MIDDLESEX TWP — Township supervisors gave final approval Wednesday evening for half of Sienna Village.

Sienna Village is a mixed townhouse and commercial development that would sit off Route 228 at the Weatherburn Drive intersection near the Weatherburn development.

The roughly 28 square-acre property will include 65 housing units. It is divided into two parcels for development due to wetland considerations.

Supervisors in February granted preliminary approval for the entire Sienna Village plan. Parcel B-1 garnered final approval Wednesday evening. Donald Trant, engineer for Trant Corp. and plan representative, discussed the details.

B-1 sits east of Weatherburn Drive and will “disturb” 12 acres, according to Trant. The phase includes commercial buildings totaling 35,600 square feet that allow for restaurant and retail space. Forty-nine town houses will sit behind the commercial area.

Trant noted the planning commission recommended that the phase be modified to allow for loading areas near the commercial units. Trant said as the spaces will attract small business outlets, he believes any deliveries will be made by small delivery trucks.

“None of these (commercial) buildings are going to be a single-tenant user,” Trant said.

Trant also said a traffic study indicates a signal at the Route 228/Weatherburn Drive intersection isn't warranted until all 49 units and 9,000 square feet of the commercial space is occupied.

“Any additional analysis would be done at that time to see if there's any improvements that would have to be done on (Route) 228,” Trant said.

The roads within Sienna Village will be private access. The phase also includes a note that any future connection points to the neighboring property is subject to a private agreement between the property owners.

This raised concerns from Michael Greca, who owns the neighboring property. Greca argued since he hasn't seen where the plan marks these potential access points, the supervisors shouldn't vote on the phase.

“We haven't had time to review this,” Greca said. “I was also told that information was going to be shared with me and it was not.”

Greca said he “left about five messages in the last two weeks” for township manager Adam Hartwig to have “a discussion on this.”

Michael Hnath, township solicitor, said because the roads will be private, the issue comes down to both parties establishing an agreement. Hnath said the township isn't involved on that level.

“I'm satisfied with the note that's on there,” Hnath said. “You need to work that out with the property owner.”

Dan Gramc, solicitor for the Sienna Village developer, argued Greca's property should have no bearing on supervisors granting approval for Phase B-1.

“(The plan) has to accommodate a future connection,” Gramc said. “All we have to do as part of the approval is make sure that we've laid out a plan that there is a way to do that (connection) agreement later.”

David McMaster, a township resident, asked about a retention pond that sits about 40 feet behind eight units in the phase's last row of housing. McMaster wanted to know if fencing will be installed for safety purposes.

Trant said no fencing is currently planned for the area.

“Often times, fences do create problems,” Trant said.

For instance, Trant said deer that hop over fencing near retention ponds don't always know how to jump out. Their carcasses can effect cleaning the pond.