Stop if you've read this before. On second thought, you better not or you'll be wasting your evening.

Anyway, this is not a revision. For what is now a fourth meeting in a row, the owners of and legal counsel for the "Settlers Green" development have requested and have been granted a continuance by the Warren Planning Board of its long-standing application process.

The owner/applicant, Last Ever Realty, LLC., initially sought the delay from the board at its meeting set for Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Last Ever subsequently repeated the request in each month since, including for the proceedings scheduled for the Monday, Feb. 24, Planning Board gathering.

Massie said a third-party engineering firm has been hired to perform a "peer review" of the Settlers Green proposal.

The reason for the latest study is the same as the previous one submitted in late January of this year, which is to hire a qualified outside entity to reassess the findings of Settlers Green initial proposal, which as most have come to know includes construction of two, four-story apartment buildings with 54 units each and 12 single-family homes over 16 acres of land on Kinnicutt Avenue near Frerichs Farm and the Warren Reservoir.

According to Planning Board Chairman Fred Massie, the town and Last Ever again agreed it was proper procedure to hire a consulting firm to perform an updated review of the existing engineering study for the project, which actually took place now going almost four years ago.

The aim remains to have the review completed and submitted to the necessary officials in town so the item can once again be put on the board's meeting next month on Monday, March 31.

"Since so much time has gone by they want to have a engineering review, as does the town, of the current proposal based on the situation as it exists today. The applicant sees the sense of having another engineering study done and so does the town," Massie explained later in the day, February 19, after he learned of the continuance request, which was forwarded in the morning to Town Solicitor Anthony DeSisto.

He continued, "I mean this thing started during COVID (the novel coronavirus pandemic beginning in 2019). It's just an unfortunate situation with a lot of moving parts."

Those "parts" have included legal jousting between the sides, which ultimately led to a court ruling in the favor of Last Ever allowing the developer to move forward with its plan despite opposition from the town.

Warren is not expected to contribute to the review, Massie said. He explained money remained in the pool of fees Last Ever has paid over the years pertaining to its proposal. Any addition expense is expected to be paid by the applicant.

Asked what to make of yet another delay in the process, Massie said once shouldn't see the continuances as a sign of the owner's hesitance or reluctance to continue with the project. On the contrary, the chairman said he is of the opinion it shows Last Ever's commitment to seeing its plan come to fruition.

"This would signal to me that they're very serious about moving forward, as if they're looking at this as a step towards a preliminary plan," Massie added. "This isn't cold feet."

He continued, "It makes sense to have review take place so there's no question later on if the information is complete. We just hope that they're going to be able to accomplish what they need to do over the next and that we will hear it in March."