Lodi Zoning Board denies plan to convert 206 Route 46 East gas station into used‑car lot

The Lodi Zoning Board voted 7–0 on March 18 to deny an application to convert the service station at 206 Route 46 East into a used‑car dealership, citing insufficient parking, traffic risks on Pasadena Avenue and broader enforcement problems tied to existing car lots in town.

The applicant proposed removing the fuel canopy and pumps and repurposing the two‑story building and paved areas to display pre‑owned vehicles, retain a small sales office and operate a 3‑bay garage for limited on‑lot repairs. "The intention is to change the use of this existing two‑story structure and the site to a used car dealership," said Zenaiser Almukhtar, a principal at Heritage Madison Architecture, who presented the plans to the board.

Michael D. Kauker, a licensed professional planner retained by the applicant, told the board the property (Block 238, Lot 1) contains roughly 21,120 square feet and the existing building is about 1,885 square feet. He said the proposal requires a D‑1 use variance and two C bulk variances because automobile sales are not a permitted use in the Highway Commercial (CH) district in the form proposed. "The applicant is proposing to discontinue the existing gas station," Kauker said, adding that the planner believed the reuse would be less intense than the current service‑station and convenience‑store combination.

Board members and nearby residents pressed the applicant on operational details. A resident, Sue Vomero of 170 Pasadena Avenue, described repeated incidents in which car carriers blocked Pasadena and parts of Clark Street for extended periods: "A car carrier dropping off and picking up cars blocked Pasadena Avenue and part of Clark Street for 45 minutes. It's unacceptable," she said, adding that trucks had knocked down low wires on multiple occasions.

Board members repeatedly raised enforcement and parking concerns. One member cited local ordinance section $5.85‑10l, which prohibits storing vehicles within 10 feet of a right of way or property line; the board also noted recent fines and changes to borough enforcement designed to curb overcrowded and poorly managed car lots. Members questioned whether on‑site mechanics would be limited to inventory and how the borough would monitor off‑site vehicle servicing or deliveries.

The applicant, who identified himself for the record as Ozan Oren, said offloading and loading would take place within the property and that mechanics would perform preparatory work only on vehicles intended for sale. "Mechanic work is just mechanical work... it is not open to the public to change brakes of someone else," Oren said, describing the intended operation.

Despite those assurances, multiple board members said the combination of the small lot, the number of existing car lots in Lodi, the potential for carrier deliveries to disrupt local streets and visible examples of poor site maintenance at nearby lots weighed against approval. After discussion, a board member moved to deny the application; the motion carried on a 7–0 roll call.

The denial means the applicant did not receive the D‑1 use variance or related relief needed to operate the proposed used‑car dealership at 206 Route 46 East. The board subsequently approved the minutes from its previous meeting and adjourned.

What happens next: The applicant may revise the proposal to address the board's conditions and resubmit, or may seek relief through a different process; no such next step was announced at the March 18 meeting.