The Millstone Township Zoning Board of Adjustment wants an applicant’s engineer to provide testimony at the next public hearing about the pros and cons of an underground versus above-ground storm-water management system.
At the board’s Feb. 24 meeting, Greg Valesi, engineer for the applications 353 Sweetmans Lane LLC and 232 Millstone Road LLC, had a previous commitment and did not arrive until the hearing was nearly over. Township Engineer Matt Shafai said he had a possible alternative regarding the stormwater system, which will be discussed at the next meeting, scheduled for March 24.
The Sweetmans Lane site is located at block 39.01, lots 2.01 and 7, and consists of 1.88 acres in the neighborhood commercial (NC) zone. The owner seeks major site plan approval to construct a one-story, 4,000- square-foot retail building near the existing 6,750-square-foot building that currently houses Roy’s Deli and Kids Workshop.
The Millstone Road site at block 39.01, lots 2.02 and 7, consists of 4.33 acres. The owner seeks preliminary site plan approval to construct a 7,700-square-foot retail building with 1,000 square feet of office space on the second floor, and an adjoining 4,000- square-foot bank.
The parcels have different owners, but they are family members, and the proposed developments have been designed to share a storm-water collection system. A variance is required for lot 7, which the applicant has proposed for storm-water management, because it is located in the rural preservation (RUP) zone. At the previous meeting, Pape stated that if his clients do not receive a variance to create the open basin, they would present an underground basin plan to the Planning Board.
The applicant’s attorney, Kenneth Pape, said he or a principal owner, D. Morgan Tracey, have met with various commissions in the township, including the Historical, Shade Tree, and Environmental commissions, as well as the fire department. The Historical Commission was concerned about the project because the former Perrineville School is part of the existing building on the site, but Pape said his client has received a supportive letter from the commission after addressing its concerns. While the Environmental Commission sent a letter in September expressing no objections or concerns, the commission has more recently sent a letter asking for more information on the proposed storm-water basin, according to Pape.
Pape said there also have been extensive discussions with the fire department. The board requested that a representative of the department attend the next meeting to answer questions about proposed fire lanes.
At the previous meeting in January, the issue of screening the largest building from the nearest residence on Millstone Road was raised. On Feb. 24, the applicant’s architect, Greg Clark, presented a plan that would camouflage the rear of the building by painting it a dark color with no white molding. There are already woodlands abutting the property, and Clark said from a homeowner’s perspective, the building would merge with the forest. The applicant’s landscape architect, Sam Melillo, said that the summer view from the neighboring residence was not a problem because of tree leaves, and in his opinion the winter view was not a problem either. He said more buffering could be added and suggested the use of holly trees.
The applicant’s planner, Alison Coffin, testified that the proposed development arrangement was “unusual but not unique.” She noted that the NC zone provides for small-scale retail and service uses, and all of the applicant’s proposed uses were permitted in the zone. In her opinion, the storm-water basin was an expansion of the NC use. According to Coffin, the planning arrangement makes efficient use of the land and a natural resource, the water. Coffin said there was a public benefit to the pond, because the fire department could use it to draft water. She added that it could also be used for irrigation on the adjoining farm property.