Several million square feet in warehouse space has been developed in the township since 2018 in more than two dozen projects.Įmail: Deak is a reporter for. Some of the warehouse projects have generated opposition because they are near age-restricted communities. The northwestern part of the township, because of its proximity to I-287, has become a center of warehouse development. The introduction of the ordinance comes after a rising groundswell of community opposition to warehouse construction in the Elizabeth Avenue, Weston Canal Road and Schoolhouse Road corridors. Franklin is the most populous municipality in Somerset County and the 18th most populous municipality in New Jersey The ordinance says that the growth in warehouse development has "created significant impacts to the quality of life" in the township, including traffic on township roads, noise and air pollution.įinal passage of the ordinance will mean that a developer who wants to build a warehouse in the zone must now go before the township Zoning Board of Adjustment for a use variance, a process that is more rigorous than obtaining site plan approval from the township Planning Board.įranklin's action follows Bridgewater's adoption in November of an ordinance that eliminates warehouses as a primary use in all zones in the township. The B9 Schoolhouse Owner plan will not fall under the ordinance because the application has been filed before the ordinance has been adopted.Īccording to the ordinance, Franklin has experienced "exponential growth" in warehouse construction. It will be up for a public hearing and final adoption on Jan. The Township Council has introduced, on first reading, a zoning ordinance to eliminate warehouses as a permitted use in the township's Business and Industry Zone. The entire subject parcel shall be successfully incorporated into the indigenous environment without detriment to public or private natural resources." The developer's environmental study concludes "the proposed development will serve as a suitable addition to the surrounding developments as well as the local community. To the south is open space and more homes. To the west is Mettlers Road and homes beyond. The property is bounded on the north by Schoolhouse Road with homes beyond. The proposal has generated opposition from neighborhood residents who said the project will have a negative impact on the quality of their life. There are two houses on the 26.88-acre property which will be demolished. The western driveway will be restricted to passenger vehicles and the eastern driveway will primarily serve truck traffic.Ī report by the developer's traffic engineer, Dynamic Traffic, concluded that traffic in the neighborhood "will not experience any significant degradation." The two warehouses will have 68 loading docks and 155 parking spaces in total.Īccess to the site will be from two driveways on Schoolhouse Road. The buildings will also have a total of 4,000 square feet of office space. Together the warehouses will be the size of four football fields. 4 at the Franklin Township Board of Education of Education Campus, BuildRoute 27.ī9 Schoolhouse Owner, which is owned by Link Logistics Real Estate of New York City, is asking for approval to build two warehouses, one 169,375 square feet and the other 71,600 square feet. The township Planning Board hearing on the plan by B9 Schoolhouse Owner is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. FRANKLIN (Somerset) - A public hearing on a controversial plan to build two warehouses on Schoolhouse Road and Mettlers Road will be held next month.
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