By Jennifer Ortiz
Staff Writer
HOWELL — The Planning Board has granted preliminary approval to an applicant who will replace an abandoned car wash with a Mavis Discount Tire store at 4651 Route 9 north, Howell, between Kent Road and Locust Avenue.
“This is a request to repurpose a property that has essentially been fully developed for some time, but abandoned,” said attorney Kenneth Pape, who represents the applicant.
The application came before the board on June 16.
Engineer John Palus, representing the applicant, described the property as being in an area for commercial uses. Nearby businesses include an IHOP, Applebee’s, Starbucks, Wawa and a shopping center.
He said the 29,000-square-foot parcel (slightly more than a half-acre) has 170 feet of frontage on Route 9.
“The site is not well maintained at this time. It is a little bit overrun and it has not been kept up, some of the asphalt is breaking apart and the building is certainly of no use for future redevelopment of the property itself,” Palus said.
Palus said the applicant would develop the property within the limits of the existing development. The tire store will total 5,495 square feet and have six work bays.
Architect Gary Kliesch, representing the applicant, said one work bay would be used for oil changes and battery changes. He said the primary business of the facility will be tires.
Mavis Discount Tire will not have any underground storage tanks for oil, Pape said. He said any oil that is used will be collected and kept inside above ground.
Hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Thursday hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday hours will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday hours will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pape said.
A total of 24 parking spaces will be provided, Palus testified.
Pape said a sidewalk will be provided across the Route 9 frontage. He said garbage collection and the removal of oil, tires and batteries will occur once a week during off hours. No items will be stored outside.
Deliveries of inventory via tractor-trailer will not be permitted at Mavis Discount Tire. Box trucks will back into a work bay to make deliveries, the attorney said.
Board members and professionals asked for additional details regarding landscaping and other items, and the board’s attorney, Ron Cucchiaro, said the applicant will resubmit plans depicting the sidewalk, landscaping and related items.
Board members Arthur Fankhauser, Thomas Russo, Brian Tannenhaus, Kenneth French, Thomas Boyle, Deputy Chairman Robert Nicastro and Chairman Paul Schneider voted to grant preliminary approval for Mavis Discount Tire. Final site plan approval may be granted on Aug. 4.
