DUI Lawyers in Monroe, NJ

MONROE – The six-year court battle over a plan to build 206 apartments on Route 33 has reached the end of another chapter with a state appeals court upholding the township Zoning Board of Adjustment's denial of the plan.

In 2016, the Board had approved CT107 SPII LLC and DT07 SPILL LLC's proposal to build 206 apartments, 43 of which would be affordable units, and 65,000 square feet of retail space on the 48-acre property bordering East Windsor.

But that plan ran into trouble the following year when a bald eagle's nest was found on the property. After a 660-foot buffer was put in place to protect the nest, the developable size of the property was reduced to 35 acres.

The project was redesigned, reducing the retail space to 43,000 square feet but maintaining the same number of apartments and affordable units.

That plan was rejected in 2019 by the Zoning Board and the developers went to court, alleging that a press release opposing the project issued by the former mayor, the late Gerald Tamburro, "tainted" the board's decision.

In 2023, Superior Court Judge Thomas McCloskey ruled in favor of the developers and the township filed an appeal with the higher court.

In reversing McCloskey on March 7, the appellate court wrote in a 45-page ruling that the Zoning Board's decision was not "arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable" or based on "unsubstantiated allegations."

"Instead, the Board considered all the evidence and was not sufficiently convinced that (the developers) established the basis for the requested relief," the appellate court wrote, adding the Zoning Board detailed each variance sought by the developers and "explained particularly" why the plan was rejected.

But the Appellate Division ruling may not put an end to the plans to develop the site. The developer can return to the township with a proposal for a smaller number of apartments.

“This is a victory for Monroe against an overreaching developer who refused to back down on a plan to wildly overdevelop land near an environmentally sensitive area,” Monroe Mayor Stephen Dalina said in a press release. “This court decision serves as a message to other developers who think they can shoehorn as many housing units as possible in our town. We will fight for however long it takes to ensure our community is not taken advantage of.”

The 2019 lawsuit alleged the Zoning Board acted "in an arbitrary and capricious manner" because it failed to properly consider the evidence presented by experts during a public hearing.

The developers also argued that the denial violated the township's Mount Laurel affordable housing agreement. The developers said Tamburro's press releases about the project swayed the Zoning Board.

Before the public hearing, Tamburro criticized the project as "absolutely unacceptable," saying he was "not been pleased with this proposal since its inception; it is yet another way in which developers use state affordable housing mandates to force more development into towns.

“And now, the developer is still trying to squeeze as much development as possible onto this site, even with a bald eagle nesting ground." Tamburro continued.

The appellate court wrote that Tamburro's press releases were an exercise in his free speech and did not render the Board's hearing on the amended application unfair.

"Mayor Tamburro correctly characterized this developer's attempt to 'jam-in' this project adjacent to a bald eagle habitat and another housing development as 'contrary to the public's interest and previous approvals,'" Dalina said in the press release.

Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com

Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

A house in Monroe Township that sold for $1.2 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Monroe in Middlesex County in the past week.

In total, eight residential real estate sales were recorded in the county during the past week, with an average price of $671,198, or $331 per square foot.

The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of March 3 even if the property may have been sold earlier.

6. $363K, condominium at 436 Tavern Road

A 1,306 square-foot condominium at 436 Tavern Road in Monroe Township has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in February and the total purchase price was $363,000, $278 per square foot. The condominium was built in 2019. The deal was finalized on Feb. 14.

5. $410K, condominium at 721 Mount Vernon Road

The sale of a condominium at 721 Mount Vernon Road, Monroe Township, has been finalized. The price was $410,000, and the new owners took over the condominium in February. The condominium was built in 1983 and has a living area of 1,462 square feet. The price per square foot was $280. The deal was finalized on Feb. 19.

4. $525K, single-family house at 12 Oakland Road

A sale has been finalized for the single-family home at 12 Oakland Road in Jamesburg. The price was $525,000 and the new owners took over the house in February. The house was built in 1954 and the living area totals 1,103 square feet. The price per square foot ended up at $476. The deal was finalized on Feb. 19.

3. $620K, condominium at 226 Springmeadow Way

The property at 226 Springmeadow Way in Monroe Township has new owners. The price was $620,000. The condominium was built in 2002 and has a living area of 2,888 square feet. The price per square foot is $215. The deal was finalized on Feb. 14.

2. $700K, single-family residence at 7 Wyckoff Mills Applegarth Road

The 1,323 square-foot single-family residence at 7 Wyckoff Mills Applegarth Road, Monroe Township, has been sold. The transfer of ownership was settled in February and the total purchase price was $700,000, $529 per square foot. The house was built in 1971. The deal was finalized on Feb. 19.

1. $1.2 million, single-family home at 28 Tall Oaks Drive

The property at 28 Tall Oaks Drive in Monroe Township has new owners. The price was $1,190,000. The house was built in 2004 and has a living area of 3,420 square feet. The price per square foot is $348. The deal was finalized on Feb. 14.

Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data.

MONROE – The way the Monroe High School girls’ basketball team started Wednesday’s sectional semifinal against Hightstown took away any chance of a dramatic, survive-and-advance ending to the tournament game.

The Falcons, from the opening tip, were in complete thrive-and-advance mode as they sprinted to a 14-point lead after eight minutes and cruised into the Central Group 4 championship game.

Sophomore Kiera Longo scored eight points in the opening quarter and netted 13 of her 16 points before intermission and sensational senior Evangelina Francisco poured in a game-high 21 points to help propel second-seeded Monroe to a 53-30 victory against third-seeded Hightstown.

The Falcons, who reached the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship game two weeks ago, will play for the sectional title at top-seeded Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.

Monroe notched its third straight victory and 20th of the season. The Falcons (20-9) have won 10 of their last 12.

“That was our best start to a game this season, 100 percent,” said Longo, whose eight-point outburst in the opening eight minutes helped the Falcons hold a 17-3 lead at the end of the quarter. “The energy from the very start of the game was the best it’s been all season.”

“By far, that was our best start to a game this season,” said first-year Monroe coach Brian Hinz. “The execution was nearly perfect, even in transition. The girls are able to play so free and comfortably because they’ve put in all the work to get to this point.”

Monroe owned a 24-16 lead at the intermission and seized a double-digit lead for good about two minutes into the third quarter.

Francisco, who averages 21 points per game and is the program’s all-time leading scorer (1,322 points), garners plenty of attention from opposing defenses, but the Falcons are far from a one-girl band.

In addition to Longo’s strong offensive game, she played a key role in Monroe’s zone defense, often called upon to contain Hightstown’s Howard University-bound center, 6-foot-4 Penelope Swarn. Monroe and Longo got support in the paint and on the boards from Zoe Wilcher, a junior, who finished with eight points.

Sophomore Mia Marabuto added five points and plenty of mistake-free ball handling to the Falcons’ attack.

Longo, who played both varsity and junior varsity last season, is averaging 11 points, nine rebounds, two steals and one assist per game in her first season as a starter for the GMC Red Division squad.

“(Longo) is our motor,” the Monroe coach said. “As she goes, we go. She gives us great offense on the wing and is crafty around the basket. She defends, boxes out, is scrappy and is just a sophomore.”

Longo added, “We know our opponents are going to focus on E, so that opens it up a little bit for me and my teammates … E is such a hard worker, and she gives the best advice. She always lifts up her teammates.”

Monroe, which has won three state tournament games by a combined 45 points, defeated Hightstown for the second time this season. The Falcons scored an eight-point triumph on the road on Dec. 23.