Commerce Bank gets thumbs up

Requirements mean building will blend in with neighbors

By: Stephanie Brown
   JAMESBURG — When it opens its doors at the end of 2007, the Commerce Bank will fit in nicely with its Forsgate Drive and Perrineville Road neighbors.
   As a condition of its approval Sept. 14, the borough’s Land Use Board required the bank to improve pedestrian access to the building, and use signs that are in character with the historic nature of the community.
   Plans by Bohler Engineering, P.C. of Warren, call for a 3,655-square-foot, one-story building to be built on the 1.39-acre site, which is currently occupied by four residences and a borough-owned, 10-foot wide gravel road/alleyway. The residences will be torn down and the road, which runs between Forsgate Drive and Elliot Place, will be built on. The bank will face Perrineville Road, have access points on Perrineville Road and Forsgate Drive, an ATM vestibule and four drive-through lanes.
   Each branch employs 20 employees, including a manager, customer service representatives and tellers, according to the plans. Hours of operation would be Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
   Construction can proceed after Commerce meets several conditions as part of the county’s approval.
   Commerce received conditional site plan approval from the county last month. Middlesex County Supervising Planner Stan Olszewski said many design elements still need to be amended before construction can begin. He said the process could take anywhere from four weeks to a few months. Jason Cline of Remington, Vernick & Vena, the borough’s engineering firm, said construction could take nine months to a year.
   The board granted conditional approval after Commerce agreed to make signage and sidewalk changes, which officials say would emphasize Jamesburg’s village and pedestrian friendly appeal.
   Commerce agreed to change its enter/exit signs and freestanding logo sign from internally illuminated neon signs to something more like the wooden CVS pharmacy sign across the street. The board suggested monument style signs with decorative lighting coming from the ground.
   "Signage was a big concern for us because we’re trying to maintain the character of the area," said Land Use Board Chairman Patrick Connelly. "We don’t like the look of a neon sign because it just distracts from the neighborhood."
   The bank’s Commerce brand logo with the big red "C" will remain on the building as proposed.
   "Typically, with a national chain such as Commerce, you’re going to need to have that branding on the outside of the building, but I think that they worked very well with us in terms of the other signs," Mr. Connelly said.
   Commerce also agreed to work with the borough engineer to design pedestrian access to the bank via a crosswalk from the sidewalk.
   "What we’re trying to do is promote more of a pedestrian-based town so that you get more of a downtown or main street feel to the community," Mr. Connelly said.
   The design of the bank’s storm water system will also improve the drainage of the site as per state Department of Environment regulations, said Mr. Connelly.
   "One of the things we were concerned about was the obviously the drainage issues we experience in town, but they indicated to us that the site will actually be better than it is right now," he said.
   The site is zoned for General Business, and Commerce Bank asked for two variances, one for minimum sign clearance from the ground, and another concerning rear-yard setback.
   Jamesburg requires a sign to be at least 10 feet from the ground if it extends 3 inches from the wall. The bottom of Commerce’s logo sign on the front of the bank will be 4.76 feet from the ground.
   Also, a very small portion of the storm water basin will jut into the rear-yard set back.
   The application was tabled at the Aug. 10 Land Use Board meeting because board officials said Commerce did not show proof of ownership or permission to act on behalf of the properties it needed to build the branch.
   The Borough Council required Commerce to receive consent from all of the nine homeowners that are adjacent to the alleyway they wished to demolish. Since one homeowner originally did not grant his consent, the council denied the right of way for the alleyway.
   Board Attorney Michael Balint said the Land Use Board could have approved the application subject to the alleyway being vacated. However, he said, the board felt a conditional approval would put undue pressure on the Borough Council.
   Last week, Commerce presented the board with a certified list of all adjacent properties signed by all of the affected homeowners, Mr. Connelly said.
   "Once they gave all the signatures to us and they were verified by our attorney, then we were okayOK with that," Mr. Connelly said.
   Commerce Bank still needs to go before the Borough Council to receive right-of-way for the alleyway before it can begin construction.
   Once the bank is built, the already highly traveled intersection will be completely commercial — with the CVS, gas station, Laundromat, deli and liquor store across the street from the bank— but board officials say they support any commercial development along Forsgate Drive.
   "As Jamesburg is what’s called the hole in Monroe’s doughnut, why not try and take advantage of the traffic coming through and it’s a great ratable for us, too," Mr. Connelly said.