MANALAPAN – An application that proposes commercial and residential development at the corner of Route 33 and Millhurst Road in Manalapan has had its first hearing before the Planning Board.
Representatives of Cardinale Enterprises testified on various aspects of the application during the Sept. 13 meeting of the board in front of a room full of residents at the Manalapan municipal building. Testimony regarding Manalapan Crossing is expected to resume on Oct. 11.
Cardinale Enterprises was represented by attorney Salvatore Alfieri, planner Ian Borden, traffic expert Nicholas Verderese and architect John Burgdorfer.
On the 130-acre parcel at Millhurst Road and Route 33, the developer is seeking preliminary and final major subdivision approval and preliminary and final major site plan approval for 280 age-restricted single-family homes with a clubhouse and related amenities, and for a commercial development consisting of a convenience store and gas station, a bank, a two-story medical office building with a research and development component, two retail/restaurant buildings, a three-story mixed use retail and affordable housing building containing a minimum of 50 affordable housing units, some of which will be designated for persons with special needs, and an additional three-story medical office building, according to a legal notice published by Alfieri.
The legal notice states the site would be developed in accordance with the regulations that govern Manalapan’s Mixed Use Inclusionary Overlay Zone in the Village Commercial zone at Route 33 and Millhurst Road.
Commercial development at the site would consist of 199,000 square feet of space, according to Borden, who said the project complies with the property’s density requirements and with Manalapan’s Route 33 buffer ordinance.
A street designated as Crossing Lane will run through the Manalapan Crossing property between Route 33 and Millhurst Road. The new development will not have an interconnection with the neighboring Four Seasons at Manalapan adult community and a ground-mounted solar energy field will remain as it exists on the property, Borden testified.
The majority of the testimony presented during the Sept. 13 meeting was offered by Verderese, of Dynamic Traffic, Lake Como. Verderese told the board he previously lived in a development off Millhurst Road and is very familiar with the area of Manalapan that is the focus of his traffic examination.
He said Cardinale Enterprises is proposing to construct approximately $6 million worth of road improvements in conjunction with the development of Manalapan Crossing.
The developer is proposing to install a traffic light on Millhurst Road at the intersection of Whitlock Court and the new Crossing Lane; to create a new intersection at Route 33 and Crossing Lane and install a traffic light (that plan is under review by the state Department of Transportation); and to essentially rebuild Sweetmans Lane between Kinney Road and Route 33, and Millhurst Road between Route 33 and Canonero Boulevard.
Verderese said additional lanes would be added at the intersection of Route 33 and Millhurst Road in an attempt to eliminate what are regular backups of vehicles heading south on Millhurst Road. Improvements would be made to the jughandle that leads from Route 33 west to Millhurst Road south.
Board member Barry Fisher asked Verderese about levels of service at the intersections around Manalapan Crossing. The level of service reflects traffic at a location and how well an intersection operates. The scale runs from the best level of service, A, to a failing level of service, F.
Verderese said the development will add about 10 percent more traffic to the immediate area. The intersection of Millhurst Road and Route 33 is currently a failing intersection, but would improve to a level of service E after improvements have been made, he said.
Board member John Castronovo said, “Getting to an ‘E’ doesn’t sound like a good thing.”
Verderese responsed, saying, “We are getting better levels of service at Route 33 and Millhurst Road. The shorter queues (backups of vehicles) are what you should focus on.”
The new intersection at Route 33 and Crossing Lane would operate at between levels of service A and C at various times; the intersection of Route 33 and Pegasus Boulevard (the entrance to Four Seasons at Manalapan) operates at an A level of service and would remain at an A level of service; the intersection of Millhurst Road and Whitlock Court/Crossing Lane would operate at between an A level and a B level of service; and the intersection of Millhurst Road and Woodward Road/Main Street would operate at between a B and C level after improvements at that location have been completed by Monmouth County, Verderese testified.
The application proposes 1,006 parking spaces to be provided in the commercial area of Manalapan Crossing, which meets the municipal requirements, he said.
When Verderese suggested a construction entrance to the development site would be opened from Millhurst Road, Mayor Jack McNaboe, who sits on the board, said that idea is “dead on arrival.” He said the construction access would have to be from Route 33. Residents applauded the mayor’s comment.
Burgdorfer, of Studio 200 Architecture, Brielle, followed Verderese and described the architectural elements of the commercial/residential buildings, but not the single-family homes in the proposed adult community.
Burgdorfer said all of the buildings would have the same design elements, which he described as a Meditteranean style. He said a retail use could range from about 1,200 square feet (a dry cleaner) to about 20,000 square feet (a food store).
Alfieri said the developer does not have any tenants signed up for Manalapan Crossing.
Burgdorfer said the residential units above retail stores would be accessible to individuals who have a handicap and/or special needs. Details of the special needs units are being negotiated with the state, he said. There would be a dedicated first floor entrance to the residential section of each building, so a building will not have a “back side.” Elevators would serve residents who live in the apartments.
McNaboe commended Burgdorfer on the design of the commercial/residential buildings.
The proposed development of the property at Route 33 and Millhurst Road has been the subject of discussion in Manalapan for almost 20 years.
