Lakeside Plaza Shopping Center Deemed Technically Complete

The application for Lakeside Plaza, a shopping center that is proposed to be built on Route 9 and Lakeside Drive South, was deemed technically complete by the township Planning Board.

The shopping center, if approved by the Planning Board, will be built behind the Applebee’s on Route 9. It will include three retail stores, three restaurants and Retro Fitness.

The applicant is proposing to construct and maintain approximately 81,506 square feet of retail and restaurant space.

The preliminary plans for the shopping center included a retail shopping center, an unnamed anchor building containing 5,8735 square feet and six retail stores for a total of 69,984 square feet. It also included 25,000 square feet for pad sites for a bank and restaurant.

Now the total square footage is 74,581 and includes an unnamed anchor store, a second anchor store and six retail stores, the southerly pad site for the existing Hudson City Savings Bank and Cingular Wireless Store, an unnamed tenant and an electrical maintenance room. The northerly pad already includes the existing Applebee’s.

Parking was decreased from 492 spaces to 449 and the applicant is proposing two freestanding and two monument signs.

The applicant has a pending CAFRA permit and a pending Ocean County Soil Conservation District Certification.

Photos of the proposed shopping plaza are attached to this story.

The applicant will be back for the June 11 Planning Board meeting.

In other news at the Planning Board meeting…

Latitudes on the River was granted a site plan waiver and administrative approval to be renovated with a temporary beach bar, stage, canopy, picnic tables, high top tables, a rock wall and Adirondack chairs. 

“We built a beach bar behind the restaurant,” said applicant Steven Burton. “Pretty much all temporary structures. Nothing permanent. All portable. Mostly landscape, tree, sand, stone.”

The restaurant is expected to utilize the outdoor space from May through October.

“The stage area is a portable deck. Basically the band is going to go out on that stage rather than on the second floor,” Burton said.

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The board gave the 7-Eleven on Lacey Road a site plan waiver and administrative approval to install concrete bollards.

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Sunrise Plaza, LLC was granted a site plan waiver and administrative approval to place two picnic tables with umbrellas outside of Sunrise Plaza for Sweet Kate’s Ice Cream, which is located at 249 North Main Street in Forked River.

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A resident at 120 Jones Road in Forked River was approved for a minor subdivision with variances. The resident sought to subdivide the current lot into two.

The subdivision would include one lot with the existing dwelling and a new-detached garage and the other would contain a new house.

The applicant sought variances for minimum lot frontage, existing front setback, minimum first floor living area, minimum accessory structure area and minimum successions of curbs and sidewalks.

The current family who resides on the property will utilize both homes.

The applicant asked to temporarily leave the current garage during construction for storage.

The site plans were deemed technically complete and approved pending conditions.

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Wells Fargo was approved for a minor site plan that would install five lighting fixtures at the bank.

The applicant said the additional lighting is primarily for ATM use and is required by the state and Wells Fargo codes. There were no variances or waivers requested.

“Wells Fargo has embarked on a lighting improvement plan throughout the country,” the applicant’s engineer said.

Lighting will be improved as far as 50 feet past the ATM, the applicant said. No glare or light spillage is expected to enter Lacey Road.

Regina Gulizia of Forked River lives across the street and around the corner was concerned that one of the lighting fixtures would shine into her bedroom windows.

“I don’t see any way to know if this is going to be a foreseeable problem and if it’s going to be, would you be willing to make accommodations,” she said.

The applicant assured Gulizia that the lighting is encased in a shoebox fixture and only shoots directly down.

The Planning Board approved the site plan pending conditions that Wells Fargo adds eight to 10 shade trees along its property, enclose the dumpster if necessary and drop the freestanding sign to a ground mounted sign.