ROXBURY, NJ – A scaled-down proposal to build warehouses on a former quarry site in Landing was approved Oct. 16 by the Roxbury Planning Board, a move that came despite concerns voiced by residents about the project’s potential impact on traffic.
The board granted approval for the “Parkview Business Center” to be erected on land that formerly housed the McNair stone quarry, a business that closed in 2013 after about 50 years in operation.
The board approved the application after applicants, Accordia Realty Assets LLC, of Fairfield, and Park View Business Property LLC of Kenvil, backed off a proposal to designate, as an entrance to the site, a current driveway off of Landing Road across from the township’s Landing Park recreation complex.
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The initial plan called for installing a traffic light at that proposed entrance, one for cars only, not trucks. Faced with concerns about the effect this would have on the already problematic Landing Road traffic situation, the developers agreed to instead make Lenel Road the main access to the property for both cars and trucks.
They now plan to seek county approval for a traffic light at that road’s intersection with Landing Road.
The developers also agreed to reduce the size of the structures they want to build on the 138-acre tract.
The original plan envisioned a combined 592,000 square feet of warehousing. The approved plan reduces that by about 89,000 square feet. It also moves the buildings farther away from residences.
The Price of Progress
In making a motion to approve the application, Roxbury Planning Board Member and Councilman Jim Rilee acknowledged the residents’ concerns about traffic.
“I want to thank the public for being here because without them we wouldn't come to the decisions we made on some of the traffic movements that were looked at today,” he said. “Traffic is always an issue, not just there, but throughout the township ... And, quite frankly, short of (the township) buying the property, I think they're entitled to what they're entitled to here.”
Speaking during the public comment portion of the meeting, area resident Robert Grayson said Landing Road is already at capacity many times.
“The traffic seems to be getting worse and worse, just normally,” he said. “And it's not just the trucks. If we bring in more people working in that area - even passenger cars adding to that traffic - it's a very big concern … That road just can't get any bigger. I mean it's just the way it is. The only thing that can happen there is for more traffic to come on that road and there's just nothing that you can do with it. I just don't know where that traffic can go and what can be done. Even these small improvements would not help that situation.”
Roxbury Planning Board Member and Councilman Bob DeFillippo also addressed the issue of traffic.
“Often, we're placed, as the planning board, in a position of balance; the balance between what the applicants are entitled to and what's good for the community,” he said, noting the project “represents literally years of review,” and “changed dramatically from the original project to the project that you're seeing.”
DeFillippo contended “development is a sign of a healthy and growing economy, so we should be really pleased that, in Roxbury, we have all this development going on.” He acknowledged the project could bring more congestion to the Landing area.
“Given the conditions that we've placed on this particular application, I believe we've struck that correct balance here,” he said. “Is it perfect? No, it's not perfect. It's traffic, and Landing is really bad. Yeah, it's really bad. And with the bridge construction coming, it's just going to be horrible. It's just going to be horrible with all the construction that's going on. But I believe when all the dust settles, literally, we'll have the best possible projects we can.”
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