Township Council will hear arguments this summer.
By: Brian Shappell
The Township Council will hear arguments this summer from residents who have appealed a Zoning Board of Adjustment decision that could bring nearly 2 million-square-feet of warehousing to the township’s rural area.
The zoning board approved a conceptual plan by K&K Developers on March 7 to build a three-warehouse facility on Cranbury-South River Road and Dunhams Corner Road, east of the N.J. Turnpike.
Township attorney Don Sears said the council must vote by Aug. 12 on an appeal.
For the council to overturn the Zoning Board decision, it needs the votes of at least four council members in favor of the appeal.
A dozen residents in the area brought the appeal to the township saying they object to the additional warehouse construction because trucks using the new and existing warehouses in the area cause air and noise pollution. They also have said the continued development of the area is changing the character of the zone, which was once predominately rural residences and farms.
The application calls for a total of 1.965 million square feet of warehousing on a 129-acre property. Barnes & Noble, Wakefern, Circuit City and Opus are among the warehouses already in operation nearby. Those warehouses, however, are in an adjacent area zoned for light industry and rural residential.
K&K still needs site plan approval from the county Planning Board because Cranbury-South River Road is a county road and from the zoning board when it completes the final site plans for the facility.
Barry Nathanson, the chairman of the zoning board, said he doesn’t expect K&K to be ready to present its site plans for up to one year.