Spring 2023 Issue

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Lake Commission Committee Getting Positive Results 6 Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE Photos by KAREN FUCITO Roxbury homeowner Chris Blanton learned about the Lake Hopatcong Commission’s Land Use Committee the day it objected to his house building project. That’s probably not an uncommon experience, since the little-known committee works quietly in the background of the greater lake-wide effort to clean up the troubled lake. For Blanton, his experience with the committee eventually resulted in a lake-friendly solution that will allow him to move forward with building a 2,400-square-foot home on Kingsland Road on the peninsula located on the western shore of Landing Channel. The new plans show a dry well that will trap runoff from the driveway and “a rain garden to filter water running off the hill,” said Blanton. The encounter was cooperative, he added. “We support efforts to clean up the lake, and we are willing to do our part.” Committee member Robert Tessier said Blanton’s experience is common. “We try to offer site-specific solutions,” he said. “We try for recommendations that make common sense.” The committee has been in existence since 2020 when Ron Smith, commission chairman, urged the members to create means by which the commission could better meet its state mandate to protect Lake Hopatcong. Lake commission minutes show that Smith urged commission members to be more active in their supervision of activities across the towns of Jefferson, Mount Arlington, Roxbury and Hopatcong. The timing was critical. For the previous three years the commission had struggled with funding and a loss of sense of direction and effectiveness. The call for renewed activism on the part of the commission members came just months before a harmful algal bloom effectively closed the lake for the summer of 2019. Tessier, a project manager for the state Department of Community Affairs, was asked by the Community Affairs commissioner to fill the slot on the Lake Hopatcong Commission for a DCA representative. He has been a commission member for six years. Other members on the committee, who volunteer their time, are commissioners Ryan Gilfillan, Anne Seibert-Pravs, Neil Senatore and Fred Steinbaum. “Our function [the Lake Hopatcong Commission Land Use Committee] is to review development applications and make LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2023</strong> recommendations,” Tessier said. “Our recommendations are advisory.” The committee is not an enforcement agency. The 2001 law that created the lake commission, The Lake Hopatcong Protection Act, is explicit in its definition of the commission’s duties: The commission is charged with conducting “water quality and water quantity monitoring of Lake Hopatcong to assess conditions and changes thereto over time and identify the causes and sources of environmental threats and impacts to Lake Hopatcong and its watershed.” And, it should assess “present and projected development, land use, and land management practices and patterns, and determine the effects of those practices and patterns upon the natural, scenic, and recreational resources of Lake Hopatcong and its watershed.” So charged, Tessier said, the committee generally examines applications from properties that are within 200 feet of the shoreline and most often focus on development choices that affect stormwater runoff, a major cause of lake pollution. After reviewing an application, Tessier said, the committee writes a letter of support or concern to the property owner and the municipal board reviewing the application. The process has gotten smoother, he said. At first there was some local objection to an outside agency moving in on local matters. As awareness has grown about the importance of the regional effort to better manage the lake, the committee’s recommendations have been better received. “The committee is having a positive effect,” Tessier said. Ken Nelson is a professional planner and was hired by the commission to review land use applications filed in the towns. After the review, Nelson writes a letter for each application and informs the municipal board and the applicant of the committee’s approval or disapproval of the application. In the letters, Nelson said, the From top, left to right: Chris and Ayla Blanton stand in what will be a rain garden on their property on Kingsland Road in Landing. A copy of the Blanton property site plan, including a rain garden at the shoreline (top). Robert Tessier gives a Land Use Committee update at the April Lake Hopatcong Commission meeting. committee outlines its objections and suggests remedies. Chief concerns, he said, are applications that seek certain variances related to the amount of impervious (hard) surfaces on the lot or the size of the building compared to the size of the lot. The increasing size of homes being built around the lake is a concern, he said. The committee often recommends the use of different materials for driveways— permeable surfaces rather than solid asphalt, for example. The committee also recommends adding dry wells, swales and rain gardens to control and filter runoff, Nelson said. The changes are generally low-cost solutions, he added. The committee reviews two to four applications a month. Smith said the Land Use Committee’s efforts are an important piece in the commission’s plans to improve and maintain the quality of the lake water. Its success in presenting project changes
that are well received is a testament to the recognition around the lake that it will take the cooperation of the region to make the lake healthy, Smith said. Some of the commission’s efforts, like weed harvesting and pilot projects developed with the towns and the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, are highly visible. The Land Use Committee not so much, but it is equally effective, he said. Blanton, a professional private pilot, and his wife, Ayla Blanton, a corporate flight attendant, wanted to build their new home on the property adjacent to their old home, which will require demolishing an old lake house that has fallen into disrepair. The project also required variances, he said, which triggered the Land Use Committee’s review. The lot, on a thin peninsula, technically has water frontage on both front and back, with only the narrow road buffering the property on the front side, he said. His professionals reviewed the suggested changes and incorporated them, he said. The additional cost was minimal. “We understand and support the goals of the committee,” he said, adding that maintaining the quality of the lake reflects on the quality of life in the region. “A lot of this is about education, explaining why these changes are important,” Blanton said. “It’s about making sure the effort is more widely understood.” LOCAL LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ▪Music ▪Theater Dance ▪ Arts Events ▪ Steel Magnolias May 12,13 & May 19-21 Info & Tickets www.RoxburyArtsAlliance.org Free Outdoor Summer Concerts June & July LUXE LIFE B Y K A R E N F O L E Y LOOK NO FURTHER! Karen Foley, REALTOR ® Sales Associate c.973.906.5021 karen.foley@sothebysrealty.com luxelifeagent.com 42 Byram Bay Road, Hopatcong, NJ $1,635,000 LAKEFRONT - Enjoy captivating views from this stunning Contemporary located in desirable Davis Cove. Nestled on 3+ level & wooded acres, this home offers an open 2-story Living, Dining & Kitchen floor plan with a wall of windows overlooking the lake. Featuring 4 BRs, 3 Baths, Library, Den, Game Room, Sunroom, Sauna, 2 Car Garage, open Boathouse with lift and viewing deck, deep water and more! 18 Lantz Road, Lafayette, NJ $1,249,000 VALLEY & MOUNTAIN VIEWS - A once in a lifetime chance to own this spectacular country estate affectionally known as “Bunker Hill”. Perched atop 8+ sprawling acres overlooking beautiful Sussex County. Privacy surrounds you in this custom home featuring 3 BRs, 4 Baths, open Kitchen, Dining & Great Room with vaulted ceiling and walls of windows over looking the valley. Relax by one of the 4 fireplaces or take a swim in the salt water heated pool. Full basement, 3 car garage and room for expansion. 14 Hillard Road, Mt. Arlington, NJ $429,000 LAKEVIEWS - This beautiful Ranch features striking views of Lake Hopatcong and is located on a quiet, dead end street. Enjoy easy living in this 3 BR, 2 Bath home with Eat-in Kitchen, Dining & Living rooms. Relax by the fire, enjoy tea in the 3 Season room or soak in the hot-tub on your private deck. A full basement that can be finished for more easy living. Enjoy access to the Mt. Arlington town beach & more! “Luxury isn’t a Price Point...It’s a Level of Service” 2022 Bronze Circle of Excellence Sales Award 2021 Silver Circle of Excellence Sales Award 2022 NJ Realtor Good Neighbor Award Roxbury Arts Alliance at Citizens Bank Theater 72 Eyland Ave, Succasunna NJ 07876 www.RoxburyArtsAlliance.org 973-945-0284 Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @roxburyartsalliance Prominent Properties • Sotheby’s International Realty 670 Main Road • Towaco, NJ 07082 • Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com Each office is independently owned and operated. lakehopatcongnews.com 7
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