Elk Township board unanimously approves Zone Striping site plan with conditions including EV "make‑ready" wiring

The Elk Township Combined Planning & Zoning Board on Oct. 16 granted Preliminary & Final Major Site Plan approval to Zone Striping Inc. for a new office building and parking lot at 718 Jacob Harris Lane (SP‑24‑02).

Mr. Hughes moved to grant approval, and Mr. Wolf seconded. The motion — conditioned on the applicant's compliance with items in the Board Engineer Steve Bach’s review letter dated Oct. 14, 2024 and on testimony at the hearing — passed by roll call 7‑0‑0.

Paul Mitchell, president of Zone Striping Inc., described the project as a new separate office building roughly 35 feet by 65 feet to house relocated office staff, while the older building would be used for vehicle repair and service. Mitchell said the company’s seasonal complement includes "30 fulltime staff (in season), 15 office staff and 15 mechanics along with 80 Field Employees (in season)," and that the proposal would not increase total employees, only relocate staff and add storage and shop space.

Board Engineer Steve Bach and the applicant's engineer, Scott Brown, discussed several technical conditions the board required the applicant to address: permanent edging or a thickened paving edge (or concrete parking blocks) to prevent paving deterioration; a light survey of the western parking lot with supplemental lighting if necessary; and additions to the Stormwater Narrative that reference prior permits such as the DEP wetlands permit and applicable stormwater management policies. Bach also asked that references to the Soil Conservation Service be corrected to Gloucester County rather than Salem County.

Bach confirmed that New Jersey's statutory requirements mean certain vehicle‑charging parking spaces must be "make‑ready" (wired to accept charging equipment even if chargers are not immediately installed). He advised locating a make‑ready charging spot adjacent to the accessible space; Scott Brown accepted that approach. The board also questioned whether the newly graded parking area would be considered impervious: Brown said the prior surface was stone that had been removed; Bach noted there is new impervious surface in the area of the proposed parking lot and requested that relevant details be documented in the stormwater report. Brown and Bach agreed that the stormwater basins can accommodate the proposed development and will document compliance as required.

The board required all conditions of the Oct. 14, 2024 review letter and testimony be satisfied before the approval is filed. No members of the public spoke during the public comment period on this application.

The meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m.