EAST BRUNSWICK – Vocalizing their concerns which range from parking to amenity space, members of the East Brunswick Planning Board heard architectural testimony for HD Summerhill LLC’s revised development plan on March 12.
HD Summerhill is proposing to construct four three-story residential buildings; a clubhouse that will have a gathering room, a possible coffee bar and an exercise facility; a CVS pharmacy; a Chase bank; and parking, lighting and landscaping improvements at 377 Summerhill Road, East Brunswick, near the Spotswood border, according to attorney David Himelman, who represents the applicant.
Previously, the developer was proposing five three-story residential buildings, but has revised its proposed plan, according to Himelman.
“As the board is aware … the applicant did file a conceptual revised plan which revised the existing site plan and modifies the plan in a variety of ways, reducing the total number of units from 120 to 96,” Himelman said. “Also, it reorients many of the buildings on the site. The parking has been modified, there has been some additional parking provided for public access for Frost Woods and several other, what I would consider significant modifications.
“The proposed project is a planned unit residential development which is permitted in the Town Green (TG) zone. Pursuant to your ordinance, ‘a planned unit residential development in the TG zone shall include 20 percent affordable units as defined in the township housing compliance plan,’ ” Himelman said.
HD Summerhill managing member Nicholas Minoia said the property is 10.34 acres and contains an approximate 40,000-square-foot office building, which he said is functionally obsolete.
Due to the applicant revising its proposed plan from five to four residential buildings, Brett Skapinetz, engineer and director of Dynamic Engineering Consultants, said the revised plan provides more separation space behind the back of each proposed residential building that would be near a wooded area.
“On the north side of the CVS pharmacy, we did make an alteration which has additional green space on that edge of the CVS,” Skapinetz said. “In the previous plan, the drive aisle ran closer to the CVS and then swung in toward the opening on Summerhill Road.”
Skapinetz said the total number of residential parking spaces is 200, which includes 14 designated parking spaces for Frost Woods that will be toward the back of the Chase bank. The Frost Woods parking spaces will have signs which state residents may park in the spaces from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is one electric car charging parking space.
“With the reconfiguration of the parking, a lot of the elements we talked about in the last couple of meetings was ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) parking,” Skapinetz said. “We provided a redistribution … to provide spaces that are very clear to the front entrances of each one of the residential buildings. … We have 15 ADA parking spaces where 13 are required for the overall site.”
East Brunswick Business Administrator Joseph Criscuolo, who sits on the board, said he was concerned the ADA parking spaces were not distributed enough throughout the residential area.
“I still don’t see a playground here. I was hoping there would be a playground for children who are potentially going to live here because there will be affordable housing units,” Criscuolo said. “At least somewhere … so children would have a safe place to play.”
Since the applicant has not submitted its final proposed site plan, the board’s attorney, Lawrence Sachs, asked Himelman if the applicant could consider revisiting the ADA parking concerns and the lack of a playground.
Minno and Wasko Architects and Planners architect Jack Raker explained the architectural aspects of the proposed plan. He said three of the four residential buildings contain 25 apartments and one contains 21 apartments. The building that contains 21 apartments is where the proposed amenities will be.
The market rate units consist of 37 one-bedroom apartments and 35 two-bedroom apartments. The low and moderate income apartments consist of four one-bedroom, 15 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom units.
Each residential building will have features that include garage parking spaces, a lobby with mailboxes, elevators, storage space on the ground floor, and a trash room on every floor. Building management will dispose of the trash and recycled items.
Showing photos of possible amenities that might be included, Raker said, “As we move forward these pictures are not of what we are doing exactly in this project. We haven’t fully designed an amenities space yet, but we have done many of these throughout the state.”
Raker said the proposed amenities could include a sitting/living area where tenants can socialize, an exercise room, an office space, a movie theater and a pet washing room.
The plan includes a proposed amenities outside terrace, which is not fully designed yet, that may have a sitting area, a fireplace or fire pit, a recreational area and a grilling area, according to Raker.
Planning Board member Larry Bravman said he was concerned there was no maintenance room in the proposed plan for the buildings’ maintenance workers.
Since there has not been a maintenance area that has been identified yet, Raker said he would work with the developer to see if a space can be provided. Some projects do not have a maintenance room because the developer uses all-day maintenance assistance provided by a service, so the maintenance workers are there daily and on-site, he said.
Planning Board member Steve Philips said, “You have a lot of pictures of different things, it’s only a 2,800-square-foot amenity center and I think you are trying to cram like 5,000 [or] 6,000 feet of stuff in there.”
Raker said not all of the amenities options he presented will fit in the designated space and he said the developer does not yet know what options will be constructed.
Planner John McDonough showed aerial views of the proposed site and gave an overview of the proposed project.
“There are … several variances the applicant needs for this particular application. … The affordable (housing) component has remained the same, 24 units, so we have gone from a 20 percent set-aside to a 25 percent set-aside,” McDonough said. “(That is) well above what is customarily found in terms of the provision of affordable housing.”
McDonough said the applicant is seeking five C variances and signs relating to the pharmacy and the bank.
Resident David Procaccii said, “[The applicant] bought the property knowing what the zoning is now. Why should we allow any variances? … So the question that we have heard is the benefits to the community. I would argue there have been many people here who have stayed until 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. over the past couple of meetings. There is very little to no value to the people who live around the proposed development.”
Resident Eileen Cella of Spotswood said she lives near where the proposed CVS and Chase bank may be constructed and said she is concerned about lighting spilling off the site.
Sachs said the bank and the pharmacy will not be open 24 hours a day and he said the board can request that lighting at the site be turned off or turned down.
The hearing on the HD Summerhill application is scheduled to continue at the board’s 7:30 p.m. March 27 meeting at Memorial Elementary School, 14 Innes Road, East Brunswick.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].