Wellhead protection, limits on size of service stations would be imposed
By: Jake Uitti
MONTGOMERY The Township Committee approved a resolution Thursday supporting a previously proposed wellhead protection ordinance which would effectively prohibit service stations within a certain area surrounding community wells and voted to submit the proposed ordinance to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for its review.
In addition, the committee introduced amendments to its service-station ordinance.
Combined, the two actions strike a potentially fatal blow to an application by Wawa to move its convenience store 550 feet east of its present site, at the intersection of Routes 206 and 518, to the former Princeton GammaTech building closer to the border with Rocky Hill. The application, which would also add a 12-bay gas station, has been strongly opposed by Rocky Hill officials and residents.
The proposed Wawa site is near the Rocky Hill municipal well and the building coverage exceeds limits imposed by the revised service-station ordinance.
The service-station amendments call for a maximum size for service station-convenience stores of 3,500 square feet, or 4,000 square feet if accessories such as Dumpster areas are enclosed, among other changes. The existing Wawa convenience store, located on Route 206, is about 3,100 square feet, while the proposed building would be 6,000 square feet.
Municipalities seeking to adopt regulations regarding wellhead protection must submit their proposed regulations to the DEP for review and approval. The township, Mayor Louise Wilson said, has recently sent its wellhead ordinance to DEP.
On Sept. 7, Township Planner Richard Coppola presented a draft of the wellhead protection ordinance. During that meeting, Mr. Coppola also addressed additional amendments to the township’s service-station ordinance.
The amendments are meant to "modernize" the current service-station ordinance and to clarify certain things that were open to interpretation that the township’s Planning Board knew would be litigated, Mayor Wilson said.
"The wellhead protection ordinance won’t be in place until we get the green light from DEP and we introduce it and adopt it," Mayor Wilson said. "But with the service-station ordinance in place, Wawa would need a variance from the zoning board."
Mayor Wilson said the township would be reaching out to neighboring municipalities as well, including Princeton, to discuss possible intermunicipal agreements.
Wawa’s attorney, Tim Prime, could not be reached for comment on the ordinances.