Clark planning board approves 7 Brew drive‑through at 1005 Raritan Road with traffic and signage conditions

The Clark Township Planning Board on May 1 approved preliminary and final major site plan for 7 Brew, a drive‑through beverage outlet proposed for 1005 Raritan Road (Block 63, Lot 46), after hearing detailed testimony on operations, traffic and site design and agreeing to conditions from township professionals and public safety officials.

Board members voted unanimously in roll call to approve the application; the resolution will be memorialized after the applicant meets with the police department to finalize certain traffic and enforcement details.

The application calls for demolishing the existing Santander bank building and replacing it with a 510‑square‑foot prefabricated beverage kiosk, a 260‑square‑foot refrigeration shed and a canopy. Jason Tuvel, attorney for the applicant, said the store will be beverage‑only — “no food preparation, no cooking, no seating inside the building” — with hours of 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Applicant representative Zachary Roskam testified that the operation will be primarily drive‑through ("99 plus percent of our business is drive through"), that typical peak shifts use 5–7 employees and nonpeak shifts use 3–4, and that deliveries and trash collection occur about twice weekly.

Why it matters: planners and engineers said the proposal reduces impervious coverage and increases landscaped open space to about 28 percent of the lot versus the township ordinance requirement of 10 percent. The board granted variances tied primarily to the small building footprint: more wall signs than normally allowed, a slightly larger façade sign area, and larger menu board dimensions tied to the drive‑through format.

Key approvals and conditions - Variances granted (as presented during testimony): multiple façade wall signs (applicant proposed 5 where 1 is permitted), aggregate façade sign area exceeding the façade percentage calculation, and larger menu/display board sizes than some ordinance sublimits. The board and applicant agreed signage should be scaled and screened where appropriate. - Traffic and circulation: Stonefield Engineering and Design’s traffic engineer, Matthew Seckler, testified the site design provides a 21‑vehicle queuing capacity and, based on trip‑generation data, expected up to about 90 trips in the peak hour (approximately 45 in / 45 out). Average in‑site service time was described as about "3 to 3 and a half minutes." The board required the applicant to meet county driveway standards and to work with township police on driveway controls. - Police and enforcement conditions: The board and applicant agreed the applicant will meet with the police department within two weeks; the outcome of that meeting should be resolved before the resolution is memorialized. The applicant agreed to a probationary 90‑day monitoring period for a proposed left‑turn‑in movement from Raritan Road (the police may require converting that driveway to right‑in/right‑out if enforcement or safety concerns arise). - Operational / site conditions: the applicant agreed to remove an on‑site customer table to discourage lingering, to maintain employee‑only parking stalls, to install additional landscaping and screening (especially along the northern property line adjacent to apartments), and to comply with fire department turn‑around comments (including mountable curbing where required).

What the plan will change on the site: testimony from the civil engineer, Aaron Chan, noted the existing site is nonconforming in several locations (building and ATM/drive‑through canopies close to the corner). The new plan moves the active building footprint away from the hard corner, adds landscaping and screening (the applicant described 57 trees proposed across the site, including evergreen screening along the apartment line), and reduces overall impervious coverage compared with the existing condition.

Points of board concern and discussion: Board members repeatedly focused on driveway control and safety for left‑turn movements from Raritan Road and a proposed right‑in/right‑out on Westfield Avenue. The applicant agreed to work with the county (the roadway is county‑controlled), the police department and the township traffic consultant on a channelizing island and signage; Detective Weber and Captain Lott were referenced by the applicant as police contacts for the final driveway design. The board also emphasized that any future change to allow food preparation or indoor seating would require coming back to the board for modification of approvals.

Next steps: The board approved the site plan and the applicant will return with final plan revisions and proof of compliance with the listed professional reports. The final resolution will be memorialized after the required meeting with the police department (to occur within two weeks) and the applicant’s final plan adjustments to reflect county, fire and police recommendations.