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S. Bruns. planners kill proposal for warehouses
Home News Tribune Online 02/17/06
By DEBORAH LYNN
BLUMBERG
STAFF WRITER
dblumberg@thnt.com
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Bill Klimowicz and his neighbors on Davidsons Mill Road have rallied against warehouses for years.
Existing warehouses in the area contribute to flooding in nearby woodlands and attract added cars and trucks that clog the roads, residents have said. Officials have been unsympathetic to residents' plight, Klimowicz said, by approving new warehouses that only exacerbate conditions.
"Some of my neighbors and I have have been fighting these warehouses and the plague that they have brought to our neighborhoods for 12 years," Klimowicz said. "Warehouses and residential areas mix like oil and water."
But Wednesday, residents scored a small victory.
Planning Board members struck down a developer's proposal to build three new warehouses at Davidsons Mill Road and Route 535 in a 4-4 vote after hours of testimony from concerned community members. Proposals before the planning board are rejected in the case of a tie vote. Residents said they were shocked by the decision.
"The vote was a relief and a surprise," said Jean Dvorak, who lives on Davidsons Mill Road. "I had the feeling somebody was finally listening to what we're saying."
Like many meeting attendees, Dvorak is also a member of the Eastern Villages Association, or E.V.A., a resident group dedicated to preserving the history and character of the northeastern section of town.
The building proposal, submitted by Trammell Crow South Brunswick, Inc., would have added another 1.8 million square feet to the area's 8 million square feet of warehouse space. Officials said the site is one of the last open tracts of land in South Brunswick large enough to accommodate new warehouses.
Planning Board member and former mayor Debra Johnson voted against the project, calling traffic and flooding issues "a complicated mess." Johnson doubted engineers' testimony that a new traffic light in the area would drastically reduce congestion and said more information is needed.
"Something will be built there," Johnson said, "but things need to be studied further." Johnson also cited the last warehouse project approved by the board as reason to proceed with caution. State officials are examining the CNJ warehouse proposal approved in August for possible drainage system design problems, Johnson said.
"CNJ was a mistake," she said. "And at some point you need to learn from your mistakes."
Johnson said that if Trammell Crow representatives truly believe their design won't cause flooding, they should help the town conduct a drainage study in the warehouse district.
Trammell Crow's design includes porous pavement, which helps water seep into the ground.
Trammell Crow's attorney, Richard Goldman, had not returned calls about the proposal by press time last night.
Dvorak has repeatedly asked officials to study the area's drainage system. Too many warehouses use too few drainage pipes, she said, and the buildings' storm-water basins are too small. The inadequate system has led to flooding in the Green Acres land west of the New Jersey Turnpike, she said.
"I had serious concerns about the fact that this new warehouse would be using part of (the existing) drainage system," Dvorak said. "By and large this applicant's plan was one of the better ones, but there are still so many unresolved questions."
Mayor Frank Gambatese voted for the proposal, calling the application the best warehouse plan he's ever seen. Trammell Crow offered to put up a performance bond guaranteeing storm ater would be recycled into the ground, and offered to contribute $1.3 million to the town's affordable-housing fund, Gambatese said.
The new traffic light would also reduce drivers' wait time at Davidsons Mill Road and Route 535 from 6-8 minutes to 35 seconds, the mayor said.
"I'm very concerned that some other applicant will come in with another plan and take all of these things we agreed to off the table," Gambatese said.
Gambatese understands residents' concerns, but said warehouses are not to blame for extensive flooding in the area. Several warehouses were built in the 1990s, he said, but the Turnpike Authority told officials flooding intensified only in June of last year.
But Gambatese still wants to study flooding. Last week, he proposed forming a task force to examine drainage and traffic issues, and requested $1,000 for the project from council. Dvorak said Gambatese asked her and Klimowicz to participate in the three-month study.
As for the Trammell Crow project, Gambatese said the developer can appeal the board's decision, but at this time the proposal is no longer an issue.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is a vote that's over and done with," Gambatese said.
Deborah Lynn Blumberg:
(732) 565-7264;
dblumberg@thnt.com
S. Bruns. planners kill proposal for warehouses
Home News Tribune Online 02/17/06
By DEBORAH LYNN
BLUMBERG
STAFF WRITER
dblumberg@thnt.com
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — Bill Klimowicz and his neighbors on Davidsons Mill Road have rallied against warehouses for years.
Existing warehouses in the area contribute to flooding in nearby woodlands and attract added cars and trucks that clog the roads, residents have said. Officials have been unsympathetic to residents' plight, Klimowicz said, by approving new warehouses that only exacerbate conditions.
"Some of my neighbors and I have have been fighting these warehouses and the plague that they have brought to our neighborhoods for 12 years," Klimowicz said. "Warehouses and residential areas mix like oil and water."
But Wednesday, residents scored a small victory.
Planning Board members struck down a developer's proposal to build three new warehouses at Davidsons Mill Road and Route 535 in a 4-4 vote after hours of testimony from concerned community members. Proposals before the planning board are rejected in the case of a tie vote. Residents said they were shocked by the decision.
"The vote was a relief and a surprise," said Jean Dvorak, who lives on Davidsons Mill Road. "I had the feeling somebody was finally listening to what we're saying."
Like many meeting attendees, Dvorak is also a member of the Eastern Villages Association, or E.V.A., a resident group dedicated to preserving the history and character of the northeastern section of town.
The building proposal, submitted by Trammell Crow South Brunswick, Inc., would have added another 1.8 million square feet to the area's 8 million square feet of warehouse space. Officials said the site is one of the last open tracts of land in South Brunswick large enough to accommodate new warehouses.
Planning Board member and former mayor Debra Johnson voted against the project, calling traffic and flooding issues "a complicated mess." Johnson doubted engineers' testimony that a new traffic light in the area would drastically reduce congestion and said more information is needed.
"Something will be built there," Johnson said, "but things need to be studied further." Johnson also cited the last warehouse project approved by the board as reason to proceed with caution. State officials are examining the CNJ warehouse proposal approved in August for possible drainage system design problems, Johnson said.
"CNJ was a mistake," she said. "And at some point you need to learn from your mistakes."
Johnson said that if Trammell Crow representatives truly believe their design won't cause flooding, they should help the town conduct a drainage study in the warehouse district.
Trammell Crow's design includes porous pavement, which helps water seep into the ground.
Trammell Crow's attorney, Richard Goldman, had not returned calls about the proposal by press time last night.
Dvorak has repeatedly asked officials to study the area's drainage system. Too many warehouses use too few drainage pipes, she said, and the buildings' storm-water basins are too small. The inadequate system has led to flooding in the Green Acres land west of the New Jersey Turnpike, she said.
"I had serious concerns about the fact that this new warehouse would be using part of (the existing) drainage system," Dvorak said. "By and large this applicant's plan was one of the better ones, but there are still so many unresolved questions."
Mayor Frank Gambatese voted for the proposal, calling the application the best warehouse plan he's ever seen. Trammell Crow offered to put up a performance bond guaranteeing storm ater would be recycled into the ground, and offered to contribute $1.3 million to the town's affordable-housing fund, Gambatese said.
The new traffic light would also reduce drivers' wait time at Davidsons Mill Road and Route 535 from 6-8 minutes to 35 seconds, the mayor said.
"I'm very concerned that some other applicant will come in with another plan and take all of these things we agreed to off the table," Gambatese said.
Gambatese understands residents' concerns, but said warehouses are not to blame for extensive flooding in the area. Several warehouses were built in the 1990s, he said, but the Turnpike Authority told officials flooding intensified only in June of last year.
But Gambatese still wants to study flooding. Last week, he proposed forming a task force to examine drainage and traffic issues, and requested $1,000 for the project from council. Dvorak said Gambatese asked her and Klimowicz to participate in the three-month study.
As for the Trammell Crow project, Gambatese said the developer can appeal the board's decision, but at this time the proposal is no longer an issue.
"As far as I'm concerned, this is a vote that's over and done with," Gambatese said.
Deborah Lynn Blumberg:
(732) 565-7264;
dblumberg@thnt.com
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 9:37 AM
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