Planning board approves contractor‑warehouse at Herman Road with bonding requirement for future road work

The Jackson Township Planning Board on July 20 approved conditional preliminary and final site‑plan relief and multiple waivers for a proposed contractor‑warehouse at Block 2101, directing the applicant to post bonding or otherwise guarantee future improvements to Herman Road and accept a set of operational conditions.

Salvatore Alfieri, attorney for the applicant, introduced the application and presented Brian Murphy, a professional engineer and planner, who described the project as a 5,000‑square‑foot, two‑story contractor building (100 by 50 feet) with 2,500 square feet of office space and the balance used for warehouse and contractor operations. Murphy said the site is currently vacant, includes wetlands at the rear, and has an isolated wetland at the front proposed to be filled pending a GP‑6 permit and a valid Letter of Interpretation (LOI) to be provided for resolution compliance.

Murphy and Alfieri told the board that the operation will not store materials or hazardous substances outdoors and that the business — Marlin Construction — will typically have about 10 employees on site, provide 20 parking stalls (including two accessible stalls) where 16 are required, and stage up to 10 vehicles including dump trucks and pickups. Murphy said some dump trucks and equipment will remain on site overnight and that all deliveries and materials bound for off‑site jobs will go directly to job sites rather than being stored outside at the warehouse.

Board members pressed the applicant on several technical items: porous (pervious) pavement and maintenance, stormwater controls, truck turning radii and designated truck aisles, and whether the site would become an open storage yard. Murphy said the applicant will file a deed‑restricted operations and maintenance manual for the porous pavement (including vacuuming and routine maintenance) to be approved by the board engineer and recorded with the county clerk. He also agreed to provide truck‑turning radii, restripe parking and mark fire lanes as part of final plans.

A central point of deliberation was the applicant’s request for a waiver to avoid installing curb, sidewalk and full pavement improvements on Herman Road, which is currently a gravel roadway. Several board members said granting a waiver without guaranteeing future improvements would offload road repair risk onto taxpayers. Following discussion, the applicant agreed to negotiate a developer’s agreement or post a bond (or make a contribution if a road improvement fund exists) so that the township can use funds to install pavement and curb/sidewalk work in the future if adjacent improvements proceed.

The board also required stipulations addressing safety and code compliance: one EV‑ready stall to be provided (charger installation to be deferred if unnecessary), a Knox box and designated fire lane with signage, no mulch against the building, proper oil/waste handling for any in‑building vehicle work with outside waste removal service, and adherence to the police and engineering review letters noted in testimony.

When the board moved to votes, the motion to approve the waiver relief and conditional approvals carried on a roll‑call vote. The board’s approval is conditioned on compliance with the professional reports, submission of the GP‑6 permit and LOI where required, recording the porous‑pavement O&M deed restriction, and a bonding or funding arrangement to guarantee future Herman Road improvements.

The board closed cross‑examination and public comment without public speakers and moved to other agenda items.

The planning board’s decision allows the applicant to proceed to final plan compliance and resolution conditions; the board recorded the approval on July 20, 2026.