Zoning board carries Taco Bell drive‑through hearing at 1300 Route 9 to Oct. 15

The board heard a lengthy presentation for application 32‑2025Z, a proposed Taco Bell drive‑through at 1300 US Route 9 that would occupy an existing 0.87‑acre nonconforming parcel in an economic‑development opportunity zone. Civil engineer Joseph Sparone described the site plan showing a 2,378‑sq‑ft building, counterclockwise drive‑through circulation, eight stacking spaces (two more than the township minimum), 30 parking stalls (where township standards referenced 80 spaces), four EV make‑ready stalls and a freestanding sign the applicant seeks to place at 20 feet.

Sparone said DOT review is at an advanced stage but expects a resubmission; township staff pressed the applicants on whether the lot is an existing nonconforming parcel or the product of a prior subdivision and on roadway repair obligations for Poor Farm Road. He confirmed deliveries would be off‑peak and that a Phase‑1 environmental review had been completed for the site’s prior gas‑station use. Because several technical items (DOT comments, access agreements, traffic templates and final landscaping/lighting details) remained unresolved, the applicant requested a continuance and the board scheduled the next hearing for Oct. 15, 2026. “We’re in the final stage of review with [DOT],” the engineer testified, adding that most comments have been addressed but a resubmission is pending.