Elizabeth Avenue continues its commercial development with the Planning Board’s approval of a 104,700 square foot self storage facility that will sit just up the road from a series of warehouses approved earlier this year.
The three-story facility will replace the landscaping business currently at 470 Elizabeth Ave., adjacent to the Somerset Run age-restricted development to the north and east of the site. The board waived for a fence along the property line citing the plan for a significant landscape buffer and setback from the neighboring property.
This is a win for the township in a couple of ways, this is a fairly sizable ratable with virtually no impact that matches the ratability.”
Board members required that the applicant — SAFStor Real Estate Co., LLC, a Florida-based self storage company with over 30 locations across the country, one of which is in Jackson Township — install the infrastructure for one electric vehicle charging station and requested SAFStor contribute to the township’s sidewalk fund.
Compared to other warehouse projects approved by the board in recent months, one board member said the project should have less of an impact on the surrounding area.
“This is a win for the township in a couple of ways, this is a fairly sizable ratable with virtually no impact that matches the ratability … it’s a perfect location next to Somerset Run to insulate it from the several warehouses that we’ve been recently approving there,” board member Bob Thomas said.
The addition of infrastructure for an electric vehicle charging station was a rare win for the township’s Environmental Commission — which pushes for charging stations and green infrastructure though Councilman Ted Chase, who sits on both boards. Accommodations for electric vehicles have fallen through on other warehouse projects with applicants questioning the need for such additions.
With the site located on the east side of Elizabeth Avenue, the board didn’t require a sidewalk to be built, unlike developments on the street’s west side that the Planning Board wants to use to facilitate a connection from School House Road to Colonial Park.
The approval of this site in addition to the slate of warehouses approved in recent months brought Thomas to ask the board to convene to discuss how they will deal with such applications in the future.
“This entire area is being inundated with tractor-trailers,” said Thomas. “I’m not saying that they’re bad or anything, I think we might need to look at where they’re being placed, maybe adjust some conditions or something to that effect.”
Michael Orsini, the board’s chair, agreed and pointed out that the prevalence of online shopping and delivery services will need warehouses for their supply chains, necessitating the board to look at current data in the township around warehouses.
“I don’t see us returning to the pre-pandemic lifestyle. We get stuff from Amazon, we order online, we have groceries delivered… and then of course the supply chains to address this is obviously the challenge, which brings us to trucks and warehouses.”
