The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A 183,000-square-foot warehouse on Elizabeth Avenue was approved December 15 by the Planning Board.
The warehouse, which does not as yet have any tenants, will sit on about 15 acres, bordered by Shop Rite and The Palace catering hall.
The project calls for a 182,780-square-foot warehouse, within which 9,600 square feet would be office and utility space.
One of the Board’s main concerns was the routes warehouse truck traffic would take to get to Route 287.
Board chairman Michael Orsini wanted assurances that the applicant, Brookfield Properties of New York, would steer truck traffic away from any residential areas.
John Corak, the applicant’s traffic engineer, said the property lends itself for trucks to jump on Route 287 and exits 10 and 12.
The exits, he said, “are entirely north of the site and don’t need to go by residential users.”
Also, Corak said, truck deliveries are scheduled at times other than peak commuting times because truckers dont want to get stuck in traffic.
“We would agree the route you proposed is the route we would want trucks to take,” Orsini said, asking how the truck drivers would be told which route to take.
“Signage is typically an appropriate measure,” Corak said.
Orsini suggested signs indicating right turns needed to be made out of the facility’s driveway. Peter Lanfrit, the applicant’s attorney, said he would sit down with his client to discuss the best signage.
“We don’t want to preclude a left turn if there are local deliveries,” he said.
Board member Robert Thomas suggested the applicant be asked to put directional signs at the Elizabeth Avenue-Pierce Street intersection, directing truck drivers to the proper Route 287 ramps.
“Signage off-site involves dealing with the county, dealing with the township, and it may involve dealing with a property owner,” Lanfrit said. “We have no problem exploring it and getting that accomplished as a recommendation from this board. We will do what we can to get it done.”
The applicant originally proposed 130 parking spaces, but township planner Mark Healey in a memo to the Board suggested that was too many. In the end, 110 parking spots were agreed to, with 20 “banked” for possible future use.
The project will also require the removal of 1,653 trees, with 403 replaced, Healey noted. He said the applicant would make a contribution to the township tree fund.
