Highland Park Zoning Board approves variances to allow Middlesex Water access road and PFAS-related work

The Highland Park Zoning Board of Adjustment voted to approve multiple variances and a preliminary/final site plan on July 27 to permit Middlesex Water Company to build a new gated access road, relocate a 1,500‑square‑foot storage shed into Highland Park, and construct stormwater facilities tied to an Edison treatment-plant upgrade. Chairwoman called for roll-call votes after extended testimony and conditions discussion; the board recorded the necessary affirmative votes to pass the application.

Applicant counsel Richard Skolnick described the proposal as primarily an access-road and operational project that does not add new buildings in Highland Park and relies largely on an existing railroad embankment to minimize grading. Planner Lorelei Totten and civil engineer David Tanzi testified to site constraints, existing stream- and floodplain buffers and the need for limited variances in the Stream Corridor Protection overlay and steep‑slopes regulations. Totten said the project seeks to balance public‑utility needs with environmental protections: “the roadway alignment itself…is following the exact alignment of the existing access road,” she told the board.

The board’s approval is conditional. Members and counsel discussed—and the applicant accepted—conditions that will be incorporated into the resolution: submission of recorded easements from Rutgers and the warehouse owner that allow access across off‑site parcels; contract language with the GAC media vendor to stagger deliveries and restrict truck arrivals to daytime weekday hours; a landscaping replacement guarantee for newly planted trees; and final DEP and Edison approvals for stormwater permits and biofiltration elements. The chair indicated the board will draft a resolution next month documenting the approvals and the agreed conditions.

The vote covered a package of d‑ and c‑variance relief (access road, bioretention basin, stream‑corridor overlay relief, lot-size/depth pre‑existing conditions and a steep‑slopes exception) and checklist waivers; the chair reported an affirmative super‑majority on the primary motion. Board counsel noted that because some involved lots are owned by Rutgers the board will require final easement documentation before construction access occurs.