The plans have changed for a proposed commercial project at 71 E. Broad St.
The project which re-purposes the former automobile service station building of Castoro & Company Inc. will no longer feature two location spaces within the building for two independent restaurants.
Instead the building uses now for the two-story structure consist of four apartments on the second floor, along with first floor space for two retail and professional spaces, one professional space and a garage space, according to Board Planner Joanna Slagle’s memo.
The next public hearing at the Hopewell Borough Planning Board is being planned for June 2 and will include new testimony to the board and public about the proposed changes.
The applicant is still seeking preliminary and final site plan approval for the renovation of the existing structure located at 71 E. Broad St.
“Right now we are planning to hear a new application for 71 East Broad at our June 2 meeting. As soon as the new application is processed by our tech folks, it will be posted to the borough website,” said Peter Macholdt, chairman of the Hopewell Borough Planning Board. “And, yes, the applicant will have to start their testimony over since this is considered a new application.”
On the first floor the revised project includes two retail and professional spaces totaling 3,011 square feet, 1,349 square foot garage, and 400 square feet of professional space.
For the second floor four residential apartments will be constructed. Two apartment spaces will each be 1,092 square feet and the other two are each set to be 975 square feet.
The two-story atrium proposed is also still part of the revised project.
Additional improvements also include the creation of ADA parking spaces, three offsite parallel parking spaces along Maple Street, a dumpster enclosure and location of a loading zone to the rear of the building, according to the memo.
Along with the restaurant spaces removal from within the proposed project, open outdoor dining space has been removed to construct a two-story addition for residential apartments.
Previously before the revised uses for the building project, the applicant had proposed construction space for two restaurants that would operate independently from one another and office space in the adapted reuse of the former service building.
The restaurant spaces were being set up for different owners, but at the time representatives of the applicant indicated that initially it was unknown whether there will be two separate owners for the restaurant spaces or just one.
There would have been a restaurant (2,000 square feet) on the first floor, restaurant (1,748 square feet) space on the second floor that would include a rooftop dining area, and second-floor office space (1,213 square feet).
The first floor plans in the previous application documents contained the enclosed parking garage, lobby, two-story atrium for the entire building, dining area, kitchen, common area and restrooms. The second floor previously was set to have the rooftop dining area, the second restaurant space, office space above the parking garage, and building mechanical space.