MANALAPAN – A plan proposing the construction of two warehouses totaling almost 1 million square feet of space has received preliminary major site plan approval from the Manalapan Planning Board.
At the conclusion of the fourth hearing on an application filed by Joseph Skeba, board members voted 8-1 on Dec. 17 to allow the project to advance.
Attorney Kenneth Pape, who reprsents Skeba, said permits from other agencies must still be obtained in order for the project to advance. He said the applicant could return in about one year to seek final approval from the board. The preliminary approval is good for three years, Pape said.
Skeba proposed to construct two warehouses at the intersection of Route 33 east and Smithburg Road (Route 527): Building A would total 300,220 square feet and Building B would total 652,000 square feet. The 97-acre parcel has 1,500 feet of frontage on Route 33 eastbound and 1,500 feet of frontage on Smithburg Road.
Previous testimony indicated warehouses are a permitted use in Manalapan’s SED-20/W zone (Special Economic Development/Warehouse).
The SED-20/W zone in Manalapan borders a residential zone in Millstone Township and residential uses on Smithburg Road in Manalapan. Smithburg Road is the border of the two municipalities.
Near the end of the previous meeting when the application was heard, on Nov. 8, Pape offered to make revisions to the plan based on comments residents had made.
On Dec. 17, engineer Mark Lescavage, representing the applicant, described three revisions in the application:
• Building A, the building that was closest to Smithburg Road and to residences in Millstone Township and Manalapan, has been moved closer to Route 33. Instead of being 194 feet off Smithburg Road, Building A will be 235 feet off the road. Because of the change in the building’s location, a parking lot on the property will be 120 feet from Route 33 instead of the 200 feet that are required, and a variance was requested.
• A second driveway on Smithburg Road has been added on the Skeba property, closer to Route 33. That driveway is an exit only. Vehicles exiting the warehouse site can turn right into a new lane on Smithburg Road.
• On Route 33, beginning at the state highway’s intersection with Smithburg Road and heading east, a third lane will be striped to permit vehicles that are heading to the warehouse property to exit an existing lane of travel on Route 33 and have a designated lane to reach the warehouse property entrance driveway.
Scott Kennel, of McDonough and Rea Associates, representing the applicant, discussed traffic and the proposed changes and said meetings were held with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Monmouth County Planning Board to review the revisions. He said both bodies generally agreed to the proposed changes on Route 33 and Smithburg Road, pending final review.
In response to a question from a resident later in the meeting, Kennel said there would be two distinct lanes created on the northbound and southbound approaches to Route 33 and he said left turns onto the highway (heading east or west) will be permitted from both lanes.
Pape said signs would be placed on Route 33 and Smithburg Road to direct trucks to the main entrance on Route 33. Several residents who spoke on Dec. 17 asked for trucks to be banned from Smithburg Road, but that will not be a condition of the board’s approval.
The driveway on Smithburg Road that is the farthest driveway from Route 33 (about 1,500 feet from the highway) will permit left and right turns in and left and right turns out. The two driveways proposed on Smithburg Road are about 1,000 feet apart, according to the testimony.
Manalapan Mayor Jack McNaboe, who sits on the Planning Board, said he had “no objection to moving Building A as an accommodation to our neighbors” and “no objection to a variance for an extra sign on Route 33” that would direct trucks to the property’s main entrance on the highway.
“We want to direct trucks to the Route 33 entrance,” he said.
Kennel said it is anticipated that most of the vehicles heading to the warehouse site would come from Route 33.
Brian Boccanfuso, the board’s engineer, said the applicant worked with his office to address the road issues and called the proposed second driveway on Smithburg Road “a significant improvement.”
Following the applicant’s explanation of the revisions to the plan, the meeting was opened to public comment.
Millstone Township Committeeman Al Ferro asked questions about several issues, including landscaping, traffic, lights and noise.
Pape said the proposed landscaping plan complies with requests that have been made by Manalapan’s arborist and said he had “no qualms that the traffic report is consistent with all standards.” Pape said the applicant would comply with all state and local regulations regarding lights and noise at the property.
Ferro asked if trucks idling on the two roads surrounding the warehouses would be an issue and Pape said, “no one anticipates trucks stacking on Route 33 or Smithburg Road. There is space on the property for the trucks.”
Pape previously said his client has received interest from several national companies, but has not signed any tenants. He said the end users would be identified when final approval for the application is sought.
Resident Maria Font said, “This (project) is coming to disturb all of us … our safety … When we have 300 trucks, how are we going to survive? I didn’t hear that being addressed. Look at the people. Everyone is terrified. Consider the people, not just the money. Please, I’m begging you.”
Resident Gina Rea said, “I don’t understand why something like this would be approved. For our families, our children, our neighborhood … think about the people.”
Resident Joseph Teston said, “This (project) is unreasonable … bring it back to zoning … this property is zoned for (warehouses), let’s change the zoning. What was reasonable (zoning) in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s is not reasonable now. … You should be ashamed if it does go forward.”
The Planning Board’s attorney, Ronald Cucchiaro, explained that once Skeba’s application was deemed complete by the board, the zoning was locked in for the proposed project. Cucchiaro said even if Manalapan officials change the zoning of the property now, Skeba would retain the right to construct warehouses on the parcel.
Pape said the SED-20/W zoning has been in place in Manalapan since 1976 and was reconfirmed in 2012. He said the homes on Timmons Hill Drive in Millstone Township, where the majority of the Millstone residents who are objecting to the application live, were approved in 1996.
Lia Mastropolo, a municipal policy specialist with the Watershed Institute, Pennington, commented on water quality issues. She noted that the Watershed Institute, formerly known as the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, is not a regulatory agency.
Pape said that during his career he has worked with the watershed association. He offered to meet with representatives of the organization and review their research in conjunction with the board’s engineer. Pape previously said the project would comply with all applicable environmental standards and regulations.
Summing up the application, Pape said, “Manalapan has very clear, modern zoning ordinances for Route 33. The ordinances and standards are up-to-date. We have followed the ordinance with 100 percent compliance, with the exception of two variances.
“We went to the Environmental Commission, the Shade Tree Commission, fire officials and the fire commissioners and all of their requests were accommodated.
“All of the homes in the area, with the exception of some homes on Smithburg Road, followed after the zoning (on the Skeba property) was in place,” he said.
A motion was made to grant the Skeba application preliminary approval. Without comment, Chairwoman Kathryn Kwaak and board members Barry Jacobson, Rick Hogan, Todd Brown, John Castronovo, Steven Kastell, Daria D’Agostino and McNaboe voted “yes.” Township Committeeman David Kane, who sits on the board, voted “no.”
