JACKSON – The Planning Board has unanimously approved an application submitted by an entity that sought to construct a retail/office building on Hope-Chapel Road in Jackson after significant improvements were made to the project.
Hope Offices, LLC, initially came before the board with plans to construct a 13,000-square-foot, two-story building that would contain retail, office and storage space.
According to prior testimony, the proposed building would have five retail spaces on the first floor; the spaces would be 1,693 square feet, 1,503 square feet, 1,244 square feet, 1,401 square feet and 1,693 square feet.
The building would have three spaces on the second floor; the spaces would be 1,418 square feet, 2,294 square feet and 3,242 square feet. The applicant also proposed a 7,430-square-foot basement for storage.
During a previous hearing on the Hope Offices application, board members expressed reservations about the proposed basement storage area.
The hearing resumed on Sept. 17 and the applicant was represented by attorney Ray Shea and planner Graham MacFarlane.
Shea said significant changes had been made to the plan since it was last before the board. One change was the elimination of the basement.
“That is no longer a factor so it does not impact the parking, it does not impact the traffic and I hope (the board) can look at the application in that light,” the attorney said.
The applicant also made significant changes to the proposed building.
“The application is now proposing a 15,000-square-foot building with a 7,500-square-foot retail space on the first floor and a 7,500-square-foot office space on the second floor,” MacFarlane said.
The retail space will face Hope-Chapel Road. The applicant is proposing to provide 75 parking spaces, which meets the municipal requirement of 75 spaces for this property, MacFarlane said.
Jackson Township Council President Ken Bressi, who sits on the board, said the revised application was like “night and day” since the previous hearings.
“To see the applicant work with that, from reducing the basement to eliminating it totally,” Bressi said. “I have to give (the applicant) kudos for that.”
Bressi said many issues board members raised during the previous meetings were eliminated by the revisions to the plan. He then made a motion to approve the application.
Chairman Joseph Riccardi, Vice Chairman Andrew Kern, Leonard Haring Jr., Jeffrey Riker, Martin Flemming, Michele Campbell, Bressi, and Jackson’s business administrator, Helene Schlegel, who sits on the board, voted to approve the Hope Offices application.