Board gets first look at plans for Village
Developer requests to create project with 23 buildings on Route 33
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN — Several issues were raised when The Village at Manalapan had its first hearing before the Planning Board on May 12. Manalapan Retail Realty Partners is proposing to build a commercial center at Millhurst Road and Route 33.

Planning Board Attorney Rick J. DeNoia Jr. said some items need to be clarified.

The board’s planner, Rich Cramer, said, “There’s a disconnect between what is being shown on the plan and the variances that the applicant has identified and are being sought. Are there any additional variances that are going to be part of this?”

Cramer also questioned the height of a building, the size of the project and whether five buildings in the complex would each have three stories. He said the limit in the zone would be no more than two stories.

“Yes, that is what we refer to as the Main Street section,” said attorney John A. Giunco, representing the applicant. “The zone permits a 50-foot high building and there is less than 50 feet.”

Giunco said the proposal at this point is for a one-story retail or non-retail use at ground level.

“The above area would be vacant,” he said. “There are architectural elements on [the Main Street stores], windows and so forth, and there is also underground parking. Those are the proposals that are being discussed for zoning addenda before the Township Committee to consider the residential use in that area.”

The applicant has proposed building 80 one- and two-bedroom apartments above the stores in the Main Street section of The Village. It will be up to the committee to determine if it wants to permit that use in the zone.

Giunco said the proposal before the Planning Board is within the permitted use for the first floor only.

“However, there is a request for a variance for building height as it relates to the [109,000-square-foot, two-story] department store located in the community center area. There is a 14-foot-long section of the facade [which] exceeds the 50-foot height by 4 feet, to 54 feet,” Giunco said. “That is part of the architectural element to the entrance of that building.”

The application before the Planning Board calls for a 499,000-square-foot project with about 60 retail units. The zoning on the parcel permits 500,000 square feet, with access only from Millhurst Road.

The applicant is asking the Township Committee to consider making zoning changes to allow for the development of a project that would total about 800,000 square feet. The applicant is also asking the committee to support a request to the state for access to the site from Route 33.

Greg Valesi, the board’s engineer, said the general development plan for the project indicates that construction is to be completed in several phases.

“It’s clear that in subsequent phases you exceed the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) requirements,” Valesi said. “Over 500,000 square feet would not be permitted.”

Giunco said the confusion lies with the plans that were submitted to the Township Committee.

“What’s being proposed to be developed is 499,902 square feet with adjacent parking,” the attorney said. “Also included is a connection with the adjoining Four Seasons (residential) development ... and parking which could be part of a potential Phase II.”

Board member Herbert Lazar said he would like to see the plans for the entire Village project.

“We’re looking at only two-thirds of what they’re hoping to do for this project,” Lazar said. “It seems to me that we should be seeing the whole thing.”

Project engineer Richard V. Kenderian described The Village at Manalapan for the board. He said the irregularly shaped 134.9-acre property is on 2,300 feet of Route 33 and 1,600 feet of Millhurst Road.

To the west is the Four Seasons adult community with 782 units. To the north lies Meadow Creek, a 546-unit single-family and townhouse development, and to the east is the Battleground Country Club and residential community with 520 single-family units.

“The aim is to place a facility like The Village within a large populated area so that those people don’t have to travel to other areas using the road systems,” said Kenderian. “This will provide a town center for that population.”

Kenderian said the application before the Planning Board calls for 23 buildings on the site. There will be 50,000 square feet devoted to non-retail uses such as restaurants, offices, financial institutions, insurance, travel agencies and personal services including spas, gymnasiums, beauty parlors and massage therapy.

The engineer said there will be several components to the plan, including a village green with an outdoor stage and winter ice skating, park benches and outdoor cafes. The plan also includes the Main Street section.

“At this point in time, to stay within the strict framework of the zone, the second and possibly third floors [of the Main Street buildings] will be facades only,” Kenderian said.

The community center portion of the project will have a 53,652-square-foot supermarket and a two-story department store with 191,040 square feet.

During the public portion of the meeting, resident Bruce Brickman asked where bicycle trails would be located. He was told there would be bicycle, walking and jogging trails throughout the project.

Resident Jim Gray, a former mayor of Manalapan, said it would be helpful to the board members if they had the entire Village concept before they make a decision on the 500,000-square-foot project. Gray said it would be difficult to rule on the application in a piecemeal fashion.

The Village hearing was continued until June 23, provided that revised plans are submitted prior to that date.