Report: Franklin Lakes OKs Affordable Housing Development Zone Change

The Franklin Lakes borough council unanimously approved a zone change this week that will allow for High Mountain Golf Course to be turned into a 275-unit housing development, NorthJersey.com reported.

The approval comes after lengthy discussions between the developer, Toll Brothers, and the borough about what could be built on the land after High Mountain shuts its doors in 2014.

Toll Brothers previously worked with borough officials to reduce its proposal from a 1,000-unit development to a 275-unit one.

The 60 single family, 160 carriage, and 55 affordable housing units can now be built on the course, which is planning to close next year, the report said. The borough Planning Board also recently approved a zoning change allowing for the development, which officials have said helps satisfy COAH requirements.

Franklin Lakes Mayor Frank Bivona told residents that the decision to approve the zone change was “not rushed,” and was about two years in the making, NorthJersey.com reported.