Cranbury Delays Action on Water Buffer Zones

[Guest]

The Cranbury Township Committee delayed action Monday on an ordinance to put into the municipal code requirements from the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding protected “riparian” buffer zones around bodies of water.

With Brainerd Lake right in the downtown, the matter is of interest to a number of homeowners. But officials said the state regulations, whose buffers are smaller than those of the township, won’t overwrite the local rules.

“All those existing, current ordinances still stand. The issue we’re talking about tonight is an interpretation of what the state and the county want in addition to the current ordinances,” said Democrat Committeeman David Cook.

Township Engineer Bill Tanner told the committee that the state has already adopted the DEP’s rules, meaning they are in effect no matter what the township does. The township can have a more stringent requirement for which it can grant waivers, but the state must waive applications to build within the smaller buffer it requires.

http://eastwindsor.patch.com/articles/cranbury-delays-action-on-water-buffer-zones#photo-6055703

[Guest]

Thank you township committee