Upper Freehold planners OK office/retail building
BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer

UPPER FREEHOLD — A 6,000- square-foot retail sales and office building on Old York Road near the easterly bypass unanimously received final approval at the June 23 Planning Board meeting.

As a condition of approval, Michael Balint, attorney for the applicant, IGG Limited Partnership and principals Gary Kubiak Jr. and Sr., agreed that as tenants change in the building, the new use will be submitted to the township's zoning officer who will confirm if there is adequate parking for that use. Board Attorney Dennis Collins noted that commercial settings need a certificate of occupancy for every change in tenant. Board Engineer Glenn Gerken said a high intensity use such as a restaurant could change the number of parking spaces needed. Forty-four parking stalls are included in the site plan.

Gary Kubiak Sr. currently operates an electrician business at the 2-acre site. At the December 2007 meeting granting preliminary approval, he said his business would remain on approximately 1 acre of the property while the new building would occupy the remaining acre. At the earlier meeting, board members had raised questions about the proximity of one of the two driveways on the plan being too close to the intersection of the easterly bypass. The applicant's engineer, Dan Caruso, said the Monmouth County Planning Board, which has jurisdiction over Old York Road, also known as County Route 539, had no problem with the location of the driveways. He said that to keep the electrical contracting and new businesses separate, two Do Not Enter signs will be posted to discourage vehicles from leaving via the driveway closest to the intersection.

The new building will have a separate well and septic from the current building, according to Caruso. Balint said the township's fire official had inquired about a potential extension of water line for use of the Hope Fire Company. Gary Kubiak Sr. said the line would have to be 1,300 feet to bring in water from the borough of Allentown. Gerken said that no requirement may be made to have Allentown extend the water line, as Upper Freehold has no franchise.

"We have no agreement with the borough of Allentown," he said. "As a firefighter, he would like hydrants, but it is not a condition we could even think of proposing."

Gary Kubiak Sr. said there is no scheduled date to start the project at this time. He will be acting as the general contractor. He said he is looking for office/retail tenants, and so far has only gotten inquiries from people proposing restaurants on the site, a use he does not want.