Development of busy corner considered

The Millstone Zoning Board continued a hearing on a development application even though there were problems notifying residents who live within 200 feet of the proposed project.

The application is for the retail development of 353 Sweetmans Lane and 232 Millstone Road. The parcels have different owners, but the proposed developments have been designed to share a storm-water collection system.

The Zoning Board started the hearing on Oct. 28 and was scheduled to continue the hearing at the December meeting. However, the applicant had a conflict and could not attend that meeting, according to Chairman Michael Novellino.

Novellino apologized about the failure to send a renotice to the many residents who did attend the Jan. 27 meeting.

“We have a long-standing policy that if an applicant does not show, we have them renotice,” he said.

Novellino said the township’s tax assessor gave the applicant’s attorney, Kenneth Pape, a bad mailing list.

“I have a real problem with them not getting the list right and will personally look into it and find out what happened,” Novellino said.

Pape said the law allows the board to take jurisdiction of the application even if the tax assessor made a mistake in providing the addresses for notices. He said he would mail out notices for the Feb. 24 hearing.

The Sweetmans Lane site is located at block 39.01, lots 2.01 and 7, and consists of 1.88 acres in the Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zone. The owner seeks major site plan approval to construct a one-story, 4,000-square-foot retail building near the existing 6,750-square-foot building that currently contains Roy’s Deli and Kids Workshop.

The Millstone Road site at block 39.01, lots 2.02 and 7, consists of 4.33 acres. The owner seeks preliminary site plan approval to construct a 7,700-square-foot retail building with 1,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, and an adjoining 4,000- square-foot bank.

Pape said the NC zone is located at the intersection of two county roads. He said the township’s master plan and zoning ordinances consider the area a commercial node.

The development applications have been presented to the Zoning Board and not the Planning Board because the applicants seek a variance for storm-water management, according to Pape. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) regulations would allow the sites to share an underground basin beneath the parking lot. Pape said his clients would prefer to create an open basin on a property adjacent to the lots. One of the applicants owns the parcel, which is located in a residential zone. If his clients do not receive a variance to create the open basin, they would present an underground basin plan to the Planning Board, according to Pape.

The applicant’s engineer, Greg Valesi, said the proposed basin would have a permanent water elevation of 3.15 feet, but could become 7.9 feet deep during a 100- year storm. The basin would be fully excavated, even though basins are usually made combining excavation and embankment, Valesi said. The basin would either have a PVC liner or a clay core to maintain water elevation, according to Valesi.

Valesi said the fire company could use the proposed detention basin for firefighting purposes. The applicants met with the township’s fire officials regarding the design, he said.

The basin would have a fountain. The applicants could install an aerator or use algaecide should stagnation or water quality issues arise, Valesi said. Pape said a fish colony would also be established for these purposes.

Valesi said the outflow pipes would extend into the Rocky Brook. Flows would be minimal and no erosion is expected, according to Valesi.

It was nearly 11 p.m. before members of the public were allowed to speak.

Raymond Giffen said he was concerned about contaminants entering the Rocky Brook.

“I don’t want my children to say, ‘What the hell were you guys thinking, destroying the environment,’” he said.

John Hart asked why the fire department would draw from the basin when Perrineville Lake is only a half-mile away.

Questions were also raised about whether the four proposed septic systems on the site would be mounded systems

Valesi said he would confirm whether any of the septic systems would be mounded at the February meeting.