Stafford Planning Board Denies Retail Development for Route 72 Space West of Route 9
REJECTED: It’s hard to say whether the Stafford planning or zoning boards will ever approve any development at this location along Route 72. The planning board last week denied another application seeking to place two retail stores just to the west of the entrance ramp from Route 9. (File photo by David Biggy)
As the first three affirmative votes were voiced, several moans and groans could be heard among the crowd inside the Stafford Township municipal complex council room. A moment later, after planning board members Stephen Donnelly, Kevin Leonard, Anthony Pesic and Joseph Kosa delivered their votes, a happy roar exploded.
Last year, it was a brewery and side store proposal shot down by the zoning board. This time, on Sept. 25, after multiple carries from previous meetings, it was a two-store retail operation proposed that had been canned – seemingly for the same reasons.
“They’re clearly trying to build too much on too small a piece of property,” South Lakeshore Drive resident Patricia Hough said about the proposal to develop Advance Auto Parts and Blinds To Go stores on a narrow strip of land along Route 72 West, not far from the Route 9 interchange. “I don’t care about the commercial part. I’m trying to safeguard our neighborhood and our lives. The owners of the property are trying to put a square peg through a round hole. I hope you value us more than the commercial.”
The property in question actually is a cluster of lots located at 140, 160 and 212 Route 72 West, just to the northwest of A. Paul King County Park and situated between Beach and West streets, and the site is parallel to South Lakeshore Drive. While some 470 feet in width, the property depth is a mere 125 feet, and about 10 properties along South Lakeshore and Beach Street butt up against the northeast- or southeast-facing sides of the undeveloped properties.
According to the plans submitted to the board and testimony from professionals representing the applicant, named as Sicklerville 505 LLC, the proposed development called for Advance Auto Parts and Blinds To Go stores bookending the sides of the space with a 36-space parking lot situated at the center between the two stores, which would have faced each other.
During the Aug. 14 board meeting, the application was carried after it met some resistance regarding landscaping and flood mitigation elements, the location of a loading dock, and the heights of the buildings, as well as parking and emergency vehicle maneuverability concerns – all of which were addressed at length during the most recent meeting.
The Advance Auto Parts store, slated for 6,912 square feet, and the Blinds To Go store, planned for 5,500 square feet, had been redesigned from larger models to be about 24 feet and 22 feet tall, respectively, at their highest points, according to architect Phil Kunz. Plantings were jacked up to include some 770 trees and shrubs, according to planner and engineer Josh Sewald. Comparatively, the brewery and store proposal voted down by the zoning board in March 2023 called for those buildings to be 4,300 and 4,000 square feet.
“We believe the site plan that’s been presented before you is more than adequate for the two, very specific uses that we’re seeking this evening,” Sewald said during his final testimony to the board. “The two retail uses before you are the least intense, compared to all the permitted uses allowable for this site. It’s our presentation to this board to consider that the Advance Auto and Blinds To Go, with their limited hours of operation, their limited deliveries, and not a lot of traffic and parking, are the best suited for this narrow-shaped property. Overall, it is my planning opinion that the negative criteria outweigh the positive criteria.”
However, many residents who live nearby disagreed, claiming to the board that development of the land there would detrimentally impact their neighborhood by lowering the value of their properties, create unnecessary noise and generate a significant traffic safety issue, particularly during the summer months.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when you’re driving up Route 72 and driving 55 mph, and you hit the top of the exit ramp (from Route 9) and want to pull over to the right, you have approximately 2.7 seconds before you reach the curb return of these businesses,” said South Lakeshore resident Mark Rist, who last year spoke about similar safety concerns regarding the brewery and store proposal. “But then, wait a minute, you have traffic coming up from Bay Avenue at 35 mph, trying to accelerate to 55 mph. One wants to come into traffic, another wants to move over, and another wants to brake. It’s not if it’s going to cause an accident; it’s when and how many. Safety is a major concern.”
For Jose Cruz, another South Lakeshore resident, developing the lot as proposed by the applicant simply didn’t make sense given the size and depth of the combined lot space.
“Basically, at this point, it really looks like 10 pounds into a 5-pound bag. It just doesn’t work here. You said you can fit a lemonade stand there? Then put a lemonade stand there,” Cruz said, referring to an earlier remark made by Sewald that anything larger than a lemonade stand would require bulk variances to be developed in the space. “Then we can walk over from the park and have some lemonade, and everybody would be happy.”
After some 20 minutes of deliberation among board members and advisement by attorney Joseph Coronato, Thomas Kuenzler – somewhat convinced the plan could work, he said later – motioned for its approval, but it was denied, setting off cheers from the crowd. Several people openly thanked the board as they left the room prior to adjournment.
“Thank you for doing the right thing,” one resident shouted as she walked out the door.
— David Biggy
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