Zoning board approves use variance for rehabbed warehouse at 164 Applegarth Road

Monroe Township's Zoning Board of Adjustment on Jan. 22 approved a use-variance application and preliminary/final major site plan for 164 Applegarth Road, allowing the conversion and expansion of an industrial/warehouse building owned by TJS Ventures LLC.

The board voted to approve the application subject to the conditions agreed in the hearing and the township professionals' review letters. The project, as presented, is a roughly 7,300-square-foot warehouse with about 1,400 square feet of office space and attic/storage; the applicant agreed to limit the upstairs space to nonhabitable storage to avoid triggering additional parking requirements.

Board professionals and the applicant's witnesses testified about revisions made since the prior December hearing. Sharif Ali, the applicant's engineer from Ameritech Engineering, described revisions including a low three-foot berm along the Applegarth frontage, removal of an area of pavement north of the building that reduced impervious coverage from about 36.7% to 33.5%, paving of the parking lot, addition of one light on the north wall, and removal of impervious material around dumpsters. Ali said a field re-measurement established the building height at about 37.8 feet, which required the height variance the applicant sought. He also testified that the attic measures 1,577 square feet and is proposed for storage only.

Planner Mark Remsa summarized the architectural and landscaping changes made to soften the building façade (adding fenestration on the upper portion), and confirmed the applicant's agreement with the conditions laid out in the planner's and engineer's review letters. The applicant also provided a 15-square-foot wall sign at the front door location in the architectural drawings and showed a front-loader trash-access plan for the dumpster area.

Township planner and engineer comments were addressed on the record: the environmental-impact-statement waiver was discussed and the township's engineer recommended the waiver be granted subject to a conservation easement on wetlands and flood-plains and review by the environmental commission. The township engineer also advised that, although the project is not a “major development” under the stormwater regs after the reduction in impervious surface, the board should require stormwater best-management practices (for example, a rain garden) to address parking-lot runoff; the applicant said soil testing and related certifications (Freehold Soil District and canal certification) have been obtained and that the team would provide the recommended measures.

At the hearing the applicant agreed to record a deed restriction and to build the Second Floor/attic so its ceiling height is below the 6½-foot threshold for habitation (making it storage-only), which planner Remsa and the board said would prevent an immediate parking increase if a future owner sought to change use. The applicant also agreed to additional landscaping around the proposed 4-foot vinyl fence along the southern residential edge.

After the public portion was closed, a board member moved to approve the application “subject to all the conditions they've agreed to including lowering the ceiling to make sure the Second Floor is not habitable, the architectural changes and all the other things they've agreed to on the plans and this evening to both of our professionals.” In roll-call voting the motion passed: Miss Carey — yes; Mister Masters — yes; Mister Busman — yes; Mister Tansy — yes; Mister Jaffe — yes; Mister Cole — no; Chairman Lafada — yes. The board's motion approved the use variance and preliminary/final major site plan with the conditions recorded in the professionals' review letters and the applicant's on-the-record concessions.

The board recorded that the project team will continue to coordinate with township professionals on final engineering and site-plan details before permits are issued; the applicant agreed to meet with the board professionals as needed.