MILLSTONE – An application that proposed a funeral home use in an existing building on Route 33 eastbound has been approved by the members of the Millstone Township Planning Board.
Following a public hearing on Feb. 9, board members granted preliminary and final site plan approval to an application submitted by 515 State Route 33, LLC, for a funeral home. Attorney Salvatore Alfieri presented the application on behalf of the owner, Adele Demoro.
The property is owned by Demoro, who informed the board she purchased the lot. She said the funeral home is currently not operational because she is waiting for approvals from outside agencies.
Representatives of the applicant testified the funeral home will use an existing two-story building that is 3,134 square feet in size. The building is on Route 33 eastbound, approximately across from Dugans Grove Road on the westbound side of Route 33.
Engineer A.J. Garito, representing the applicant, testified that 20 parking spaces are required for the proposed use and said the property currently has 31 parking spaces.
Garito informed the board members that Demoro intends to increase the parking to 41 spaces.
When the board’s planner, McKinley Mertz, of the firm Heyer Gruel and Associates, Red Bank, asked why the applicant was doubling the amount of necessary parking, Demoro said she wanted to ensure the funeral home has ample parking available on-site.
Demoro noted the funeral home is on a highway, not in a residential area, and said guests would not be able to park near the building if the parking lot was full.
“We would rather be over-parked than under-parked,” Alfieri said.
Planning Board Chairman Mitchell Newman commended Demoro for providing additional parking at the location. He noted that in some instances, when a business does not have enough parking spaces the additional cars seeking parking can fill nearby streets.
Following the testimony from the applicant’s representatives, the application was approved by board members in a unanimous vote.
