The Mount Laurel Zoning Board unanimously approved at its meeting on November 6 a developer’s proposal to turn the building on property that is zoned residential at 14 Federal Street from a sports facility into a self-storage complex amid residents’ concerns the project will impact their quality of life.
The Zoning Board meeting was necessary because the land’s owner and zoning board applicant, MLS Operating, wanted only seven parking spaces on the site where Township code requires 72 and 32% building coverage where Township code permits 25%, according to documents the applicant submitted to the Zoning Board.
The previous tenant of 14 Federal Street showed problematic behavior, according to comments that James Burns, an attorney representing the applicant, MLS Operating, made during the meeting.
“Those problems impacted the property (and) on the neighbors that were residing in the neighborhood, and it caused my client to think about perhaps a less intense use of the property, (thus) the proposed storage facility,” Burns said.
That previous tenant who used the property as a sports facility was evicted, according to Burns, adding MLS Operating’s owner also bought all but one of the properties along nearby Sherwood Avenue with plans to plant landscaping near the proposed self-storage complex to improve the aesthetics of the site, according to Burns. The one property that MLS could not acquire was a nearby HVAC business, according to Burns.
MLS Operating representatives stated during the meeting that one resident’s concerns that the site would also be used for vehicle storage or boat storage were unfounded. MLS Operating representatives also stated that another resident’s concerns that the site is prone to flooding and that trucks heavier than 8,000 pounds may use the road will also be addressed in ways favorable to the resident.
Another resident, David Jimenez, who lives on Beaver Avenue near the proposed self-storage complex, appeared to lament the project’s and other recently approved project’s potential to impact his and his neighbors’ quality of life.
“We feel that with every business that is put in that area, our quality of life is being eroded. Crime goes up every time a business is added in that area,” Jimenez said, adding that drivers frequently speed on Beaver Avenue and other roads near the proposed self-storage complex.
Jimenez was advised to take his concerns to the Township administration, Township Council and/or Police Department. Other comments during the meeting suggested that some of the other concerns brought up during the meeting, such as the self-storage complex’s hours of operation, may be addressed in the future when MLS Operating applies for site plan approval.
