Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Franklin Township public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues
Millstone Road vacant space as place of worship
A vacant former contractor's/storage building at 60 Millstone Road will become the Light of Christ church, ending a 15-year search for a Franklin Township home by a congregation of about 70. The main sticking point was parking — only 11 on-site spaces against 31 required — solved with an agreement to use 40 spaces at the neighboring HOPES CAP building on Sundays. The board added conditions on handicap parking, striping, and notice requirements for weddings and funerals.
Affordable housing PILOT rates and school impacts
Ordinance 4496-26 would rewrite the township's affordable housing development fee rules to comply with the state Fair Housing Act and UHAC standards. Development fees feed the affordable housing trust fund, which helps pay for affordable homes in Franklin.
Sentinel Data Center air permit (NJDEP)
Sierra Club members and others urged the Council to object to NJDEP's 'minor source' classification of the data center's diesel backup generators. The public comment period runs through November 9, thanks partly to Mayor Kramer and state senators.
Asphalt cost increases slowing paving projects
Asphalt is up 36% since January (from $530 to $723 per ton), so fewer designated streets will get paved this year while the township seeks funding for the rest.
Recreation field fees for outside teams
The council is working on raising fees for sports organizations that use township fields with non-resident players, after finding some teams game the residency rules.
Flock/ALPR license plate cameras
Roughly a dozen residents demanded the Flock camera system be suspended, canceled, or put to a referendum, citing a ~48% hotlist hit rate, privacy concerns, and national reports of Flock data disclosures. The public safety director and mayor countered that the hit rate reflects broad hotlist settings (mostly paperwork violations), drops below 1% when filtered for serious crimes, and that Franklin owns its data. The mayor said no final decision has been made and has asked the Attorney General to require shorter retention and more frequent audits.
Traffic safety and left-turn lane on South Middlebush Road (CR 615)
A crossing guard flagged faded crosswalks and crumbling tactile pads on Franklin Boulevard; another resident asked for a traffic light at JFK and Winston Drive, rumble strips on Amwell Road, and limits on tow trucks on Arlington Avenue. A full traffic study at JFK/Winston is underway, with funding possible in 2027.
Second freestanding sign variance in NB zone
The newly opened car wash at Route 27 and Sinclair Blvd wants a freestanding sign set about 9 feet from the frontage, well inside the required 20-foot setback. Reviewers flagged questions about the exact setback, landscaping, overhead wires, and unapproved signs already posted.
Dispensary drive-through reactivation on Route 27
A cannabis dispensary in the Princeton Marketplace plaza wants to reuse the old bank drive-through as a pickup-only window. Neighbors' main concerns are traffic queuing on Route 27 and whether the operation stays tightly controlled — the board pressed for conditions before approving.
Cannabis Dispensary Near Residential Area
A resident pushed back on a new dispensary near homes, a school, and the library. Officials explained it's a legally protected pre-existing non-conforming use in an R40 zone, and the township collects 2% of gross receipts — projected at roughly $1.2 million a year.
Kyle Porter residential addition at 46 Vermont Avenue
A routine homeowner variance to line up a one-story addition with the existing house's nonconforming setback. Approved unanimously with no opposition.
Stormwater compliance with 2023 DEP regulations
A weekend stream cleanup pulled 54 bags of trash from Seely's Run, including shopping carts from Stop & Shop and overflowing recycling from Franklin Greens. The chairman asked staff to look at a taller fence and a better trash enclosure.
Flock Safety ALPR cameras controversy
Residents have demanded shutdown of the township's license-plate camera system for months, citing privacy, tracking, and transparency concerns. Councilman Singh publicly backed a full public review and a new vote; other members say they're taking all feedback under consideration without rushing.
Easton Avenue traffic safety and Cedar Grove Lane signage
A board member noted three schools and three churches within half a mile make Cedar Grove Lane busy, and urged the county to consider school-zone signage and flashing lights as part of the church's site plan.
Missing person Belinda Prentice
Police are searching for Belinda Prentice, missing since October 5 from the New Brunswick Road/Willow Avenue area; residents are asked to check security cameras for any sighting from October 5 onward.
Affordable housing at 260 Davidson Avenue and 40-year PILOT
The Council adopted the PILOT ordinance converting hotel buildings into 142 affordable units with a $3.5 million trust-fund contribution. Residents raised diesel truck traffic, health, and transit concerns; officials defended the site's proximity to ShopRite, CVS, and shuttle service.
Franklin 250 Revolutionary War Commemoration
Mayor Kramer wants to add $25,000 to the fireworks budget for a bigger July 4th show — possibly a drone light show — for the nation's 250th birthday, hoping a sponsor will cover it so the township doesn't spend the money.
L'Oreal plant expansion extension
L'Oreal USA sought more time on its approved 156,000-square-foot expansion of its Commerce Drive manufacturing plant while it works through Delaware & Raritan Canal Commission requirements. The extension would keep the approved project alive for another year.
Cluster subdivision ordinance overhaul
The township is streamlining its cluster subdivision rules — the tool that lets developers build on smaller lots while preserving roughly half the land. The natural resource preservation cluster option stays, the redundant agricultural cluster option and its density bonus go away, and lot size averaging would be extended to the A Zone.
2027 JFK Boulevard grant and Van Cleef Bike Path extension
With a school bus driver shortage and a surge in teens riding e-bikes and e-scooters, board member Jennifer Rangnow proposed a completed sidewalk path to the high school and middle school. Staff agreed to sketch out a possible route, and the board may add it to the master plan — possibly funded by the township's sidewalk fund.
Sterling Pointe second apartment building
The long-delayed second 30-unit senior housing building at Spangenberg Lane is finally moving forward. Years of water supply disputes between Franklin, New Brunswick and NJDEP held it up; the township says water is now ready and Building One opens around February 2027.
Beekman Road traffic safety
Residents repeatedly challenged the reliance on October 2024 traffic counts, arguing post-pandemic return-to-office traffic has changed everything, and questioned left-turn safety and school-bus impacts. The engineer's five-day counts and conservative two-per-vehicle assumption did not fully calm those fears.
Habitat for Humanity Land Conveyance
Two township-owned lots were slated for transfer to Habitat for Humanity under developer's agreements to build 100% affordable single-family homes — one at 56-58 Main Street and one at 29 Kossuth Street. Both projects are part of the township's fourth-round fair share housing plan.
House of worship at 680 Easton Avenue
A congregation of 80 wants to turn a vacant medical office building into a church. The board's concerns about parking and overcrowding were answered with a two-service Sunday schedule, a carpool plan limiting each service to nine cars, and new evergreen buffering. Neighbors get a reoccupied building instead of a vacant lot, but the narrow Gerard Avenue and existing illegal parking remain a challenge.
Affordable housing on Main Street and Kossuth Street
Habitat for Humanity is building township-donated lots as 100% affordable homes to help Franklin meet its state-mandated obligation of 659 affordable units. Residents asked why these homes land mostly in Wards 2, 4 and 5; the township explained those wards hold most of the buildable lots with public water and sewer.
Proposed 258,150 sq. ft. warehouse at 1950 Easton Avenue
Concore Realty seeks approval for a 15,425-square-foot warehouse in the B-I zone. The hearing was carried to October 21, 2026, delaying any decision and requiring new notices to property owners.
Tawheed Dahwah Center place of worship, 630 South Middlebush Road
A house of worship wants to build a 19,350-square-foot facility on South Middlebush Road in Somerset. The plan needs amended site plan approval and relief of a prior condition from the Zoning Board, and the site sits in the Delaware and Raritan Canal review zone, so stormwater facilities there carry a conservation and maintenance easement. Neighbors along South Middlebush Road may want to weigh in on traffic and site design.
Board bylaws on advance submission of application materials
Frustrated by objector letters filed the day of the hearing, the chair wants to revisit a bylaw requiring all materials a week in advance. A discussion item will be on the next agenda.
Catalpa Park Open Space Funding
A $293,500 draw from the open space trust fund would buy mowers, a tennis court windscreen at Inman Park, pickleball nets, pool benches, and a new Senior Center pavilion.
Water Main Replacement Check Valve Impacts
Homeowners on King Road and Cedar Brook Drive say new check valves turned their plumbing into closed systems, causing water heaters to leak and forcing repairs costing hundreds to thousands of dollars. The township manager admitted notification was posted on the website instead of mailed flyers and said it's now corrected; a review including possible remediation is underway.
One-Lane Bridge (Griggstown) Traffic Plan
A resident asked for updates on the one-lane bridge bottleneck. County plan: traffic signals on both sides of the bridge and at the causeway, plus a three-way stop at Canal and Bunker Hill — no bridge replacement or widening.
Casa Esencia Relief of Condition
64 Casa Esencia, LLC was scheduled for a discussion on clarifying its approved floor area ratio and whether the 64 Norma Avenue project is rental or owner-occupied housing.
Proposed Place of Worship on Millstone Road
The Light of Christ International Fellowship Ministries was scheduled to seek D variances to convert a vacant former food-bank storage building at 60 Millstone Road into a place of worship, with Sunday parking at the adjacent HOPES CAP building. Neighbors may weigh traffic and parking impacts against the community benefit of a local congregation.
Churchill Avenue flooding, parking and speeding
Neighbors testified that clearing wooded lots has caused multi-year flooding, that the food bank, two churches and a new mosque bring heavy parking demand, and that speeding makes the street dangerous. Board members said these are enforcement problems, not reasons to deny the variance, and urged residents to call code enforcement.
Habitat for Humanity Land Sale at 168 Churchill Avenue
The council sold the tiny 50-by-195-foot township lot at 168 Churchill Avenue to Habitat for Humanity despite a neighbor's objections about lot size, flooding, parking and traffic safety. The zoning board will decide the variance in two weeks; if denied, the land reverts to the township.
FAR miscalculation on approved Norma Avenue townhouses
Three years after approving a 12-townhouse project at 64 Norma Avenue, the board had to clarify that the true floor area ratio is .34, not the .27 recorded in its 2023 resolution, because the original architect miscalculated on the spot at the hearing. The buildings themselves are unchanged.
Cannabis dispensary concentration in the Fourth Ward
A resident objected to the new Franklin Roots dispensary near homes, a school and the library. Officials explained it's a legal pre-existing non-conforming use in an R40 zone, that the township has capped dispensaries at 18 (currently 21 active), and that the 2% tax on gross income will bring in about $1.2 million a year.
Noise ordinance enforcement and short-term pool rentals
Two residents said police aren't issuing summonses for noise violations after 10 p.m. The manager confirmed the standard — noise audible from 200 feet after 10 p.m. is a violation — and promised to reinforce enforcement with officers.
Noise Ordinance Enforcement
Two residents complained noise complaints aren't being enforced after 10 p.m. The Township Manager confirmed the ordinance prohibits noise audible from 200 feet after 10 p.m. and promised to reinforce that standard with officers.
Property Tax Increases
New property assessment cards were mailed with a May 1 appeal deadline. Residents were urged to apply for state property tax relief and to call the assessor with questions rather than relying on assessment card figures for income taxes.
Balcony Solar Act / Community Solar
The 15-year lease on the municipal building's rooftop solar panels ends in November. The township will take ownership and sign a new maintenance contract, cutting that budget line dramatically next year.
Main Street Area 3 Water Main Replacement
The Council awarded an $885,962 contract to William J. Guarini, Inc. to replace aging water mains in the Main Street Area 3 neighborhood.
Sidewalk Repair Protocols
A resident asked how to get cracked sidewalks fixed in Ward 4. The manager said complaints go through the DPW website or phone; the township has found no contractor for sidewalk 'shaving,' and asked residents to send photos and the Ottawa example for research.
Catalpa Park Improvements
The Council awarded an $8.58 million construction contract to Vulcan Construction Group and introduced a $1.38 million Open Space Trust Fund appropriation for the park rebuild. To keep the contract within budget, they cut the bocce area with shade structures and a decorative brick column. Expect construction soon at one of Franklin's flagship parks.
NESE Pipeline and Compressor Station
The NJDEP approved the air and water permits for Williams Transco's NESE project, allowing construction of a compressor station in Franklin and a pipeline under Raritan Bay. Residents asked the township to find local ordinances or zoning that could slow or stop construction and ensure compliance; the township attorney cited federal preemption but pledged to keep pressing the township's development-rights easement and legal options.
Short-Term Rental Regulations
A new short-term rental ordinance was adopted despite a last-minute Airbnb letter and a speaker asking that second homes be allowed. Officials said tweaks are still possible before it takes effect in 20 days.
East Millstone Water Main Connection
East Millstone's isolated water system will finally be tied into the township's main system, so a main break won't leave the whole area dry.
Catalpa Park Bid Delayed
The Ward 1 Catalpa Park construction bid was ready but pulled from tonight's agenda pending confirmation of a funding mechanism; award expected at the first September meeting. Bocce courts were cut to stay within budget.
House of worship interior conversion at 1320 Hamilton Street
The architect's new exhibit shows 150 prayer rugs (3'x6') fitting the worship hall, but critics note the applicant earlier said 3'x3' mats, the chairman found standard rugs are smaller, and a resident argued the layout packs people in like sardines. The core unanswered question: why build a worship area 20% bigger than the prior approval for fewer attendees?
Mixed residential-commercial use at 6 Hawthorne Drive
Art Heinrich got approval to convert a second-floor storage attic into a studio apartment with a shower, fixing a condition tied to a decades-old parking restriction on the property.