FRENCHTOWN – Borough officials are moving forward with a new ordinance designed to help residents remain in their homes as they age by making it easier to install medically necessary accessibility improvements.
The proposed Aging-in-Place Ordinance, known as Ordinance 961, received unanimous introduction approval from the Frenchtown Borough Council last month. The measure would ease zoning restrictions for certain home modifications, including wheelchair ramps, first-floor bathroom additions and pads for essential medical equipment.
Mayor Brad Myhre said the proposal grew out of Frenchtown's Age-Friendly Action Plan, which was adopted in June following a yearlong community planning process supported by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Human Services.
"One of the most important things we heard throughout our Age-Friendly planning process was that many residents want to remain in Frenchtown as they grow older, but our older housing stock can make that increasingly difficult," Myhre said in a news release.
"If someone needs a wheelchair ramp, a first-floor bathroom or essential medical equipment to safely remain in their home, our local regulations should help them find a reasonable path forward rather than create another obstacle."
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Older housing stock presents challenges
According to borough officials, Frenchtown's housing stock is significantly older than the county average. The median year homes were built in Frenchtown is 1939, compared with 1979 across Hunterdon County.
Officials said residents identified the cost and complexity of obtaining approvals for accessibility upgrades as a major obstacle to remaining in their homes as they age.
Under the proposed ordinance, the borough zoning officer could approve specific medically necessary exceptions, including:
Property owners would be required to provide a physician's letter documenting medical necessity, meet modified setback requirements and ensure improvements do not interfere with easements or public rights-of-way.
The improvements also would be exempt from the borough's maximum impervious coverage calculations.
Ordinance stems from age-friendly planning effort
Myhre credited Jeanne Herb, a member of the Frenchtown Planning Board, for helping lead the Age-Friendly initiative.
"Jeanne has been a driving force behind this work from the beginning, and I cannot overstate how much her leadership and countless hours of dedication have meant to Frenchtown," Myhre said.
The mayor described the ordinance as an example of turning community feedback into practical policy changes.
"This represents exactly what we hoped our Age-Friendly planning process would accomplish - listening to residents, identifying a real-world barrier and then changing municipal policy to address it," he said.
AARP praises Frenchtown approach
Katie Squires, associate state director of advocacy for AARP New Jersey, said the ordinance reflects the goals of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.
"By rethinking policies and resources that shape where and how people live, Frenchtown is creating a more inclusive community where people of all ages can thrive," Squires said.
Herb said the proposal demonstrates how resident feedback can lead to meaningful local action.
"Residents told us what would make it easier for them to remain engaged and independent in Frenchtown as they age, and the Borough has taken those ideas seriously," Herb said. "The Aging in Place Ordinance moves us from planning into implementation and creates a tool that can make a meaningful difference in people's everyday lives."
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This story was created by reporter Brad Wadlow, [email protected], with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. .