Johnson said he was surprised when he recently drove along Elizabeth Avenue and saw a large warehouse in the area of Shop Rite. "Why do we have a planning board that won't listen to the citizens?" Johnson asked. 13 that he was disappointed in the Township Planning Board for approving warehouse projects. Township resident Jeff Johnson told the Township Council on Dec. The Franklin Township Council voted to introduce the ordinance the day after officials held a town hall meeting to explain the township's Master Plan. 24, said 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 ordinance, which will be up for a public hearing and final adoption on Jan. Franklin is the most populous municipality in Somerset County and the 18th most populous municipality in New Jersey. ![]() Several million square feet in warehouse space has been developed in the township since 2018 in more than two dozen projects.Īccording to the ordinance, Franklin has experienced "exponential growth" in warehouse construction. 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 action comes after a rising groundswell of community opposition to warehouse construction in the Elizabeth Avenue, Weston Canal Road and Schoolhouse Road corridors. The Council has introduced, on first reading, a zoning ordinance to eliminate warehouses as a permitted use in the Business and Industry Zone. FRANKLIN (Somerset) - In the statewide controversy over the boom in warehouse development, the Township Council has taken a big step to limit the construction of warehouses.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |