Planning Board: County Should Bar Trucks From Some County Roads
In the latest salvo against the widespread development of warehouses and their attendant truck traffic, the Township Planning Board wants Somerset County to disallow the big rigs on all or parts of some County roads. At the urging of Board member Robert Thomas, the Board passed his motion to have Principal Planner Mark Healey contact […]
Environmental Commission Says ‘No’ To Warehouse Application
The Environmental Commission on October 16 decided to recommend that the Township Zoning Board of Adjustment not approve an application for a warehouse at Weston Canal and Cottontail roads. The application, submitted by Somerset Properties Realty, calls for a 61,000-square-foot warehouse on a roughly 5-acre plot fronting Cottontail Lane. Plans call for 38 parking spaces, […]
Planning Board To Hear 91,000-square-foot Warehouse Application
An application to build a 91,000-square-foot warehouse on a vacant lot on Atrium Drive is set to be heard October 4 by the Planning Board. The one-story building would have 81,065-square-feet of warehouse space, a mezzanine, 43 parking spaces and 13 loading docks, according to the application. The project is targeted for a roughly 5-acre […]
Planning Board Denies B9 Warehouses Application
An application to build two warehouses across from the Canal Walk housing development was unanimously rejected September 26 by the Planning Board. The vote came after months of Board hearings, sometimes acrimonious testimony and regular attendance at the meetings by more than 200 residents, most of whom live in Canal Walk. It also came after […]
Parker At Somerset Wins Zoning Board Approval For New Outpatient Area
The Parker at Somerset rehabilitation center won Zoning Board of Adjustment approval for its plan to re-stripe its parking lot and create an outpatient rehabilitation facility at the September 7 Board meeting. Meanwhile, a township couple wishing to build a home for themselves was told to return to the Board in October with more detailed […]
B9 Warehouses Opponents Hear Their Experts At Planning Board
Opponents of a proposed two-warehouse development at Schoolhouse and Mettlers roads got the chance on July 19 to convince the Planning Board that the application should not be approved. The opponents, the majority of whom are Canal Walk residents, relied on the testimony of an engineer, a sound consultant and a planner to make their […]
B9 Warehouse Application Hearing Continues; Changes To Plan Get Cold Reception
Testimony on changes to a plan to build more than 200,000 square feet of warehouse space at Mettlers and Schoolhouse roads elicited sometimes aggressive questioning from members of the Planning Board and the public at the Board’s July 5 meeting. Most of the questioning centered on how well-screened from nearby residential properties the project would […]
Fundraising To Begin For Township YMCA Branch. Again
An idea that was first broached about 20 years ago, but never materialized, is coming back in focus. Officials at the Greater Somerset YMCA announced June 27 that a feasibility study recommended they move forward with placing a YMCA branch in Franklin, on the Township’s portion of the former Consolata property on Route 27. Township […]
B9 Warehouse Traffic Expert Grilled At Planning Board Hearing
The traffic engineer for the proposed B9 warehouses at Schoolhouse and Mettlers roads came under prolonged questioning from the Planning Board and public during a continuation of the application’s hearing at the June 21 Board meeting. Most of the questions asked of the engineer, Corey Chase, centered on the extent to which Chase accounted for […]
Noise Ordinance Amendments Adopted By Township Council
Amendments to the Township’s Noise Ordinance which restrict the time that industrial-related loading and unloading operations, as well as the use of vehicles with backup beepers, can be used on properties that abut Scenic Corridors which are adjacent to residential developments was approved on second reading June 13 by the Township Council. The amendments apply […]
