BERKELEY – The construction going on south of Bay Boulevard and north of the Riverbay Garden apartments will be a Dollar General when it is completed.
The property, located at 720 Route 9, is on Block 956, Lot 7. It will be a 9,346 square foot store. There is currently a Dollar Tree and Family Dollar store in Bayville.
The applicant wanted a number of waivers. For example, the property is in an R-125 zone, which means only residential construction can be done. There were 31 spaces proposed although there are 63 required. The signage that the applicant proposed was twice as large as allowed. All of these regulations were waived by the Board of Adjustment.
The application was heard in December of 2016 and January of 2017. In addition to the experts that Dollar General hired, Berkeley police and a neighbor gave testimony.
The experts testified that even though the land was zoned for residential development, it should be commercial since it’s on Route 9.
The hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Lighting would be turned off one hour after the store closes. Security cameras will be installed.
The owners are also required to construct sidewalks and curbs, as well as a fenced-in retention basin. There will be a 20-foot buffer with Leyland cypress trees planted along a berm.
As part of the application, Dollar General said deliveries will be made once a week, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., and not during school bus times or rush hours. Berkeley police stated that this part of Route 9 is not a high-accident area and the development would not be expected to impact traffic safety.
