JAMESBURG – The borough’s Combined Land Use Board has granted preliminary and final major site plan approval to an applicant who proposed to convert a former PNC Bank into a veterinary clinic.
Approval for the application was granted during the board’s Dec. 12 meeting.
The building at 36 W. Railroad Ave. is in Jamesburg’s CBD Zone District. The two-story building was previously a PNC Bank and consists of 10,875 square feet with a drive-up window and a basement, according to a resolution passed by the board.
The applicant, Dr. Ehab Ibrahim, the owner of the property, proposed using the first and second floors as a veterinary hospital/clinic, with the basement for storage only. The applicant proposed to convert the drive-up window area to storage use and to add a 6- by 9-foot addition. There is a proposed door to exit the storage area which is to be accessed from the interior of the building only, according to the resolution.
The site will have 10 parking spaces, with two parking spaces for individuals who have a handicap.
Engineer John Ploskonka, representing the applicant, said the applicant would only keep the existing lighting system on during office hours.
Screening will be provided around the trash receptacle, according to the resolution.
Ibrahim testified that he has operated his veterinary clinic/hospital at 3 Stockton Ave. in the borough. He is now on-site full-time and has seven technicians and one part-time doctor who collectively operate the site when the facility is open, plus three office employees.
The business is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Wednesday until 7:30 p.m. and Saturday until 1 p.m.
Ibrahim said his existing operation is very tight in the existing building and that the new location will provide the same services in a larger, more efficient area. There will be an outside grass area where animals will be walked during treatment.
Ibrahim said there are typically 15 appointments each day, with no walk-in clients. The appointments are generally timed to be back-to-back so there is little or no waiting.
There is no overnight boarding at the facility, but animals recovering from surgery may be kept overnight and monitored remotely by staff. On occasion, patients who require overnight monitoring are transferred to an affiliated 24-hour facility, according to the resolution.
Vinu Patel of VP Architectural Design LLC, who is the project’s architect, explained how the former drive-up window area will be expanded for storage use and said the former area of the bank vault would be used for X-rays.
The building has one existing door and one proposed door. Patel said the two doors would be sufficient to service the needs of the facility.
After a number of safety questions were posed by board members, the applicant agreed that, if it was determined to be necessary, a third door at the rear of the building would be added to provide an additional means of ingress/egress, according to the resolution.
Ibrahim said there is an existing protocol for the removal of animal waste. The waste is removed three times a day and is charted on a daily basis, according to the testimony.
Ploskonka said for safety reasons, the two existing driveways, one from West Church Street and one from an unnamed alley, will be closed. He testified that the dog walking area will not be fenced, but the applicant agreed to post signs which will indicate the area is for patient use only.
Contact Vashti Harris at [email protected].