuhn, Councilmen Nino Borrelli and via phone, Mordechai Burnstein and Councilman Steven Chisholm voted to override a mayoral veto of an ordinance designed to limit development on property at the Adventure Crossing site.
This action took place during a special meeting on December 31, 2024 that had been rescheduled from one day earlier.
Kuhn explained the purpose of the special meeting was to discuss Ordinance 33-24 “which is designed to protect the residents of Jackson from the potential negative effects of overdevelopment. Our goal is not to harm anyone or hinder progress, in fact we welcomed the applicant, Adventure Crossing approved MS Center and the proposed hotels as these projects bring valuable economic benefits to our community.”
She also noted that Adventure Crossing had been approved to build over 500 homes and submitted plans for 750 town homes. “This ordinance serves as a safeguard for the future. It will ensure that should there be any changes to the project moving forward, the residents of Jackson are protected. As it stands Adventure Crossing’s approvals are currently intact and we will continue to welcome the continued tax ratables that these developments will bring.”
Kuhn previously explained that Ordinance 33-24 amends the municipal land use code and reduces the number of homes developers can build per acre by modifying the calculation method from “gross acreage” to “net acreage.” During this meeting she went on to read the resolution that explained “why we are here…which is to override a mayoral veto of Ordinance 33-24.”
Borrelli said that in trying to address the overdevelopment issue within Jackson, “and the traffic that comes with it is an issue that we have committed to on the Township Council. We work for you guys and my continuing support of that ordinance is following through on that commitment.” He voted yes.
Burnstein’s brief comments were inaudible to the public but he voted yes.
“I am looking forward to all the commercial ratables that have been promised to us and I currently enjoy what has been built. I look forward to the rest of it. We have all seen how things have gone awry at different times and I think 900 some odd residential units are very generous and if God forbid something were to go wrong, we don’t want to see another 1,200 or 1,500 homes in that area,” Chisholm said.
He went on to say that “the roadways there are already too congested as it is so I am voting yes.”
This marked Chisholm’s last meeting as a councilman and he noted that it had been “an honor and privilege serving the residents of Jackson.”
Kuhn then cast her yes vote.
Mayor Michael Reina and Councilman Scott Sargent were not present at this meeting. The council’s vote supported amending the township’s land use code and cut the number of homes that could be built per acre within the Highway Commercial Mixed-Use Zone.
The new ordinance states that residential units would be limited per useable acreage and the maximum number of dwelling units – which also includes affordable housing units – to “the maximum number of dwelling units, including affordable units, is four units per acre dedicated to residential use.”
The ordinance was initially introduced on Oct. 8, 2024 and passed by the council on its second reading on Oct. 22. Sargent had cast the one vote in opposition to the ordinance.
The site that would be impacted is near Great Adventure where Adventure Crossing had the potential of building 1,200 new residential units.
There was no paperwork filed concerning a veto action according to the Township Clerk’s office as of Jan. 1, 2025. A vote to override a veto requires four out of five votes.
Adventure Crossing developer Vito Cardinale previously spoke in opposition to the ordinance when it was introduced calling out the governing body for not communicating with him about his intentions prior to its introduction.
One resident who spoke during the public comment period warned the Council that Cardinale might sue Jackson for millions of dollars over this ordinance saying that it was aimed toward him specifically.
A Hyson Road resident, Deb Jones, thanked the council for their vote. “Our schools are suffering right now. I don’t know if we could even accommodate that many more homes in Jackson. I think we need to start moving into the future maybe a little bit different.”
“I’m tired of hearing people talk about suing. I’m tired of people talking about hate. A difference of opinion does not mean that it is a difference because of who someone is, what religion you are, what color they are, what their financial standing is. A difference of opinion is a difference of opinion,” she added.
Jones said, “we have to stop the madness. This is embarrassing. I’ve lived in Jackson since I was in 5th grade. I want to be proud of this town again and right now I’m not and if it means we have to put our foot down and stop things for a little while then we have to stop things for a little while. The only thing we need to be worried about is Jackson as a whole not the little parts of it.”
She suggested the council make decisions “a little more open than you have been doing. I know you say you want to be upfront and out there. It starts when you are accountable to the words that you say.”
