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Bedminster board approves amended Bed 1 mixed‑use plan, defers signage for separate review
Summary
The Bedminster Land Use Board approved a revised plan for the Bed 1 redevelopment — 140 units (28 affordable), 10,000 sq ft of retail and a standalone Bank of America parcel — and set conditions requiring a developer's agreement, a trash/recycling plan, EV/e‑bike storage rules and lighting limits; the applicant agreed to withdraw the extensive signage package for later board review.
The Bedminster Township Land Use Board on Jan. 9 approved an amended site plan, subdivision and variances for the Bed 1 mixed‑use redevelopment, an application by SK Bed 1 Associates LLC/KRE Group that will deliver 140 residential units (28 set as affordable), about 10,000 square feet of retail space and a standalone Bank of America parcel.
The board's approval followed testimony from the applicant's design, engineering and planning team and included conditions: the applicant must enter a developer's agreement covering intersection and park improvements; submit a preconstruction phasing plan and a trash and recycling operations plan for board‑engineer review; document EV parking and an e‑bike charging/storage plan; and adopt a lighting schedule under which string and business‑related decorative lighting will be shut off one hour after the business closes or by 11 p.m., whichever is later. The applicant agreed to remove the proposed comprehensive signage program from the current application and to return with a focused sign variance package set for a later hearing.
Why it matters: The amended plan reduces the total unit count from an earlier approval while increasing the number of affordable units from 24 to 28, a change the planner said strengthens the project's contribution to Bedminster's affordable housing obligations. The application also advances a long‑planned DOT developer agreement to address congestion at the Burnt Mills Road/Route 202/206 intersection, a key traffic bottleneck for the neighborhood.
What the board heard: Witnesses for the applicant testified the revisions were driven by tenant and operational considerations. Christopher Fairfield of KRE described site changes that moved from podium parking to surface parking, preserved the existing Bank of America as a separate parcel, and reduced retail area from roughly 16,000 sq ft in an earlier scheme to about 10,000 sq ft in this iteration. Architect Mark Kushner presented the revised building footprint — a roughly Q‑shaped massing with a central courtyard — and said the project would include an on‑site management team and assigned residential parking to limit spillover into adjacent streets.
Engineering and public‑safety testimony addressed access, parking and stormwater: Robert Moschello reviewed three‑lot subdivision lines that separate the office, mixed‑use and bank parcels and confirmed DEP wetlands and flood hazard paperwork and a DOT developer's agreement for planned intersection signal work. Traffic engineer Gary Dean said updated counts show 26% less morning peak traffic and 18% less evening peak traffic compared with the previously approved, larger scheme, and concluded the site's driveways and internal circulation meet safety standards.
Concerns and conditions: Board members and professionals pressed the team on trash handling and restaurant grease management, EV charging, e‑bike fire safety, and pedestrian connections to adjoining Pluckerman Park. Planner Ronald Kennedy and the applicant agreed to require a preconstruction meeting and phasing plan, a trash and recycling operations plan, and EV/ e‑bike operations details as conditions of the approval. The board also required compliance with township engineering and traffic review memos before final sign‑off.
Signage pulled for separate review: Applicant witnesses presented a large, multi‑element branding and wayfinding package (monument signs, building facade IDs, banners on 19 poles, tenant signage, and driveway wayfinding). Multiple board members said the scale and quantity exceeded local expectations and could set an unwanted precedent; the applicant agreed to withdraw signage from the night's vote and return with a revised proposal to the board for a future hearing (carried to July 9, 2025).
Votes and next steps: After closing public comment, the board voted in roll call to approve the amended site plan, subdivision and variances subject to the conditions noted above. Sign variances were carried without additional notice to the July 9, 2025 meeting. The board's resolution will start the statutory appeal period and the applicant may use the resolution to pursue required outside approvals.
