Planners to continue hearing on Aug. 20
By: Lea Kahn
Traffic experts for a proposed Wal-Mart store on Spruce Street claim that increased traffic generated by the store won’t be a problem, but neither the Lawrence Township Planning Board nor neighborhood residents are convinced of the chain store’s position.
Traffic engineers for the Planning Board and Wal-Mart continued their discussion of the traffic impacts of the proposed 143,233-square-foot store at the Planning Board’s Monday night meeting.
Wal-Mart has proposed building the store on a 23.5-acre parcel presently occupied by two used-car dealerships at 1060 and 1100 Spruce St. The site plan calls for two driveways one opposite the Spruce Street and Arctic Parkway intersection, and a right-turn in only driveway on Spruce Street.
Another public hearing on Wal-Mart’s application for preliminary and final site plan approval has been scheduled for the Planning Board’s Aug. 20 meeting. It would be the fourth meeting to consider the application.
Planning Board Chairman Thomas Wilfrid, noting the population density and socio-economic background of households that live near the store, sought information from Wal-Mart representatives regarding the amount of traffic the new store might generate.
When Wal-Mart representatives declined to provide those numbers, Mayor Greg Puliti said there is likely a store in an area with similar demographics. Whether that information is proprietary or not, "we have a right to know," said the mayor, who sits on the Planning Board.
Although the traffic study has focused on the immediate neighborhood around the proposed store, Mr. Wilfrid asked the applicant whether it would be possible to project the number of cars that would use the Brunswick Circle Extension, near the Brunswick Circle, to get to the Spruce Street site.
Attorney Robert Ridolfi, who represents Wal-Mart, agreed to supply the Planning Board with that information.
When the meeting was opened to the public, Skillman Avenue resident Brad LeBlanc a former Wal-Mart employee said the company offered sales figures and customer counts at each store on a daily basis to store managers.
Mr. LeBlanc, who worked at the West Windsor Township store, said the store generated more than $200,000 in revenue on a typical Saturday. About 6,000 to 7,000 customers visited the store on Saturdays, he said, adding that the store could expect about 800 customers per hour between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Andrew Stutzman, who lives near by on Eighth Street in Ewing Township, said there is already a considerable amount of traffic in his neighborhood.
"I really hope you take the neighborhood into consideration," Mr. Stutzman said. "There are a lot of children in the neighborhood, including my two daughters."
Ramon Quinones, who lives in the Tiffany Woods development off Spruce Street, also expressed concern about the traffic impact. He said it is difficult to leave his subdivision now, and he expects it won’t improve with new traffic generated by the store.
Mr. Quinones also pointed to the trucks that would enter and leave the Wal-Mart store. There will be vendor trucks from Herr’s and Pepsi, he said. There are three loading docks at the rear of the proposed store, he said.
"I have nothing personal against Wal-Mart, but let’s put it where it belongs not in our back yard," Mr. Quinones said. "We’re talking about the future here. The only way to solve the problem is to give everyone in the neighborhood a traffic light (to allow them to get out of their streets)."

