Board carries large mixed-use proposal on Applegarth Road after traffic, wetlands and design concerns

A multi-building mixed-use proposal by 257 Applegarth LLC drew extensive testimony and public comment at the Monroe Township Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on Jan. 22; the board carried the application to a March 25, 2025 hearing so the applicant can revise plans and respond to professionals' concerns.

The application, presented as a bifurcated use-variance request, asks for D3 relief for two retail buildings along Applegarth Road and D1 relief for a “flex” light-industrial building placed behind the retail on upland that was described as effectively trapped by wetlands and flood-hazard areas. The team described the property as roughly 20 acres with about 12 acres of environmentally constrained area (wetlands, floodplain and stream corridor). The plan submitted to the board showed two retail buildings of roughly 14,000 square feet each on the Applegarth frontage, plus a third “flex” building in the upland pocket and two conforming single-family lots along Union Valley Road.

Applicant representatives said the design respects wetlands and flood-hazard buffers and that necessary environmental documentation (wetlands Letter of Interpretation and flood-hazard verification) is on file. Engineer Sharif Ali and traffic expert Scott Kennel testified the team did soil testing, flood-hazard verification, and traffic counts…