BY JANE MEGGITT
Staff Writer
UPPER FREEHOLD – Residents reacted to a proposed plan last week to build 1.8 million square feet of warehouse space in town.
The Planning Board continued its public hearing May 11 on the Rockefeller Group’s plan to build three warehouses off Breza Road. The board will continue the hearing at 7 p.m. on June 27 at Allentown High School.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, David Mansue, a lieutenant with the West Windsor Police Department and an Upper Freehold resident, said the $1.2 million ratable for the community sounds good, but he asked if it is worth the cost.
According to Mansue, the warehouse project would introduce new problems in the township that it is ill-equipped to handle. He said he has personal experience with gang-related problems related to workers at area warehouses.
Mansue alleged that warehouses “attract a segment of society prone to gang-related issues.” He said there are cases of such gang activity in several facilities in nearby Washington Township.
Noting that the township depends on the N.J. State Police for protection, Mansue alleged that the police would not be able to handle the increased calls the warehouses would create.
“The state police are trying to get away from handling municipalities,” Mansue said. “They are primarily a highway patrol unit.”
Mansue estimated that it would cost the township at least $1 million to start its own police force, and that there would be additional costs for other emergency services such as fire trucks.
Former Mayor Bob Abrams also spoke about the project. He said he was one of the architects of a commerce park.
He said the township needs ratables to offset “the sleeping community of bedrooms we’re putting in.”
Abrams told the board that people want ratables that are not detrimental to Upper Freehold. He said the board’s responsibility is to Upper Freehold, not to Allentown or Washington Township.
“We need offsetting ratables or we are going to go under,” he said.
Wayne Smith, of Allentown, said that Heritage Park is adjacent to the proposed warehouse complex. He said it is currently a place of tranquillity and that the warehouse would be “a funnel of noise” into the village.
Smith said that the warehouse trucks will be required to have backup sirens, which will cause further noise problems for residents.
According to Smith, there is no legal way to prevent truck traffic from going through Allentown. He called Upper Freehold’s decision to close Breza Road “despicable” and accused the township of trying to push development to its borders and traffic into neighboring municipalities.
Smith also addressed Upper Freehold Township’s plan to locate its planned Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) units near the site. He said the property is isolated from the rest of the township.
“This is NIMBY [‘not in my backyard’] at its best,” he said.
Allentown resident Greg Westfall said the group wants to construct Building C atop a 1,000-year-old Native American village.
John Fabiano, president of the Allentown Upper Freehold Historical Society, presented the board with a copy of a 1757 deed indicating a Native American burial ground on the site. He said the burial ground is located about where Building A is to be built.
Westfall also said the site is part of a proposed historic greenbelt. He pointed out that New Jersey Preservation designated Allentown as one of the most threatened sites in 2001 because of increasing development on its borders.
“The setting of the historic district is important for its viability and distinctiveness,” he said.
Allentown resident Myrna Barber said, “The charm of the old town will be gone forever due to warehouses. It seems like greed has taken over beauty. This town is beautiful, but it’s not going to remain that way.”
Allentown resident Ann Garrison said she does not consider the warehouse project “a clean ratable.”
“[There is] a huge industrial area surrounding Allentown and Upper Freehold,” she said.
Garrison alleged that Upper Freehold and Allentown will soon have the reputation of being an industrial area, which would cause residents’ property values to decline.
Joe Pellecchia, of Allentown, spoke about the traffic the project would add to downtown Allentown. He challenged anyone to take an 18-wheeler down Main or Church streets.
Pellecchia said children walk to and from school in the area.
“They will be in jeopardy every day,” he said.
Keith Becker, of Upper Freehold, had a few words for the board concerning the plan.
“Light pollution,” he said. “Rats. Sewage treatment plant. Hazardous materials. Gangs.”