As part of the township’s ongoing sustainability efforts, the Township Council has introduced an ordinance that would require applicants to the Planning Board to submit a green building practices checklist in addition to the already-required preliminary environmental impact statement.
According to the ordinance, introduced on August 16, the green development practices checklist “requests a description or consideration of development practices that will seek to balance environmental, economic, and social impacts or opportunities.”
“It is intended that this analysis will facilitate more sustainable development,” the ordinance also states. A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for Tuesday, September 7.
Business Administrator Robert Hary said the ordinance requires that “when any developer puts in any type of building in town, that they take into account the issue of sustainability and environmental conservation. That needs to be a part of their application when they come in.”
The ordinance is the most recent action taken by the council, which adopted two resolutions last month that also support the township’s sustainable goals. The first was an anti-idling resolution, and the second promoted the DOT’s “complete streets” initiative, which commits the township to creating a pedestrian and bikeway system.
Township officials have been working on the township’s application for bronze certification under the Sustainable Jersey program. The program provides access to grants and helps municipalities find funding opportunities to continue becoming more sustainable. The deadline to apply this year is next month.
In October, 2009, West Windsor became one of the towns in the state with a sustainability element as part of its Master Plan aimed at incorporating more environmentally friendly initiatives into future township development. The sustainability element offers goals, objectives, strategies, and targets to direct township operations toward more sustainable practices.
