Board OKs bank at Route 130 site

By: Stephanie Prokop
   BORDENTOWN CITY — The Planning Board last week unanimously approved a site plan that would allow the construction of a Commerce Bank branch on the corner of Crosswicks Street and Route 130.
   Mayor John Collom said at a previous meeting that Commerce Bank representatives had approached the city commissioners about buying a city-owned parcel plus the adjacent land that the Liberty gas station currently owns to build a bank.
   According to Mayor Collom, the city-owned portion of the property is .6 acres and measures 100 feet by about 250 feet. It sold at auction for $800,000.
   The .6-acre parcel was occupied by the Bordentown City Water Utility, and used as a headquarters for equipment.
   Mayor Collom said the gas station owners have already agreed to sell their land, and that the Commerce Bank project would make use of both pieces of land.
   Mayor Collom said if the land is sold, the city would more than likely build another water utility storage building behind the fields at Gilder Park. He estimated that cost at about $400,000.
   Details describing specifics of landscaping, pedestrian access and signage were presented at the Aug. 1 meeting by three individuals: David Wisotsky, an engineer from Bohler Engineering of Warren; Eric Steinfeltt, an engineer with the firm Atlantic Traffic; and Creigh Rahenkamp, a planner from Rahenkamp and Associates of Palmyra.
   The city would be gaining an estimated tax income of $42,000 to $47,000 if the bank locates there, said Mayor Collom.
   Approximately 30 residents came to the Planning Board meeting to hear the formal presentation by Mr. Wisotsky, who first discussed the logistics of the site.
   Mr. Wisotsky explained that the on the site of the Liberty gas station there is an ongoing remediation effort with the state Department of Environmental Protection, concerning petroleum leaks from the current gas station tanks.
   Mr. Wisotsky said that Exxon, which owned the station before Liberty, would be responsible for carrying on with that cleanup.
   The proposed 3,669-square-foot Commerce Bank would feature a four-lane drive-through in the rear of the lot, and the bank would be open seven days a week.
   An aerial computer map circulated through the audience showing the design of the property, complete with a count of parking spaces, trees and shrubbery that will appear on the property.
   There will be an ATM available inside the front vestibule of the building, and there will be approximately nine or 10 employees on any given shift.
   Mr. Steinfeltt said access to the site would be modified, reducing the current number of entrances and exits from five to two.
   The Commerce Bank branch would have 51 parking spaces, which would also be available for adjacent Gilder Field recreation.
   Mr. Steinfeltt said there also would be a bike lane and an added sidewalk that would lead up to the property.
   When the plans for the conceptual design of the building were unveiled, many residents, including Joanne Danbury, said that the design of the building didn’t fit into the colonial design of the rest of the city.
   Mr. Rahenkamp stated that the bank branch is not really obligated to conform the style of the building to those of the surrounding area, and said that landscaping that will be prominent around the building.
   Landscaping also would include a slight amendment to the center island of the jughandle that motorists take when they access Crosswicks Street to get to the property. Commerce Bank would be responsible for maintaining that island.
   November was mentioned as a possible start date for the project at the meeting, although Mayor Collom said he doesn’t think that will necessarily be when construction will begin. "There are I believe some preliminary things that the Commerce Bank will have to do (in relation to the site being a DEP remediation zone)," said Mayor Collom.
   Some of the environmental aspects of the plan, according to Planning Board member Mike Hunninghake, would include the use of native plants in the landscaping, which would reduce water usage and chemical usage.
   "We also got them to use moisture sensors on their irrigation, which will minimize water usage, and we got them to install timers on their lighting, thereby reducing light pollution."
   "And finally," Mr. Hunninghake continued, "We got them to agree to discuss with the city commissioners pedestrian access improvements, including traffic-calming measures, textured crosswalks and sidewalk bump-outs to ensure safer pedestrian access to the bank," he said.
   Mr. Hunninghake that all of the above environmentally friendly amenities were not required by the builder, and when the Planning Board asked, they were very receptive to greener aspects of building.