By Jennifer Ortiz
Staff Writer
HOWELL — Members of the Zoning Board of Adjustment continued to consider an applicant’s request for site plan approval and a use variance that would permit the construction of two buildings that would house a U-Haul business.
Attorney John Giunco represents the applicant, AMERCO Real Estate Company, which seeks to develop a three-story storage facility on Route 9 north between West Farms Road and Casino Drive. The U-Haul site would include a self-storage facility, a retail truck rental location, warehousing and retail sales.
The board heard testimony on June 6 and carried the application to July 18.
David Pollock, a manager for U-Haul and AMERCO, said U-Haul would rent trailers, pickup trucks, vans, car dollies and box trucks, and offer installation services for hitches on vehicles and a U-Box (storage container).
The 4.8-acre parcel would contain 109,064 square feet of building space, including a three-story climate controlled self-storage building and a smaller building.
“We are going to be offering 1,057 storage lockers. Most of them will be interior climate controlled; there will be three floors of these lockers. All of (the storage units) are fully alarmed and you have to have access to get into this building,” Pollock said.
A small number of customers will have 24-hour access to the site. There will be 24-hour video surveillance, lighting and alarms at the location. Business hours are expected to be Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Pollock agreed to a request from the board not to have more than 50 vehicles on site at any time. He said all vehicle maintenance will be peformed off site.
Engineer Jason Fichter, representing the applicant, requested relief on certain requirements regarding signs, a sidewalk connection and landscaping.
The board’s engineer, Jack Mallon, said he had no issues granting the design waivers requested by the applicant.
Planner Andrew Janiw, of Beacon Planning and Consulting, Colts Neck, representing the applicant, said a similar project for a self-storage facility was approved at the site in 2007, but never developed.
“The approval in 2007 was for a three-story building with 118,800 square feet of self-storage space, with 25 parking spaces and five loading spaces,” Janiw said.
He said the primary difference between the 2007 approval for a self-storage facility and the 2016 application is the retail component of the U-Haul plan. He said retail is a permitted use on the east side of Route 9 in the Highway Development zone.
“It is a highway commercial district, purposed for fairly intense commercial uses, as the zone is reserved for larger lots,” Janiw said. “The storage facility is fairly benign, as less traffic is proposed with this type of use, which was recognized back in 2007, compared with retail and entertainment uses.”
Mallon said the U-Haul application is a much more intense use than what was contemplated in 2007, when the applicant suggested some vehicle rentals, but not the volume proposed by U-haul.
“It is an expansion of the intensity of use,” Mallon said.
Board Chairman Wendell Nanson said he was concerned about the expanded retail uses proposed by U-Haul.
Board member Evelyn O’Donnell said she wants to hear all the testimony before making any conclusions about the U-Haul application. Other board members agreed with O’Donnell’s assessment of the situation.