Cranford Is Denied Motion in Birchwood Fight

Attorney for the township argued that the court's special master was biased because of her past affordable housing advocacy work.

At yesterday's Union County Superior Court hearing in the Birchwood development case, Judge Lisa Chrystal denied the township's motion for a new trial. The judge also scheduled a hearing on the final site plan approval for the 360-unit affordable housing project for early next year. On Monday, Township Attorney Phil Morin argued that comments made by Special Court Master Elizabeth McKenzie in support of affordable housing cast doubt on her impartiality in the case, and thus warranted a reappointment and new trial. The comments were contained in emails. Still, the other side argued that McKenzie's past affordable housing work did not have an affect on her recommendations to the township. "This is not the sort of bias that one would expect…

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