MILLSTONE – Representatives of a business that has operated in Millstone Township for decades are expected to return before the Zoning Board of Adjustment with a plan to relocate the operation as a mix of commercial and residential uses.
Charles Noreika, a co-owner of Noreika Sales, is seeking approval from the zoning board to construct a mixed use commercial and residential development. His plan calls for a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a commercial building, eight single-family homes and one storm water management lot on property at Paint Island Spring and Millstone roads.
The proposed lots will be combined with an existing home for a total of 11 lots on the 30-acre parcel.
Noreika Sales, which sells and services lawn and garden equipment, has been in operation since the 1940s. The business predates zoning regulations in Millstone Township and is in a zone which is now designated for residential uses.
No decision on the application has been made by zoning board members. A scheduled hearing date of Jan. 23 was cancelled and rescheduled for Feb. 27. Noreika’s representatives last appeared before the board on Dec. 12.
Noreika’s current appearance before the board follows the September 2018 denial of a previous application that proposed the construction of a commercial and residential development on Paint Island Spring and Millstone roads. In the previous application, the mixed use building was proposed at 9,950 square feet.
The new application from Noreika reduces the proposed size of the mixed use building to 7,500 square feet and provides 24 parking spaces. The business would be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The proposed mixed use building is intended to replace the existing Noreika Sales building, which is scheduled to be demolished by Monmouth County as part of a project to construct a traffic roundabout at the meeting point of Stagecoach Road (Route 524), Millstone Road and Paint Island Spring Road.
Engineer and planner Patrick Jeffrey, representing the applicant, previously said Norieka’s current building is 2,900 square feet and that the property also has an 1,100-square-foot home and a 450-square-foot garage, all of which would be replaced by the proposed 7,500-square-foot mixed use building if the application is approved by the board.
Noreika and his brother, Robert, previously testified they are seeking to expand the business because the current building is jammed. They said moving Noreika Sales will require additional space.
Robert Noreika has said it would not be profitable to construct a building that is the same size as the current structure.
The proposed expansion has been met with with opposition from residents who said they believe the expansion of the business would have a negative impact on the surrounding area.
Charles Norieka’s daughter, Christine Gellane, testified that 2,900 square feet is not enough room for Noreika Sales and said a larger facility would be cleaner, neater and more aesthetically pleasing.
The zoning board’s vice chairman, Steve Barthelmes, concurred with the assessment that the existing building does not have enough room and that more space for the business is needed.
In response to the concerns from residents, Jeffrey said the applicant would consider reducing the proposed building to 6,500 square feet and to reducing the number of parking spaces.