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Developer seeks parking variance for new 'Wonder' delivery-focused restaurant at 706 E. Market St.; board and residents raise traffic concerns
Summary
Applicants for 706 East Market St. asked the zoning hearing board to allow shared off-site parking and fewer than the code-required spaces for a proposed Wonder fast food/delivery kitchen. The tenant emphasized heavy delivery and low dine-in demand; residents and supervisors questioned peak-hour traffic and curb access.
Attorneys for the applicant and representatives for the proposed tenant "Wonder" presented a zoning-hearing application Nov. 19 asking for two variances for 706 East Market Street: to allow off-site shared parking to satisfy on-site needs and to permit fewer than the zoning ordinance's required spaces for a new restaurant use.
Attorney Cameron Wolfson, owner representative Eli Khan and Wonder operations director Jason Boder told the board that Wonder's business model is heavily e-commerce based (roughly 80% delivery), with only about 900 square feet of dine-in space and roughly 10 tables; at full operation the tenant expects about 13 employees on site during peak shifts. The property currently has 51 on-site spaces plus a recorded shared-parking easement for an adjacent lot that brings available supply to about 99 spaces.
Why it matters: Zoning law counts restaurants by gross floor area; the township's ordinance would classify the tenant as a restaurant requiring about 60 spaces for the 6,000-square-foot unit. The applicant argued actual parking demand is much lower because most orders are delivered, but both staff and several board members and residents said that pickup/delivery operations raise distinct traffic-flow and curb-access concerns during evening peaks.
Key points and concerns - Applicant case: Wolfson said the shared-easement arrangement was approved in 2019 and the tenants will encourage customers and employees to use rear parking; the business model includes delivery batching, and the applicant argued the current parking supply is sufficient. - Public and board concerns: Supervisors and residents emphasized the Market Street curb geometry, existing heavy restaurant traffic nearby, limited visibility of the rear parking, and the absence of a formal traffic study. One supervisor asked how 50–75 orders per hour during peak dinner hours would be handled without curb congestion. - Zoning process note: Staff explained that the Zoning Hearing Board will consider only the requested parking variances; no traffic study is typically required where adequate parking exists or where the applicant demonstrates comparable use.
Next step: The application will proceed to the Zoning Hearing Board. The board discussion and public questions were recorded in the meeting packet for the ZHB hearing.
Provenance: Based on the applicant presentation and Q&A on the zoning application for 706 East Market St. (timeline SEG 1906'SEG 2749).
