New commercial building will go up on Route 537 Auto restoration business to be first occupant BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer UPPER FREEHOLD - The mayor called a recent presentation before the Planning Board one of the best he has ever seen. Mayor Stephen Fleischacker, an engineer, made the remark at the April 12 Planning Board meeting regarding the Schultz application to put a 16,000-square-foot commercial building up on Route 537. After the presentation, the board unanimously granted approval for the project, which required two variances for the building's facade and free-standing sign. The property where the new commercial building will go is located at 716 Route 537 in the township's highway development zone. Rena Schultz wants to create a multiuse building on the parcel, according to Dino Spadiccini, Schultz's attorney. Thus far, the only proposed use of the site is a classic car restoration business. The applicant's husband, Joseph Schultz, would use about one-third of the new building for the business, which is a permitted use in the zone, according to Spadiccini. The remainder of the building space will be used for other retail businesses, Spadiccini said. The applicant, who first appeared before the board on March 8, had to go before the board again on April 12 because at the earlier meeting she did not have an engineer present to answer questions about the project. The applicant's engineer, Chester DiLorenzo, answered questions about the project raised in a report created by the township's Environmental Advisory Board. DiLorenzo said the site is located 1.4 miles from Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson and across the street from an area in Plumsted Township that is zoned for light industrial use. At the earlier meeting, Steven Catalano, who owns Laurel Pond Luxury Cabin & RV Resort in Cream Ridge, which is adjacent to the project site, said that the project could put a damper on the "ecotourism" he is developing on his site that could draw "thousands of people" looking to enjoy his parcel's natural beauty. In response to Catalano's comment, DiLorenzo said that Great Adventure, nearby Prospertown Lake and other recreational areas in the vicinity are more likely to be vacation destinations than is Catalano's recreational vehicle site. DiLorenzo said Schultz's site does not have a mature forest and that the trees there are secondary-story growth under 20 years old. "The area was open at one time," he said. "They don't have the primary hardwoods found in a mature forest." With regard to possible endangered species on the site, DiLorenzo said the two acres are too small and dry to have any endangered species. According to a DEP map, the closest endangered species habitat is half a mile to the north, he said. Any air emissions from the restoration business would not be harmful to the environment, according to DiLorenzo. "They don't have the sheer volume to do that," DiLorenzo said. As for noise, DiLorenzo said the facility would be located 60 feet from the edge of the property line. Noise would be generated indoors and would not leave the property. Chairman Richard Stern asked about buffering in the rear of the 2.43-acre property for noise abatement. Township Planner Mark Remsa said a double, staggered row of conifers would be planted as buffering. According to Township Engineer William Hoover, the application meets new state stormwater regulations. Hoover's associate, Patrick Jeffery, added that the applicant is going "above and beyond" current stormwater requirements, given that the new regulations do not apply to the site. Board member Dr. Robert Frascella asked about the auto restoration business's possible disposal of paints, chemicals and volatile organic compounds. Spadiccini said the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulates such matters and that the business would not be able to open without proper licensing from the DEP.