Background Studies-Existing Land Use

Several lot-by-lot surveys have been conducted throughout the Township to record the current use of property. These surveys were done in 1969, 1977, and 1989. In 1981 and 1983, new subdivisions and a review of building permit data was done through July, 1983. Tax maps were used to delineate publicly owned property and the tax assessor's records were utilized to identify properties under Farmland Assessment. The results of this survey are shown on Plate 1, Land Use Pattern.

The 1989 survey revealed 2,384 single-family residences on about 3,309 acres. This represented about 16% of the Township's land area. Average lot sizes varied from about 34 acres in the agricultural zones to 6.5 acre farmettes toward the southwestern part of the Township. Lot sizes were about 1.25 acres in the clustered housing areas, 1 acre in the original Clover Hill area and less than 1 acre in scattered older areas. and in the northwest portion of the Township, and less than 1 acre in the village area. The general pattern of housing fell into three categories.

The commercial activities continue to be centered around thelocated along Route 34 north and south of its intersection with Route 537 and within the village area. This has been consistent with established zoning and development patterns. North of Route 537, the commercial uses were primarily in a shopping center having shared off-street parking and controlled access to Route 34. Below Route 537, the commercial uses on Route 34 emerged more as a strip commercial pattern. The uses include a variety of retail, office and service establishments. In 1994 there were 22 commercial buildings in the section of Route 34 south of Route 537, a distance of 0.8 mile. Four (4 uses were vacant at that time). In addition, there was one construction company, three junk yards, and seven residences.

In the small commercial area west of Rt. 34 and fronting on Rt. 537, commercial uses were limited to the Colts Neck Inn and, motel, the general store, the honey shop, a real estate office, veterinarian offices, a clock shop, and a small office building. One other small concentration of commercial uses was on Route 34 at the intersection of Laird Road where there was a farm market, two roadside stands, two real estate offices, a pet feed store, and an auto repair shop. Other scattered uses included a restaurant at the intersection of Muhlenbrink Road and Route 537, a restaurant at Route 34 and South Street, a real estate office and a nursery near Newman Springs Road and Route 34, and the auto wrecking yard on Swimming RiverMiddletown Road near the reservoir.

Commercial uses occupied feweronly less than 100 acres, or less than 1% of the Township. Commercial services are an intensive land use and do not require extensive land area to adequately serve the population. The commercial pattern in Colts Neck is basically contained along the southern portion of Route 34 and in the village. With a low density of population and modest population growth, the number of uses has changed only modestly, although changes in tenants are common. The commercial pattern is largely one of some highway oriented uses with several specialty shops and services. The pattern is scattered along Route 34 and, for the most part, is not concentrated for convenient pedestrian access and is limited to some daily and specialty needs. Major shopping services must be obtained in regional centers elsewhere.

There were only a few industrial sites in the Township and two utility transformers. Laird's Distillery was on about 20 acres at the intersection of Laird Road and Route 537 in Scobeyville. The Laird Distillery of Apple Jack Brandy has been operating at this site since 1780 and also gives its name to Laird Road. A tool and die shop was still located on Crine Road opposite the southern end of Hillside Road. Although not of a manufacturing nature, the Jersey Central Power and Light Transformer Station on Route 34 was part of about 100 acres of right-of-way for Jersey Central Power and Light Company's power line. There was also a brick yard operation located in the southeastern corner of the Township surrounded by another JCP&L transformer and N.W.S. Earle property. Essentially, Colts Neck has no industrial base as a result of the Township's low population, the absence of water and sewer services, and a long standing policy of not seeking industry. This latter policy is supported by a lack of industrial zoning.

Public and quasi-public uses together with open space uses occupied over 8,200 acres. About 158 acres (1%) represented uses such as churches, schools, the municipal complex, fire houses, the post office, a library, and a cemetery. An additional 1,315 acres were open spaces such as the "gGreenways" resulting from cluster zoning designs, or ÒGreen "Acres" purchased with state funds, land donations, or lands purchased with local funds. Since the 1989 survey, the County acquired about 510 acres as part of the Dorbrook Park along Route 537 (including the addition of Festoon Farms). Dominant public uses which occupied another 33% of the Township included the County golf course off Route 537 (180 acres = 1%), the N.W.S. Earle facilities along the Township's southern border (5,150 acres = 25%), the Swimming River Reservoir in the northeastern portion of the Township (1,010 acres = 5%), and the right-of-way of the Route 18 Freeway (390 acres = 2%).

Since 1983 the major additions to the public, quasi-public and open space uses were the acquired ÒGreen "Acres" and the ÒgGreenw "Ways" generated by cluster zoning design around new major subdivisions. There was also the addition of 61 acres reflecting the purchase of the Bucks Mill Road Recreation Area and 510379 acres as part of the Dorbrook Park along Route 537. ÒGreenw "Ways" also added 251 acres, or about 2% of the total Township acreage. The pattern of clustered, residential developments with dedicated open spaces as an integral part of the design has created residential neighborhoods with open space components that aid in separating housing from farming activities and preserving a measure of open spaces to help screen the view of development in what is still a community with rural, undeveloped characteristics.

In addition to Route 18, streets occupied about 800 acres (4%) of the Township. While an emerging system of interior, local streets is taking place emerging within major subdivisions, the basic street system is still the rambling network of country roads. As indicated in earlier Master Plans, these roads will continue to assume greater importance as overall growth within the region takes place. Therefore, it is important to continue the pattern of developing subdivisions with interior street systems. In this way, strip frontage lots along major arteries are minimized and individual driveways are designed to intersect the interior, local streets, not the major arteries.

The ability of the Township to support agriculture is also indicated by the fact that 38% of the Township has Class I and II agricultural soils with another 25% being Class III soils. When N.W.S. Earle is deleted from consideration, the percentage of prime farm soils in the remainder of the Township is significantly higher.

In recent years, about two-thirds of the Township's agricultural land (3B) was devoted to harvested cropland. An additional one-fifth was permanent pasture. Horse breeding and training, including training tracks, has been a major component of the agricultural industry, including thorobreds, standardbreds, and horses for pleasure, show, 4H projects, etc.

Less than 900 acres (4%) of the Township was designated vacant, nonfarm. Some portions of the vacant land represented the unused rear yards of deep properties and/or the front/side/rear yards of large, oversized residential lots. Although some of these oversized parcels might be able to be resubdivided, when one considers owner preferences, house sizes, the configuration of the property, topographic conditions, and soil limitations, a major impact from such resubdivisions is not expected. In comparing the remaining vacant land with environmental constraints, 71% of the vacant land is considered developable. The 29% having problems consists of 15% in flood plains, 9% in steep slopes, and 5% with poor drainage.

The land use pattern is still dominated by agriculture and public land. Although large tract farm acreage has been decreasing slowly, some of it has been replaced by smaller farmettes of about 10 acres based on current zoning. However, of the developed land in the Township, the dominant use has been detached single family homes developed at low densities, whether under a cluster design or as part of agricultural lot size averaging. For the most part, residential subdivisions have resulted in neighborhoods interspersed with, and separated by, public "Greenways" and ÒGreen Acres".