Firm gains approval for building

By JENNIFER ORTIZ
Staff Writer

HOWELL — The operators of a paving company with a facility on Cranberry Road have received approval to construct a onestory office building at that location.

At a recent meeting, the Howell Planning Board unanimously approved an application that proposed the construction of a building at Eosso Brothers Paving, 383 Cranberry Road.

“This is the site of the Eosso Brothers paving company,” said engineer Richard Difolco, who represented the applicant. “There is an existing trailer and garage on the site. The site is fenced in with an 8-foottall fence with sliding gates and the surface of the site is gravel and pavement.

“The applicant is proposing to construct a new one-story office building, a new garage for trucks, a fuel dispensing area for diesel fuel, a truck canopy over a truck parking area and to place five storage containers for the storage of day-to-day equipment and materials.

“The applicant is proposing to construct a paved parking lot for employees. The parking in back will be for the trucks and equipment they operate with,” Difolco said.

“The applicant would like to improve the site from what it has been for the past 50 years to something up to date. The applicant is looking to improve the site with pavement, curbing, lighting, landscaping and attractive buildings,” he added.

The new building will have a residential feel and scale, architect Richard Tokarski, Brick Township, said.

Tokarski said there will not be many visitors to the site.

Testimony from the applicant’s professionals indicated that a truck canopy was the only variance that was sought.

The canopy will prevent rain from getting into the body of the trucks. The canopy is designed to be an environmental benefit, according to the testimony. The variance for the canopy was approved by the board.

“We are really trying to keep a clean site,” said Thomas Eosso, the vice president and owner of Eosso Brothers Paving.

Eosso said the office will not remain open much past 8 p.m. and that lights would be dimmed after 8 p.m. using LED lowlevel lighting. Motion sensor security lighting will go into effect after hours.

Employees will arrive for work at about 6:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, with some Saturdays on occasion. All work is done off-site as the company is not a manufacturer, according to the testimony.

There will be an area for leftover asphalt on site and the asphalt will be removed to a recycling facility, Eosso said.

Resident Russell Fishkind, of West Davinci Lane, objected to the application and said the business is routinely noisy and does not observe Howell’s noise ordinance.

“When trucks go by the walls shake and paintings fall down,” he said. “The beeping of trucks backing up sounds like an alarm clock … and wakes me up… ”

He said his living room will face the Eosso building and he said if there are lights they will come right into his home.

Fishkind suggested that the installation of trees around his and his neighbors’ properties or around the Eosso building would help prevent light and noise pollution.

“I just want a solution,” he said.

In response to Fishkind, Eosso said, “We want to be as civil as we can and keep the noise down. This is a family owned company.”

Eosso agreed to increase a landscaping buffer in front of the property and to work with Howell’s engineer and tree expert to provide maximum protection for the neighbors.

A motion was made to approve the application and passed in a 7-0 vote. Board Chairman Paul Schneider and board members George Gravatt, Thomas O’Donnell, Brian Tannenhaus, Kenneth French, Thomas Boyle and Mayor Bill Gotto voted yes.