Monroe mulls adding
shopping to housing
BY SETH MANDEL
Staff Writer
MONROE — A plan to replace some proposed housing on Applegarth Road with a shopping center has been put on hold.
The Township Council voted to delay rezoning a 20-acre parcel now zoned for low-density residential housing. The ordinance, which was slated for adoption July 12, would rezone the site for neighborhood commercial use. A shopping plaza, as well as residential housing, could then be built on the land.
Councilman Henry Miller, who made the motion to table the ordinance, said the council is concerned with the size of the proposed shopping center and does not want to cause more traffic congestion.
"Applegarth is one of the two main arterial ways going from the Freehold area to the New Jersey Turnpike," he said. "We have a lot of traffic there in the morning and the evening."
Neighborhood commercial zones permit supermarkets and small businesses, but not fast-food chains or strip malls.
"We need some shopping down there," said Miller, "but we want it to be neighborhood shopping."
Renaissance Properties, the owner of the land, originally intended to include the site as part of its residential development, Southfield Estates, but officials said the developer will likely be willing to build the shopping center instead if the ordinance is approved.
The number of homes Renaissance could build would then be reduced.
The plan for Southfield Estates was to build 120 homes on 123 acres. That number would now be reduced by 16 to 18 homes, though the exact number is not yet known.
Miller said the township is taking its time to carefully assess the situation before allowing any construction.
"There is no immediate rush to have that zoned or build any shopping centers there because there are no homes down there yet," he said. "We want to get more information. We want to know more about what it is and what it’s going to look like in the future."
Developer U.S. Home is working to extend Federal Road to meet Applegarth Road. The shopping center would be near that junction.
Township Engineer Ernest Feist has said the shopping plaza will help ease traffic conditions in the town, since it will give residents another place to shop. Now, the only supermarket in town is the Stop and Shop, Perrineville Road.
According to Feist, the residents near the new plaza will be able to shop closer to their homes, and the roadways around the Concordia Shopping Center will become less congested.
Councilman John Riggs said the ordinance will "probably come up at the next [council] meeting," which is scheduled for July 26. He said, however, if the members of the council feel they need more information, they will table the discussion until "everybody has enough information to make their decision."