MANALAPAN — It turns out that areas along Route 9 in Manalapan would be a good spot for automobile dealerships, at least in the opinion of one person.
In summarizing a report he prepared at the direction of the Manalapan Planning Board, professional planner Richard Cramer of T&M Associates said office-professional zones on Route 9 would be appropriate locations for automobile dealerships.
At the present time there is no zone in Manalapan where automobile dealerships are a permitted use.
Representatives of the Ray Catena Auto Group have asked municipal officials to consider making an automobile dealership a permitted use in the OP-3 zone at the corner of Route 9 north and Taylors Mills Road.
The company has said it wants to convert a vacant office building in the Justin Corporate Center at that location into an Audi dealership.
That request is not contained in a formal application to the Planning Board, but the concept has been discussed by Catena’s representatives with the Planning Board and the Township Committee.
In discussing Catena’s proposal for the Audi dealership at the corner of Route 9 north and Taylors Mills Road, the board directed Cramer to examine all of Manalapan’s zoning districts — specifically those on the Route 9 and Route 33 corridors — and to determine if there are any zones in which automobile dealerships might be made a permitted use.
On Jan. 26, Cramer presented his findings to the members of the Planning Board and a municipal meeting room packed with residents. Neighbors of the Justin Corporate Center have objected to Catena’s request to operate an automobile dealership near their homes.
However, no questions from residents were taken on Jan. 26 because Cramer’s report had not yet been made a public document. The report was expected to be made available to the public on Jan. 30.
Residents are expected to be able to ask questions about the report at the board’s Feb. 9 meeting.
On the key issue of automobile dealerships in Manalapan, Cramer made the following points during his presentation to the board:
• The OP-3 (3-acre) and OP-10 (10-acre) zones on Route 9 in Manalapan would be suitable for the development of automobile dealerships because they would provide the type of visibility those businesses require.
• Areas of the Route 33 corridor would not be conducive to automobile dealerships because Manalapan’s existing municipal code requires much of the development on the highway to be shielded from view, primarily with berms.
As Cramer stated, “Auto sales require high visibility which is not compatible with the Route 33 greenbelt criteria.”