HOWELL – Concerned residents filled the meeting room at town hall on Sept. 6 to hear a proposal before the Planning Board for Howell Bergman Plaza, a proposed retail shopping center.
According to a report prepared by Planning Board engineer Ernest Peters, the applicant is seeking preliminary and final site plan approval to consolidate three lots in an HD-1 (Highway Development) zoning district and to build a 65,740-square-foot retail center on 11 acres on West Farms Road.
The retail development will consist of three buildings and a right turn in and right turn out access drive along Route 9 and West Farms Road. In addition, the center will include a 13.5-foot wide area of right-ofway dedication proposed to the township along West Farms Road for future widening purposes. The plan provides for 371 parking spaces at the retail center.
The potential for excessive traffic, noise and pollution that could be caused by the project brought residents like Arthur Waltz to the meeting.
Waltz, who expressed concern about the impact of the retail center on his quality of life, asked the board to request that the applicant modify its plans in order to reduce the anticipated increase in vehicular traffic.
The resident submitted a petition signed by 131 residents. Waltz said the people who signed the petition feel the same way about the application as he does.
Howell’s certified tree expert Zig Panek offered suggestions to address the residents’ concerns.
“What I would suggest on the West Farms Road side is not just plantings, but a minimum 4-foot tall berm (a raised pile of soil with plantings on top which is used as a barrier to block sight and sound). That berm will block headlights from shining into the homes of residents who live on West Farms Road,” Panek said.
“We also have to re-do the landscaping to help with the suppression of the lights from the cars. I recommend planting several evergreens that will grow tall enough to give us a buffer,” Panek added.
Planning Board Chairman Paul Schneider also made a suggestion to the applicant to reduce the potential noise.
“I suggest that the applicant consider a sound barrier. I think it would be a good idea to have a sound barrier on your side of the development. A lot of the opposition to this [project] could be mitigated by something like that,” Schneider said.
The board members did not make a decision on the proposed retail center at the Sept. 6 meeting.
The applicant is expected to address the concerns and suggestions at the next hearing on the application, which is scheduled for Nov. 1.