Wednesday, March 13, 2013

NEW JERSEY: Tewksbury Township Committee urged to keep fighting Johnson helistop

TEWKSBURY TWP. — Resident Nancy Held urged the Township Committee to keep up the fight against a proposed helistop. 

Held said that the issue is not a "neighbor dispute" but rather a matter of defending the township's master plan, its zoning ordinances and the decisions of the Land Use Board.

Although the Land Use Board rejected the Johnson family's application, the Johnsons applied to the Department of Transportation for a license for a "restricted use" helistop on their farm. Held said that the DOT recently overruled the local government and granted approval for a helipad at Donald Trump's golf course in Colt's Neck but noted there were several differences between the two applications. The decision regarding that helistop came ofter the public comment phase regarding Johnson's application had closed, Held said.

Held wants the Township Committee or Mayor Lou DiMare to write to the Commission of the DOT to make him aware of the differences.The differences include the golf course is in a business location, next to highways and an Air Force base and the Trump helistop would only be used during daylight hours. The Johnson's farm is next to scenic roads, near historic homes and three miles from Route 78, and would have lights for night landings.

Held said the Land Use Board's decision has only a minor influence on the granting of a license. She also said that if the DOT approves Johnson's helistop, more applications will follow.

Held said the DOT may issue a decision by March 25. 

Meanwhile, Held is among a group of residents which received approval to intervene in a lawsuit regarding the helistop at a farm on Homestead Road.

James Johnson filed the lawsuit in Superior Court in Flemington in October seeking to overturn the Land Use Board's denial of the helistop on the family's dairy and horse farm.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for March 26.

The Johnsons have argued the helistop will allow them to fly in prospective buyers of frozen cow embryos. However, in May, the Land Use Board denied the application. 

Since helistops are not permitted in the zone, the Johnsons had to prove that the helistop was needed to keep their dairy farm in business. Several witnesses said that the helistop was needed to allow the Johnsons to fly in prospective buyers of frozen cattle embryos. Those who voted "no" did not think that was proven to be a necessity.

Attorney James Rhatican filed the motions to intervene on behalf of the group Friends of the Cold Brook Historic District.

Before the appeal was filed in court, the farm applied for a license from the state Department of Transportation.

No public hearings are scheduled on the matter.

The Federal Aviation Administration also has to review the application.

Source:   http://www.nj.com

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