MARLBORO — The Monmouth Worship Center will soon include a memorial garden, a power generator and other improvements at its Vanderburg Road location.
At its Dec. 18 meeting, the Marlboro Planning Board approved several variances and the Christian church’s site plan, which includes the memorial garden, a generator and a concrete pad, a 540-square-foot shed and a new LED sign.
The Monmouth Worship Center is based at a 13-acre parcel at 37 Vanderburg Road in a light industrial zone that borders several residential properties.
The memorial garden will be located in front of the building, according to Ken Jasko, pastor. The memorial garden will be used for prayer and reflection and will be comprised of a boulder fountain, a small portico, benches and shrubs, he said.
“It will be very beautiful,” Jasko said.
Church officials plan to fund the project through the sale of inscribed stones, Jasko said. That means there is no set timeline for construction, as the improvements will be completed in stages as money is raised, he said.
Board members voted to grant relief to the applicant for the memorial garden because such uses are not permitted in a front yard.
Michael Geller, an engineer and planner who represented the church in front of the board, said the memorial garden cannot be built at the rear of the property because of the presence of a conservation easement.
The memorial garden will be placed behind an existing buffer to accommodate residents who live across the street from the house of worship, Geller said.
The 12-foot-by-4-foot emergency power generator will be connected to a front corner of the building, Geller said. It will rest on a concrete pad and be enclosed by a 6-foottall fence to reduce noise, he said.
While the applicant has no immediate plans to install the generator, the power source will eventually turn the Monmouth Worship Center into a safe place during storms, Geller said.
“This would be a place where residents could go during an emergency,” he said.
The shed will be pre-made and used to store various pieces of equipment. It will be placed along the rear of an existing parking area, he said, adding that its color scheme will match that of the worship center.
Finally, the house of worship received the go-ahead to install a new LED sign. The two-sided sign will likely stay consistent all day, Jasko said.
Laura Neumann, the board’s planner and engineer, said the sign required relief because LED signs are not permitted under Marlboro’s ordinance. She said the township code might not have caught up to current sign trends, and she said the stability of the message will prove beneficial.
“I am glad the message won’t change so that (a changing message) will not be a distraction to drivers,” Neumann said.
Board members stipulated that the sign not remain on during the night. They advised Jasko to use his “good judgment” as to when the sign should be shut off. The applicant received several variances for the sign.