Planning board continues Applegarth LLC use-variance hearing after applicant revises plan and updates traffic analysis

Applegarth LLC returned to the Monroe Township Planning Board for a continued public hearing on a proposed neighborhood commercial center and related variances; the applicant revised the plan, removed an industrial building, and provided updated traffic and technical studies, but the board carried the application to its July 29, 2025 meeting for a final vote.

Kenneth Pape, the applicant’s attorney, said the plan had been revised in response to board and professional comments made at the prior hearing in January. "We removed that industrial building from the plan in its entirety," Pape told the board, describing changes that included larger parking stalls in the retail area, relocated driveways, and expanded perimeter buffers to meet ordinance requirements.

Design engineer Sharif Ali and planner Mark Remsa testified that revisions cut the project’s footprint so the portion used for commercial purposes is effectively about five acres of usable land even though the overall parcel is about 15 acres; Remsa said wetlands, stream corridors and floodplain on the property constrain developable area and support limited variance relief. The application still seeks limited variance relief: a D-2 variance tied to lot area, and a D-1 variance to allow commercial parking to extend into a portion of the property that is in the R-30 residential zone.

Traffic consultant Scott Kennel presented an updated traffic report and said the Applegarth–Union Valley intersection would operate at an overall level of service C under the study’s peak-hour analysis; he and township professionals noted final determinations about signal or intersection improvements would be decided by Middlesex County during its formal review. The board asked for clarification on counts taken near school arrival and dismissal times; Kennel said the study used continuous counts over several days and analyzed the peak-hour volumes required by the county’s methodology.

Board professionals and members asked about several items that will be reserved for site-plan review if the use-variance is granted: loading area configuration and gates, final driveway movements (the northern driveway is currently shown as egress-only but county review could change that), the freestanding sign (deferred to site plan), and parking stall sizing and the number of banked/green parking spaces. The applicant’s team said they will provide the full site plan and technical details at the next step.

At the close of testimony, the applicant’s attorney asked the board to postpone the final vote until an absent member could review the transcript. The board agreed and carried application BA5251-24 (Applegarth LLC) to the July 29, 2025 meeting at 6:30 p.m.; counsel said transcripts would be delivered within two weeks and that no further testimony is expected at the next appearance other than summation and a vote.