Minor subdivision approved

The Hardyston Joint Land Use Board approved an application for a minor subdivision of property on Beaver Run Road during its meeting Monday, June 8.

That permits the owner to create lots of more than one acre each for two single-family houses. The two lots would share a common driveway and would have separate wells and septic systems.

About 42 acres will be given to the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres program for preservation, and about 1 1/2 acres will be given to Sussex County so that county workers can straighten out a hairpin turn on Beaver Run Road.

The owner currently has no plans to develop the 10 remaining acres, said Kenneth Dykstra, an engineer and planner at Dykstra Walker Design Group in Lake Hopatcong. It could seek permission for two more lots on that parcel in the future.

Dykstra pointed out that the zoning laws would have permitted lots for 11 homes on the property. An earlier application submitted to the board had proposed eight lots but it was withdrawn.

He testified that the current application conforms with the township’s zoning laws.

That means that the board is required to approve the application, according to past court decisions, board members said.

Other residents of Beaver Run Road said they opposed the application because it would infringe on their privacy and could threaten wild animals on the land.

They also complained that traffic, including big trucks, on the road poses a danger to drivers and residents’ properties. They said they have documented 15 accidents on that part of Beaver Run Road in the past two years.