JACKSON — Members of the Jackson Planning Board are still considering an application that proposes the construction of a 4,000-square-foot retail building in the Cassville section of the community.
The applicant is Al Heyer.
Previous testimony was heard in November 2007 when the applicant proposed the construction of a 5,900-square-foot building that would have included 1,900 square feet of office space and 4,000 square feet of retail space.
In November 2008 a revised plan proposed the construction of 4,000-square-foot building on the half-acre lot.
The lot is at the corner of Thompson Bridge Road close to where Freehold Road meets Route 526 (Cassville Road). The lot is in a Neighborhood Commercial Zone near St. Vladimir Memorial Church.
The application was discussed at a recent meeting of the Planning Board.
The board’s engineer, Douglas Klee, said, “The applicant has provided a plan to the board that indicates the county has approved a plan with regard to the driveway connection.
“From a traffic safety engineering perspective, [the applicant has to choose] from the lesser of three evils. I don’t think we would want a driveway on Cassville Road … so there was one driveway connection proposed on Thompson Bridge Road,” Klee said.
Attorney Frederick Kalma, representing the applicant, told the board, “This project was stalled for a period of time because we did not have the information we needed from an engineering perspective. We now have that information.”
Kalma noted some changes that have been made to the proposal, including a change in the location of the loading zone, the removal of a structure that was on the site prior to the application, and a new address, 267 Thompson Bridge Road.
He said there will be changes to the back of the proposed building to make it look more like the front of the building and said the structure will be more pleasing to the eye as people drive by.
Project engineer James Stanton said the size of the building is about 38 feet by 91 feet. He noted that the entrance to the site will be on Thompson Bridge Road, as far from Cassville Road as possible.
Klee said the current proposed location of the driveway “is a vast improvement over what we had originally.”
Board member Kenneth Bressi thanked the applicant for making the building footprint smaller in the interest of safety.
The board’s planner, Anna Wainright, asked where the garbage bin would be located.
Stanton said it would be placed at the end of the loading zone, although he said there may be a better location.
Board member Howard Tilis said he wanted to hear more information about traffic at and around the site.
Board member Gene Fowler questioned the size of the septic system, to which Stanton responded by saying the septic system is a bit smaller and may have to be adjusted to make it work. He noted that the actual septic system design will have to be tested.
Stanton also said he is anticipating a well for drinking water, to which Fowler said there was no proposed location for the well.
Resident Richard Hart suggested moving the entrance to the site and requested screening from traffic so that car lights do not affect his home, which is on the corner.
The board members then voted 9-0 to carry the application to Jan. 25.