Car Dealerships to be Permitted on Route 33 West of Woodward

The Manalapan Township Planning Board continued their public hearing on the amendment to the Master Plan last Thursday. With the and , which would have permitted construction of a proposed retail space at the corner of Symmes Drive and Route 9 south, the focus shifted to Route 33.

Township Planner Richard Cramer recommended that Route 33, from Millhurst Road to the township’s western border, allow car dealerships. The roughly three mile stretch of highway would allow a maximum of eight car dealerships with a spatial requirement of one half mile between them.

Many Manalapan residents from the Knob Hill and Four Seasons residential communities along Route 33 voiced objection to this recommendation as they feared living in a neighborhood abutting a motor vehicle agency.

Township Engineer Jim Winckowski assured residents that both Four Seasons and Knob Hill are bordered by streams and with the wetlands requirement the homes would be a minimum of 100 feet away from any structure. Additionally, Chairman John McNaboe stated that the section of Route 33 is within the overlay zone and all construction would follow the berm and setback requirements aimed at keeping Route 33 presentable.

In order to lessen the impact of the motor vehicle agencies on Manalapan residents, Board member Richard Aaronson suggested that the starting point be moved westward, from Millhurst Road to Woodward Road. Another Board member, Jack Eisner, made the suggestion to keep Millhurst Road the starting point, but only allow car dealerships on the south side of Route 33 so that they will not be adjacent to the Knob Hill or Four Seasons neighborhoods.
 
After a lively discussion and an almost split down the middle in opinions, the Board ultimately decided to allow car dealerships on the Route 33 corridor from Woodward Road westward on both sides of the highway. The stretch of highway from Woodward Road to Route 527A is about 1.25 miles. With the half mile spatial requirement recommended by Cramer, a maximum of four car dealerships would be permitted.

Even with this proposed change, many residents expressed opposition to any car dealerships on Route 33. Several residents told the Board that allowing car dealerships on Route 33 does nothing to help out the residents that live on the south side of Manalapan in terms of goods and services.

“This is a quality of life issue,” Philip Silverman said. “What we need are services in this area that are lacking. Because we do need to run to Route 9 for virtually everything that we’re looking for. We need things that would add to our value of life here. Car dealerships are not one of them.”

Planning Board Councilman and Deputy Mayor Don Holland, a staunch advocate of land preservation throughout his political career, said he is in favor of car dealerships on Route 33 because the ratables are much needed for the township.

“I don’t like development, but we do need ratables,” Holland said. “It’s either going to be that or a tax increase.”

Other residents voiced concern that by allowing car dealerships on Route 33 the rural highway would begin to resemble Route 9. Chairman McNaboe stated that Route 33 would never turn into Route 9 due to the restrictions of the overlay zone.

“You can develop and it can still enhance the community,” McNaboe said. “Route 33 will stay attractive and rural in many ways.”

Cramer will change the Master Plan amendment to recommend car dealerships from Woodward Road to Route 527A instead of from Millhurst Road. This change will be made available to peruse by Sept. 17 and the Planning Board will adopt the Master Plan amendment at their next meeting on Sept. 27.