Zoning Board Blocks High-Density Housing at Adventure Crossing in Blow to Developer

A proposal to add 1,100 high-density residential units to the sprawling Adventure Crossing development has been put on hold following a decision by the Jackson Zoning Board, which rejected the applicant’s interpretation of local zoning regulations. The decision followed legal guidance from board attorney Jean Cipriani, who argued that the developer’s calculations did not comply with the township’s zoning ordinance.

The outcome marks a significant setback for developer Vito Cardinale and attorney Sal Alfieri, a partner in the project, who had argued that residential density for the site should be calculated using the total acreage across all phases of the project — including Phase 2, which was sold off and removed from the General Development Plan (GDP) in 2019. The board disagreed, siding with Cipriani’s position that only the remaining phases in the active GDP could be used to determine density under Jackson’s four-units-per-acre cap.

The dispute centers on the definition of a “tract” in the context of Jackson’s HCMU (Highway Commercial Mixed Use) zoning ordinance adopted in 2020. While the developer sought to count previously separated parcels in its density calculation, Cipriani pointed out that doing so was inconsistent with the applicant’s own prior positions — including earlier requests to treat phases independently when seeking approvals for Phases 3 and 4.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Cipriani told Alfieri, noting that Phase 2’s removal from the GDP and separate development status excluded it from the current density equation. She argued that allowing the inclusion of Phase 2 would set a dangerous precedent where developers could selectively manipulate planning definitions to suit their needs.

The board ultimately agreed with Cipriani’s interpretation, and the developer voluntarily withdrew the application, with plans to submit a revised version later this year that either adheres to the board’s zoning interpretation or formally seeks a variance.

The outcome is also a political win for the Jackson Township Council, which has pledged to curb overdevelopment. In recent years, the council replaced several zoning board members previously appointed under Mayor Michael Reina — a close associate of the developer — with new members aligned with the council’s land-use priorities. That realignment led to friction between the council and the mayor.

Initially pitched as a regional destination for recreation and tourism, the Adventure Crossing project has gradually shifted toward commercial warehouses and high-density residential construction.