BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD - The room was packed with people eager to speak, but due to time constraints only a representative from Allentown had a chance to testify at the Planning Board's June 27 public hearing at Allentown High School.

Project Engineer Richard Burrough has said the Rockefeller Group plans to build one warehouse that would measure 1.72 million square feet, another that would occupy 550,000 square feet and a third that would total 195,350 square feet in Commerce Park off Breza Road.

Eric Betz, the borough engineer for neighboring Allentown, testified before the board about the consequences such a project may have on the area.

Betz described Allentown as a "small, historic, rural community with a great deal of character." Large warehouses adjacent to the town would affect the overall quality of life for residents in the community, he said.

Betz spoke about several issues of concern to the borough in relation to the proposed warehouse complex.

He said that in a natural environment similar to what currently exists on the 254-acre tract, buffers help screen impurities out of stormwater before they reach waterways. Development of the site, including roadways, according to Betz, would add contaminants to the streams.

Betz said multiple large developments and detention basins on small waterways, as has been seen throughout central New Jersey, have a compounding effect.

He said Crosswicks Creek, Indian Run and Doctors Creek, which transverse or are close to the property, have had a degradation of water quality over the past 10 years due to development upstream and elsewhere. He said the problems are not limited to Allentown.

"It affects communities upstream and downstream along the same waterways," he said.

Betz also had concerns about the project's package sewage treatment plant.

The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) would allow the warehouse and planned Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) units on the site to handle 127,000 gallons of water per day, he said, but they are only planning to use 49,250 gallons per day. Betz asked about the long-term intention of the developer because the additional 76,000-gallon-per-day capacity could be used to handle future growth.

"They could potentially accept wastewater from Washington Township or somewhere else," Betz said. "It's not clear."

He noted that Allentown's two production wells are 1,600 feet from the proposed warehouse buildings. He asked about the protection of the water supply for the entire borough and the Heritage Green and Four Seasons developments in Upper Freehold. He also said the project could impact residential wells in Upper Freehold.

In addition, Betz wanted the board and the applicant to address noise and light pollution issues. He asked who would manage the debris, the tires and the truck parts strewn on local roadways. He also said that there are no support services such as gas stations, convenience stores and motels in the area for truck operators.

According to Betz, no local fire companies have an aerial ladder truck, which may be needed to fight fires in the planned 48-foot-tall buildings. He estimated the cost of such a truck at between $750,000 and $900,000, and said that firehouses may have to expand to store such a vehicle.

Betz said that such a complex along with COAH housing would place a significant demand on area police. Upper Freehold does not have a police force and instead depends on the N.J. State Police for protection.

Betz said the proposed closure of Breza Road for the project would impact traffic circulation around Allentown, and that Breza Road is part of the county's proposed westerly bypass. Allentown has supported the bypass while Upper Freehold officials have opposed it.

The hearing will continue on at 7 p.m. on Aug. 22 in the high school.