Branchburg introduces redevelopment plan for Old York Road. Here's what we know
BRANCHBURG – A proposal to build a warehouse and manufacturing building on Route 28 opposite Raritan Valley Community College is scheduled to be heard by the township Planning Board on March 29.
The Township Committee also has introduced a redevelopment plan for 43 acres on Old York Road, between Evans Way and Stony Brook Road, that allows development of industrial and warehouse uses.
Pizzo Development is proposing to build a 140,090-square-foot one-story building, about the size of a Manhattan block, that would contain 103,572 square feet of warehouse space, 34,524 square feet of manufacturing and 2,000 square feet of office space.
Pizzo Development is proposing only one driveway, with an entrance and exit onto Route 28 on the 10.17-acre property in the I-2 Industrial Zone.
The plan calls for a 72-vehicle parking lot and 22 loading docks.
Pizzo Development has not applied for variances.
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The redevelopment plan, introduced by the Township Committee on March 14, is up for adoption and public hearing on March 28.
The plan was a result of a settlement of a lawsuit brought by the landowner, S/K Stoney Brook Associates, Mayor James Schworn said, and is in "the best interests of the township."
The conceptual plan for the approximately 43 acres calls for three warehouses, the largest one being 200,000 square feet, about 42% bigger than the one proposed in the North Branch section by Pizzo.
The other two proposed warehouses in the Evans Way Redevelopment Area are 66,150 square feet and 30,000 square feet.
S/K Stoney Brook filed suit in December 2020 challenging the Township Committee's approval of an ordinance to eliminate warehouses as a permitted use in an industrial zone.
The suit charged that the elimination of warehouses in industrial zones "as unnecessary, arbitrary and apparently not undertaken in good faith."
Warehouses, the lawsuit argued, are "commonly permitted in industrial zones."
As the result of the "improper" ordinance, the lawsuit charged, the value of the land was decreased.
The lawsuit was settled out of court last fall.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Branchburg NJ introduces redevelopment plan for Old York Road
