Review to Continue on Proposed ShopRite Designs

The township's Design Review Board will take another look at Inserra Supermarkets' plans for a new ShopRite, proposed for the shopping center at Wyckoff and Greenwood avenues.

Inserra representatives appeared before the board for the second time Wednesday to try to win its endorsement of the planned design and aesthetics of the proposed 62,174-square-foot supermarket, which would take the place of the old A&P. While members were satisfied with many of the design changes made since Inserra first appeared before the advisory body in January, a few outstanding issues remain.

"We think we've covered everything the board was interested in seeing," said architect Thomas Ashbahian, who presented the supermarket's site plans with Inserra attorney James Jaworski.

While discussion centered on decorative elements, the scale of the building and building materials, Design Review board members requested the submission of several items:

• A color rendering of the building's rear elevation;
• Samples of brick to be utilized;
• Sketches showing two planned towers constructed out of brick;
• Samples of asphalt shingles that will be used on the slope roofs.

Jaworski promised the board that the items would be submitted within days. The attorney also plans to soon submit revised renderings that incorporate changes made to landscaping (per Shade Tree Commission recommendations) as well as adjustments to entrances, exits and traffic flow around the building, after meeting with police chief Benjamin Fox and township Engineer Mark DiGennaro.

The Design Review Board has not yet set a date for its third meeting on the project, although both Inserra and the board expressed a desire to meet soon, possibly within the next two weeks. Jaworski said he hoped to begin Planning Board hearings on the site plan in May, although that board does not plan to begin proceedings until Design Review and Shade Tree have made their final recommendations; their work will assist the Planning Board members as they vet the project.

DESIGN CHANGES 

Jaworski told the board at the start of the proceeding that "we've tried hard to incorporate the design elements" suggested, which were largely centered around softening the appearance of the building so as not to give off a "big-box" feel. Ashbahian went over those changes, to the general agreement of Design Review members. 

The front elevation had been changed to add decorative dormers and faux windows, some with decorative canopies. While sketches show a red ShopRite sign prominently affixed to the front of the building, the architect told Chairman Lawrence Skott that decisions haven't been made on signage.

"It's not part of our submission," Ashbahian said.

The Main Street elevation has perhaps seen the most work, as members were concerned about the view of passers-by and motorists. Ashbahian's changes—including double gables and faux windows—are designed to break up the facade and make it "a little easier on the eye."

Also, "in trying to accommodate both Shade Tree and Design Review," Jaworski said eight parking spaces have been eliminated on that side of the building to allow for more green space. Shade Tree had been concerned about screening that elevation.

Ashbahian's plan for two clock towers on the building garnered much debate after Mayor Rudy Boonstra questioned the need for what Ashbahian characterized as a "strictly decorative element." The towers would be located on the far corners of the ShopRite, at the Greenwood Avenue and Main Street sides.

"The tower is an element that accentuates the corner of the building," said Ashbahian, in explaining that it softens the edges, preventing it from having a "warehouse" or institutional feel.

Some members weren't convinced of the need for two clock towers, or towers at all, although the board decided against a straw vote on the issue. Skott suggested that the white towers perhaps stand out because they deviated from the brick look of the building and requested a sketch of how they would look if they were to conform with the brick design.

Several members of the public spoke, expressing some criticism of the designs. One speaker said Inserra was "cutting corners" by including concrete at the base of loading docks in the rear elevation, saying concrete is the "cheapest" material that can be used.

Ashbahian and Jaworski have said that concrete would need to be utilized there for its durability and rejected the notion that they were "cutting corners," pointing out that the planned clock towers are an expense designed for aesthetic appeal, without functional use.

Resident Michael Brienza complimented the designs but questioned how the "tweaks" would make the building more compatible with nearby structures downtown, notably those that could be said to have a Colonial or Victorian aesthetic.

Ashbahian agreed that the general design of the building had not been altered but said he "did try to emulate some traditional forms" in his drafts while saying that a true Colonial look wasn't necessarily advisable for a building of its planned size.