Future Route 33 development
standards focus for officials
By dave benjamin
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN — An examination of the Route 33 corridor in Manalapan has revealed numerous inconsistencies in zoning requirements and township officials are taking a close look at plans for the future of the road.
Municipal planner Richard Cramer discussed the issue during a recent appearance before the Township Committee.
In his report to the committee, Cramer identified the Route 33 corridor and the standards that would be applicable with respect to building setbacks, a major issue of concern. Using aerial photos from the Freehold Township border on the east to the Millstone Township border on the west, along Route 33, Cramer identified the setback requirements at the present time.
Referring to the different properties, Cramer said, "They each have different setbacks related to the location of the principal building and the location of the parking lot."
He noted areas where residential development is in progress or has been completed, and areas for proposed residential and commercial development.
He described zones and some of their requirements, including: Village Commercial (VC), which has setbacks of 100 feet for buildings and 50 feet for parking; Special Economic Development (SED-5) with a 75-foot building setback and 10-foot parking; SED-20 which has a 200-foot setback for buildings and parking; a Consent District (CD), where the Four Seasons and Meadows housing developments will be built. There, the zone has a 100-foot building setback and goes to a 200-foot setback nearer to Woodward Road intersection with the highway; a Highway Commercial Zone (C-3) has a 50-foot building setback and a 10-foot parking setback.
"Those are the basic setbacks," Cramer explained. "That’s how close the building and the parking can be located to Route 33."
Committeewoman Mary Cozzolino noted that one side of Route 33 has a 100-foot setback requirement, while the other side has a 200-foot setback.
"We don’t want Route 33 to look like Route 9," she said.
Business Administrator James Devereaux said it would make more sense for there to be some kind of consistency, with respect to setbacks, all along the portion of the highway in Manalapan.
Cramer said it could be difficult to be consistent, especially in the C-3 zone and in some areas where there are smaller lots.
Other topics discussed in relation to the Route 33 corridor included lot permeability; the possibility of having new zoning designations; common setbacks; and, as suggested by Devereaux, landscaping standards.
"There should be the same kinds of trees and shrubbery all the way down Route 33," the business administrator said.
Committeeman Drew Shapiro said he had passed by a Montessori School that is on Route 33 and didn’t know it was there because the landscaping blocked the view. He suggested a similar landscaping plan for the Route 33 corridor.
Reviewing the requests of the committee members, Cramer said, "You want uniform treatment, a landscaped edge, 50 feet back from the visual environment, and control of the types of signs so that it is done unobtrusively. But, you can still identify the site."
Permitted uses, including mini-storage facilities and whether there should be a "big box" type of store and/or a supermarket in the plan for a retail center at Route 33 and Millhurst Road were also discussed. Several committee members were not in favor of having a giant store in that planned retail center.
It was determined that an ordinance with respect to Route 33 will be prepared by Cramer for the committee’s Dec. 4 meeting. It would then go to the Planning Board on Dec. 12, and a public hearing would be held at the committee’s Dec. 18 meeting.