Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Franklin Township public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
30 issues in zoning
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Second-floor residential conversion at 6 Hawthorne Drive
The owner of a medical office building got approval to turn second-floor storage into a studio apartment — a rare mixed-use approval in the Hamilton Street Business District for a property that doesn't front Hamilton Street. The original 2007 approval restricted the second floor to storage over parking concerns, but the site now has eight spaces.
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.
Oversized signage at 45 Veronica Avenue
Dream on Me's sign contractor put up signs far bigger than the code allows, without permits, in 2023. The board effectively granted forgiveness, finding the huge signs are needed for wayfinding on a 48-acre flag lot whose building sits 700 feet from the road.
Unpermitted signage at Dream on Me warehouse
A sign contractor installed oversized signs at the 45 Veronica Avenue warehouse without permits and contrary to what it told the operator. The board granted after-the-fact variances and adopted the resolution of approval.
Short-Term Rental Regulation
Neighbors on Coppermine Road described weekend party rentals with DJs, buses, and parking chaos, and the property's owner apologized and promised tighter bookings. The new Chapter 315 requires primary residency, bans event venues, caps occupancy and enforces parking rules — final vote August 11.
Data Center Ban and Warehouse Ordinance
Resident Jim Johnston asked whether the warehouse could secretly become a data center after the council banned them. The board clarified any such change would require a new application — a use now prohibited in the zone — and the approval was conditioned to bar data centers and detention facilities.
Church subdivision and facility retention at 135 Davidson Avenue
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of U.S.A. was scheduled for hearings on splitting its Davidson Avenue parcel and keeping existing church and seminary facilities. The decisions affect the future use of this large B-I zone property.
2026 Master Plan reexamination ordinance updates
The Planning Board was scheduled to hold a hearing on re-examining the Master Plan for the B-I (business/industrial) Zone. Changes to this zone could affect what businesses and industrial uses are permitted on land in the district.
Warehouse regulation in the B-I zone (Ordinance 4507-26)
Franklin Township has seen more than two dozen warehouse applications since 2018, and the proposed ordinance would tighten rules on truck traffic, noise, and air-quality impacts — and kick data centers out of the B-I zone entirely. This could shape what gets built near I-287 and along Hamilton Street for years.
Data Centers Barred from B-I Zone
The new ordinance kicks data centers out of the B-I zone entirely, citing noise, air quality, and heavy strain on electric and water infrastructure. Chairman Orsini noted they could still seek a use variance from the zoning board, but likely without success.
B-I Zone Warehouse Ordinance (Ordinance No. 4507-26)
The board was scheduled to adopt a reexamination of the Business and Industry zone master plan, based on a 2024 traffic study and steering committee work. It recommends intensity standards and restrictions for warehouses and light manufacturing, which would go to the Township Council for ordinance changes.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Councilman Singh raised a resident's concern that zoning bans ADUs for families caring for elderly parents, and suggested starting a land use conversation about a balanced approach.
Farming operations in R-40 residential zone
A board member flagged that farming is a permitted use in R-40 zones with no minimum lot size — raising the possibility of a small residential lot next door hosting livestock. Staff agreed to research right-to-farm limits and bring the question back, possibly as a future ordinance.
Master plan zoning cleanup ordinance
The board reviewed its first ordinance from the 2026 master plan reexamination — sweeping out dated or unenforceable zoning provisions, fixing a worship parking ratio that's been 3x too strict, and legalizing restaurants that have operated at Cedar Grove for decades. It comes back for a vote later.
Parking variance and land-banked spaces
The ordinance demands roughly one space per 15 square feet of worship area (457 spaces by that math), but the applicant wants 97 built spaces plus 60 banked as lawn — an 80%+ variance. Board members like that they keep control over whether banked spaces get built, and may require the applicant to come back to the board before paving them.
Somerset Bible Baptist Church gymnasium variances
The church wants to add a one-story gymnasium behind its existing building at 42 Cedar Grove Lane, but needs variances for parking requirements, parking location, and buffering rules. A school with about 75 students also operates on the 4.45-acre site.
Outdoor storage facility proposed at 945 Route 27
JC IOS Acquisitions is under contract to buy a Route 27 property and wants to run an outdoor storage facility there - a use not allowed in the Business and Industry zone. The plan also needs relief for covering 71.1% of the lot with impervious surface.
Affordable Housing Inclusionary Zoning Ordinances
Four ordinances were on the agenda to create inclusionary zoning districts, which typically require or incentivize affordable housing in new residential development. Together with a redevelopment-area designation, they could shape where affordable housing appears in Franklin.
Demolition of the Ukrainian cultural center and Saturday school
The warehouse plan requires demolishing the cultural center, which hosted weddings, concerts, artifact storage, and a Saturday school serving over 140 students until October 2025. Residents argue these are core church functions and that the applicant's experts relied only on church leadership's account.
4th Round Affordable Housing Planning Support
The township replaced its affordable housing code chapter to comply with the Fair Housing Act and state UHAC rules, part of its fourth-round affordable housing obligations. Affordable units are spread throughout the township, per Council Member Wright.