Meeting On Warehouse Plan Moves To Howell Middle School South

HOWELL, NJ — The continued application for a major warehouse on Victory Road in Howell has prompted the Planning Board to hold its next meeting at an area school to accommodate expected crowds.

The June 15 meeting will take take place at Howell Middle School South, 220 Ramtown-Greenville Road, beginning at 7 p.m., according to the board agenda.

One of the items on the agenda is the AAVRHW Property, LLC (Victory Road) application. The owners are seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval for a 25-dock warehouse on Victory Road.

The application is a continued hearing. If the hearing were to reach conclusion, public comment will be taken, said Matthew Howard, director of Community Development.

He said that if the hearing and the public comment is concluded, "a decision may be rendered."

However, "It is unclear how long will be needed to get to that point - and if the hearing will be decided or if another one will need to be scheduled," he added.

According to a May 4 board agenda, the application would remove a large portion of the existing woods and construct a 203,802-square-foot warehouse/office building which will consist of 193,802 square feet of of warehouse space and two separate office spaces totaling 10,000 square feet.

Apart from the 25 loading docks, two drive ramps, 68 trailer parking spaces as well as 73 passenger vehicle parking spaces are proposed, according to a description of the project on the agenda.

Access will be provided via two new full movement driveways along Victory Road and a 30-foot wide circulation aisle around the eastern, southern and western sides of the building.

The agenda for the meeting Thursday begins with a public hearing on the Master Plan's Farmland Preservation element. That is followed by discussion of a residential application.

The Victory Road application is third on the agenda.

The consideration by the Planning Board comes in the midst of an overall issue of warehouse construction in the state.

The Township Council has voted to ask area legislators to tighten state Municipal Land Use laws regarding warehouse development in the wake of a building boom in the industry.