BRICK – A Wawa gas station, bank, day care and large restaurant are proposed for a piece of land at the intersection of Route 88 and Jack Martin Boulevard, according to public records.
This application is not to be confused with the Wawa proposed near the intersection of Route 70 and Duquesne Boulevard.
The Route 88 plan consists of a 5,051 square foot convenience store and gas pumps, a 4,535 square foot bank, a 7,182 square foot commercial building which would include a 3,000 square foot restaurant with 124 seats, a 9,288 square foot day care center, and a total of 117 parking spaces.
Additionally, the application would include the replacement of an existing gravel road network of an adjacent mobile home park with 1.5 inch stone. The property is listed as Block 868.01 and Lots 15 and 16. It is approximately 9.403 acres.
The zoning board determines if proposed construction is appropriate on a given piece of property. If an application goes before the zoning board, it is because it does not fit all criteria.
In particular, this application would need approval from the zoning board for the following points:
The property can only be for one use. For example, residential. Having the retail building and day care building on the same block and lot constitutes multiple uses. Having the Wawa and the bank on the same block and lot also constitutes multiple uses.
Minimum lot area is an issue. Two acres are required, whereas .12 acres exists on one lot.
Minimum lot width for one lot, where 200 feet is required, only has 183.9 feet in the plan. Also on this lot (lot 15), the lot depth is 32.23 feet, when 200 feet is required.
The distance from the gas canopy to Route 88 is 61.69 feet, where 75 feet is required. Additionally, there is only 2.6 feet between the day care and Askin Road. But Askin is a paper street which means it only exists on maps.
There is only .69 feet between an existing mobile home and the side of the property, when there should be 30 feet.
The area with the Wawa and bank would have 71.5 percent impervious coverage. This means that 71.5 percent of that area would be covered with buildings, roads or anything else that does not let rain water reach the soil beneath. The property has a maximum impervious coverage requirement of 65 percent.
There is a minimum front yard setback from the municipal road of 10 feet, whereas 1.97 feet is required in the overlay zone.
Roads inside the development have a minimum setback of 5 feet from buildings, whereas the plan shows 1.42 feet between a road and an existing mobile home.
The maximum size for signs in the area is 50 square feet. The application has two that are both 77.12 square feet. These signs would be 20 feet high, when only 15 feet is allowed.
The property requires a berm between the parking stall and a right of way of at least 3 feet in height, where none is proposed in some areas along Route 88.
The ordinance requires a 60 foot buffer on the commercial side, planted with evergreen trees 10 feet apart in 3 staggered rows. The plan has the buffer on the residential side, in part.
The zoning board is scheduled to hear the application at its meeting on March 15 at 7 p.m. at the Brick Township Municipal Complex, 401 Chambers Bridge Road. However, it is currently the last item on the agenda so it might not be heard, or very little of it would be heard. Agendas change so it is a good idea to confirm that this application is being heard before attending. Maps and plans are available for inspection at the zoning board office. Appointments can be made to see these by calling 732-262-1000.
A plan on this property was approved by the Ocean County Planning Board in 2012. Further, in 2016, the county determined the construction did not impact county facilities, according to meeting minutes. The applicant was referred to in that application as JSM at Martin Boulevard.
