HOWELL – The future of a gas station that has been closed for many years remains unresolved as an applicant seeks approval from the Howell Planning Board to re-establish a business.
The shuttered gas station at 695 Route 9 north and Wyckoff Mills Road is the subject of an application before the board. Testimony was heard on Jan. 17 and is expected to resume on Feb. 21.
Gill Petroleum Inc. is seeking municipal approval to remove all of the existing site improvements and to construct a BP gas station and a convenience store at the location. The plan calls for the installation of three new 15,000-gallon underground fuel storage tanks for regular, premium and diesel fuel.
Plans show a right in, right out entrance/exit on Route 9, a right turn and left turn entrance/exit on Wyckoff Mills Road, parking for 17 vehicles, a loading area, an enclosed area for trash, an infiltration basin, landscaping, lighting and signs.
Attorney Salvatore Alfieri, Licensed Site Remediation Professional Richard Simun and planner Brian Shortino represented Gill Petroleum at the board’s Jan. 17 meeting.
Attorney Ron Gasiorowski represents SAP American Choice Inc., which is an objector to the application. SAP American Choice owns a nearby Exxon gas station.
During his testimony, Simun said he was retained by BP to address a storage tank removal issue on the site. He said he has been involved with the property for about one year. Simun said his company was retained after the removal of gas tanks from the business that used to operate at the location.
“My responsibility was to review previous environmental information prepared by the prior consultant. Basically, to review the case to determine if it met the requirements of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for completing a remedial action,” he said.
Remediation of the gas station property began in 2008 with the removal of gas tanks. That was followed by soil and ground water investigations.
“The current status, as of the end of November 2008 … shows that all soil on the site complies with applicable soil remediation standards. Ground water concentrations (of contaminants) are stable or decreasing,” Simun said.
He said the applicant is in the process of filing for a remedial action permit to obligate long-term monitoring until ground water concentrations of contaminants comply with ground water quality standards.
Simun said no contamination is leaving the gas station property. He testified that there is nothing on the site that would prevent Gill Petroleum from developing the property.
When the floor was opened to the public, John Woolley, who owns the nearby Woolley’s Fish Market and Seafood House, said he applauded the company for doing all of the environmental work and complimented Simun’s testimony, but he expressed concern about the ground water.
“Is it possible to install some ground water wells adjacent to my property so I know there is no gasoline going on my property, as well as the (nearby) Villages (adult community) property. Why would you not want to do that?” Woolley asked.
Simun said the remedial action report shows where monitoring wells would be placed on the property. The board’s professionals asked the applicant to submit that document after the meeting since it had been referenced many times.
Simun said the ground water flows from north to south, away from the fish market and restaurant.
Planning Board member Nicholas Huszar, who is also a member of the Howell Environmental Commission, said all of the documents associated with the application are public record and may be requested from the DEP.
Shortino described how the property would be developed. He said there would be about 35 feet from the the regular fuel pumps to the diesel fuel island.
The board’s professionals expressed concern regarding the proposed location of the diesel island. They said an individual obtaining diesel fuel would impede the flow of traffic and block an access drive.
The applicant was asked to provide a plan that would show how vehicles would circulate on the property.
Planning Board member Brian Tannenhaus recommended that the circulation plan include a depiction of people under a proposed canopy, “so we get a full representation, and also maybe (showing) the parking lot full to get an idea of how people would get in and out of the parking area and in and out of the site if all the pumps were full.”
The board’s chairman, Robert Nash, said he would like to have information regarding how large vehicles that visit the site could affect the movement of other vehicles on the property.
Shortino said he understood the board members’ concerns and would provide additional information at a future meeting.