Woolwich board approves NP Woolwich Industrial complex with conditions after residents raise traffic, noise and air concerns

The Woolwich Township Joint Land Use Board on Nov. 21 approved NP Woolwich Industrial’s preliminary and final major site plan and subdivision with bulk variances and conditions, following lengthy testimony from the applicant’s team and public comment from nearby residents.

Attorney Clint Allen introduced the project and the applicant’s professionals, and Marc Gloyeske of NP Development described a multi-lot industrial complex on Pancoast Road and Kings Highway that the applicant says will host traditional warehousing and light manufacturing rather than data centers, cold storage or heavy assembly. "These buildings will not work as data processing locations; they won't have the power to run it," Allen said, adding that data centers require more electricity and water for cooling.

The plan divides the property into four lots: Lot A (about 64.8 acres) for Building 1, Lot B (about 69.7 acres) for Building 2, Lot C (about 35.3 acres) for Building 3, and Lot D (about 5.4 acres) proposed as donated land for Bancroft group homes. Civil engineer Ryan McDermott described parking, loading and trailer space counts and said access to Lot 3 would be via an internal roadway. McDermott said wetlands and a riparian buffer have been addressed with NJDEP coordination.

Traffic and circulation drew sustained scrutiny. Traffic engineer Cory Chase said counts were taken in 2022 and updated in January 2024 with seasonality adjustments; the team modeled truck routes and proposed roadway geometry, signage, GPS-routing software and a new traffic signal at Pancoast and Route 322 as mitigation. Chase testified that off-site improvements will be coordinated with NJDOT, the New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) authority and county agencies and that interim improvements would be established so Certificates of Occupancy can be granted in phases.

Acoustical engineer Ben Muller described modeling against industrial standards (65 dBA daytime, 50 dBA night) and recommended sound barriers and a fence atop a retaining wall near the proposed group-home site to mitigate truck and HVAC noise. The applicant’s landscape architect, Marla Roller, presented a planting plan she said uses about 95% native species and adds more than 16,000 plants and trees to buffer views and noise.

Board members repeatedly pressed the applicant on timing and conditions. Planner Lance Landgraff and other professionals summarized requested variances (reduced side/rear yard distances between buildings, driveway widths, and subdivision for financing) and said the applicant sought a six-year extension of approvals to protect the project from potential future zoning changes while interagency roadwork is completed. Several board members questioned the length of that extension and emphasized that county and DOT approvals must be in place before certain COs.

Members of the public urged caution. Jaime R. Placek, counsel for the New Jersey Turnpike authority, asked that any approvals be conditioned on coordination with NJTP. Neighbor Neal Rafferty said Gibbstown residents oppose the project, citing concerns about noise, lighting and pollution. Vanessa Snyder, who lives on Pancoast Road near the proposed access, described worries about safety, hours of operation, air and light pollution and potential property-value impacts and said she has started a petition; she asked whether buyouts or additional mitigation were possible. Developer ally Steve Wolfson said he has worked with NP Development and supports the application.

The board voted on a motion "to approve, with variances listed as well as conditions of approval and any other agreed-upon items" (moved by Rushton, seconded by Grasso). The motion passed 8–2 (Grasso, Juliano, Matthias, Morris, Moorer, Nocentino, Healey and Chair Maugeri voted yes; Rushton and Kauffman voted no). Conditions recorded during discussion include coordination and written approvals from NJDOT/NJTP/county as applicable, completion of NJDEP permits, and township engineering compliance review of curbing, access easements and other technical items before final sign-off and issuance of COs.

The application record includes technical exhibits and letters the board cited as outstanding items for compliance review: traffic-calculation supplements, RVE engineering comments, NJDEP permit applications, and a deed-of-easement for access to the landlocked lot. The board also noted stormwater management and DEP permitting remain under review and that Aqua NJ will accept the pump station after construction.

What happens next: the board adopted conditions that require the applicant to complete interagency coordination and formal technical compliance before the township issues final approvals or Certificates of Occupancy. The board closed public comment and adjourned the meeting at about 12:09 AM.

The record notes the applicant offered Lot D to Bancroft for group homes at no cost and said the group-home site will require a separate site-plan application and approvals before construction.