HOWELL – Residents of The Villages adult community have voiced their displeasure about a developer’s proposal to construct a shopping center and two restaurants on a parcel on Route 9 north, just north of Casino Drive.
The Villages is off of Wyckoff Mills Road, which is north of the proposed development site.
After listening to testimony and comments from residents on Oct. 5, the Howell Planning Board granted preliminary approval to the applicant, SL Homes Inc.
The board said SL Homes will have to return for final approval on all of the aspects of the plan and will have to complete an environmental study prior to returning for final approval.
Attorney Christopher Healy, engineer William Stevens and traffic engineer John Rea represented the applicant before the board.
The only variance that is being requested concerns a buffer between the Route 9 property and the neighboring homes.
“For the area between the proposed shopping center and the adjoining residential area (The Villages), we are proposing to leave the 50-foot-wide vegetative strip and supplement that existing vegetation with additional plantings,” Stevens said.
He said the alternative would be to remove the existing vegetation and build a buffer that would conform with the municipal ordinance. The ordinance requires a fence, landscaping and a berm that is at least 6 feet tall.
“That could be done, but we do not believe that is the right answer. We think the plan we have discussed, and we worked through it with your professionals, is the right answer,” Stevens said.
He said 80 evergreen trees will be planted and will serve as a buffer between the commercial property and the nearby homes all year. The applicant would also install a 10-foot-tall vinyl fence to conform with the ordinance.
“It simply does not make sense to remove trees to comply with the (ordinance). We think this is a better plan,” Stevens said.
Resident Barbara Dixel raised the issue of endangered species, such as bobcats and bald eagles, being seen on the property where the development is proposed.
Healy objected to Dixel’s comments and said he was unaware of what document she was citing as a source for her assertions.
“I just want to make sure the record is clear to the extent that Mrs. Dixel is presenting this in order to suggest that wildlife issues have not been taken into consideration. This board has received testimony from a wildlife biologist,” Healy said.
Dixel said she was not disagreeing with the applicant’s experts, but only referencing information she obtained from Monmouth County government records.
The board’s attorney, Ronald Cucchiaro, said any issues related to endangered species would fall under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Dixel also expressed concern about how the proposed development might affect the area’s sources of drinking water.
Resident Sid Corman expressed concern about the length of time it would take for construction on the project to be completed if and when final approval is granted by the board. He suggested that activities at the site, such as the movement of materials, could impact The Villages.
Stevens sought to assure Corman that proper steps will be taken in terms of the fence and the vegetation buffer.
Resident Jerry Dixel voiced concern about the potential for accidents to occur on Route 9 as motorists enter and leave the new commercial development.
“This (project) is waiting for an accident to happen, waiting for somebody to get killed,” Dixel said.
There is no shoulder where the proposed driveway would be, so vehicles would exit from the commercial site into a travel lane on the highway, according to Rea.
He addressed concerns regarding the proximity of the shopping center’s driveway on Route 9 to an exit ramp that leads from Route 9 north to Wyckoff Mills Road.
“I think we may have suggested that we break the solid white line and add some more length to the dashed white lines so people have more room to get over (for the exit). We would be more than happy to do that on our revised plans. Of course, it is subject to Department of Transportation approval, but we would gladly add that to the plans,” Rea said.
A motion was made to grant SL Homes preliminary approval for the commercial development. Board Chairman Paul Schneider and board members Kenneth French, Brian Tannenhaus and Nicholas Huszar voted yes. Police Chief Andrew Kudrick voted no. Mayor Theresa Berger and Thomas Boyle abstained. The motion passed, 4-1.
Following the vote, some of the residents in attendance spoke out and claimed the board members had no respect for them. The residents wondered aloud why they even bothered speaking about the application.
Those comments led Tannenhaus to say, “With all due respect … the public testimony was very important for me to make a proper decision and the little tidbit I got about a possible contaminated site was very valuable information and greatly appreciated by all who came, so you (residents) coming here was not in vain, it was very much appreciated.”
One resident suggested the board members had made a decision before the SL Homes application was heard, to which Schneider responded, “No, I beg your pardon, this was not decided before you came. We listened to all the testimony.”
