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Union Lofts residents press board over private‑egress, parking maintenance and safety
Summary
Several Union Lofts residents and their counsel told the Robbinsville Land Use Board that the proposed townhomes would rely on condo-owned egress and exacerbate parking and safety problems; the board heard sworn accounts of past crashes and long-term maintenance burdens.
Multiple residents from the Union Lofts complex and their counsel told the Robbinsville Land Use Board that the Shar Bell townhome proposal depends on circulation that will traverse the condominium association’s private property and easements.
Alexandra Tassik, representing the Union Lofts association, told the board the traffic study did not reflect use of a new Italian market and said ‘‘anyone required to exit to Robbinsville Edinburgh Road is required to pass through our property in some capacity.’’ Residents described recurring overflow parking from nearby retail tenants and at least one collision that hospitalized a resident, evidence they said demonstrates current safety vulnerabilities.
Residents described a set of practical impacts they said would fall on the association: added striping and snow‑removal costs, potential loss of spaces during construction, and maintenance obligations tied to an informal cross‑access/prescriptive arrangement. Developers acknowledged an existing parking easement (about 21 spaces, with negotiations to increase to 24) but emphasized long-standing shared use of the parking lot among adjacent properties.
Board counsel and planning professionals clarified that, from the board’s legal perspective, prescriptive access or maintenance obligations are primarily private-law issues; the board may only consider traffic circulation, site circulation adequacy and negative criteria tied directly to the application. The residents asked the board to press pause on the application until a traffic and parking analysis that accounts for existing condo trips and the upcoming retail tenant is provided.
