Sienna Village development plan tabled due to numerous issues
MIDDLESEX TWP — The planning commission voted to table the final land development application for one of the parcels of the planned Sienna Village residential development, due to numerous concerns. This action was taken at the planning commission’s monthly meeting on Wednesday night, Nov. 29.
Sienna Village is a residential project under development near the intersection of Route 228 and Weatherburn Drive in Middlesex Township, not far from the Mars Area School District. Plans for the development include both town houses and duplex homes, as well as a commercial district.
According to township engineer Jeff Mikesic of Herbert, Rowland, and Grubic, Sienna Village’s first land development plan for this parcel, known as B1, was approved by the board of supervisors back in October 2022, but had to be resubmitted to the planning commission due to changes in the plan.
“It was revised on their own accord,” Mikesic said. “They removed one of the buildings and removed a right-in right-out access onto 228.”
Among the major issues pointed out at Wednesday night’s meeting which caused the application to be tabled were concerns with stormwater collection.
“They were collecting water from Route 228 and taking it onto their site,” Mikesic said.
The commission also brought up potential traffic concerns brought about by the elimination of the right-in/right-out access connection to Route 228, as well as the fact that their traffic study dates back to February 2020.
“The traffic study that they submitted to the township … did not calculate what the right-in/right-out traffic numbers would be,” said township solicitor Brian Farrington. “They're attempting to say that there's no problem here because that was never included in the traffic study in the first place, which I take issue with.”
No one from Sienna Village was present at Wednesday night’s meeting. However, it is expected that Sienna Village’s applicants will submit a re-revised version of their application in time for the planning commission’s meeting in January, giving the commission until their February to make another decision.
“These are serious enough issues that, if not addressed, could result in denial,” Farrington said.
