New ShopRite Sketches to be Reviewed

The township's Design Review Board will take another look at Inserra Supermarkets' proposed ShopRite design on March 15.

The volunteer body will meet at 7 p.m. in the Municipal Courtroom to vet the latest sketches prepared by architect Thomas Ashbahian for the planned supermarket at the site of the former A&P on Greenwood Avenue.

Initial plans were presented to Design Review in January, with members suggesting changes to the sketches that they felt would be more in keeping with the character of downtown. Residents and board members alike felt that the original design had a bit more of a "big-box" feel than desired.

In response, Ashbahian has proposed a new look that he feels breaks up the impact of the building so that it doesn't appear as one large mass of brick. Changes have been made to the Main Street side of the building, with four gables added to make it more visually appealing. Dormers have been added to the front of the building, among other measures, including redesigned windows with awnings.

The Design Review meeting will bring Inserra one step closer to hearings before the Planning Board on its plan to construct a 62,174-square-foot building while eliminating the retail stores that currently exist at the shopping center. However, it's not likely that hearings would begin until April or beyond, Planning Board Chairman Richard Bonsignore confirmed today.

The land use board, which will ultimately decide the fate of the proposal, will wait to begin its formal hearings until two township boards have completed their review and made recommendations. Design Review must find satisfaction with the architectural plans, while Inserra seeks to go back before the Shade Tree Commission, which has already submitted a report on landscaping plans.

The timing of the Design Review hearing largely pushes the matter further into the spring, as Planning Board's next meeting will occur before the design hearing, on March 10. Shade Tree meets next Tuesday, and Inserra attorney James Jaworski has indicated a desire to again appear before the commission members to discuss a report issued earlier this month. That review called for more plantings than Inserra initially proposed, a reduction in parking spaces to provide more green space, and a standing wall facing Greenwood Avenue, among other measures.

While neither Design Review or Shade Tree's recommendations are binding, Bonsignore said the board would want their advice before beginning the formal hearing process.