The Millburn Township Committee will introduce an ordinance Tuesday setting floor area ratio (FAR) standards for affordable housing sites, the latest step in the township's Fourth Round compliance effort.

Ordinance 2773-26, listed on the Sept. 15 meeting agenda, would establish site-specific FAR standards for certain Fourth Round affordable housing sites. The committee will also introduce two other ordinances: one overhauling historic preservation designation procedures and one amending traffic regulations.

The FAR ordinance builds on a series of zoning changes the committee has made since March to meet state affordable housing mandates. On March 9, the committee unanimously adopted Ordinance 2731-26, implementing the township's Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan (HEFSP). On June 18, the committee introduced a separate ordinance aligning the residential FAR definition with the Uniform Construction Code.

The affordable housing effort accelerated on July 29, when the committee voted 5-0 to approve a settlement agreement relocating a proposed affordable housing project from 9 Main St. to a mixed-income development at the Essex–Spring "Rimback" site. That project calls for 93 residential units, including 75 deed-restricted affordable rentals and 18 market-rate units, plus ground-floor retail and on-site parking. The settlement eliminated an estimated $11 million taxpayer expense that would have been required to relocate the Department of Public Works facility under a 2021 agreement, according to TAPinto Millburn/Short Hills.

Mayor Frank Saccomandi IV praised the settlement in a July 27 statement reported by TAPinto, saying it "ends costly litigation, protects taxpayers, fulfills affordable housing obligations and creates a mixed-income development that integrates families into downtown rather than concentrating them on a contaminated site."

Township Planner Graham Petto told the Planning Board at its Feb. 18 meeting that Millburn was the only community he was working with that faced no challenges or amendments to its Fourth Round plan.

The second new ordinance, Ordinance 2772-26, would amend Article 8 of the township's development regulations, changing how historic preservation designations are made. Its public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 20. The agenda also lists proposed checklist and application revisions from the Historic Preservation Commission under new business.

Ordinance 2771-26 would amend Chapter VII of the township's traffic regulations. Both the traffic ordinance and the FAR ordinance have public hearings set for Oct. 6.

Beyond the three introductions, the committee will hold a second reading and possible adoption of Ordinance 2767-26, governing off-duty employment of police officers for police-related activities. A presentation of Police Department statistics is also on the agenda, along with a proposed traffic study under old business.

The consent agenda includes a resolution to award a professional service agreement for special counsel to McManimon, Scotland & Baumann, LLC. A separate non-consent resolution would award an engineering agreement to Dynamic Engineering.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Millburn Education Center, 434 Millburn Ave. It will be live-streamed on the township's YouTube channel and available via Zoom. The next committee meeting is Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.