HOWELL – In a unanimous vote, the Zoning Board approved the plans of Gabrielli Howell Realty, LLC and Howell Development, LLC to construct a two-story building that would be used for Kenworth truck sales and repair along U.S. Highway 9 in Howell.
Meeting on March 28, the Board considered and discussed the proposed project that would include construction of a two-story, 38,750-square-foot building to be used for truck sales, leasing, and service. The site plan also included associated parking, loading, and fueling areas.
The site will have its entrance along Route 9 via a 36-foot-wide driveway. The proposal included additional improvements such as drive aisles, along with visitor, employee, and inventory parking areas. The site would also include a fueling tank station and a loading zone, along with one retaining wall and one stormwater management basin on the premises.
The applicant brought in experts that included an engineer, a planner, a traffic specialist and two architects during the two-hour Zoom meeting. The presentation also included a number of exhibits for the Board to consider. The location sits just north of the N.J. Transit garage entrance and south of Casino Drive, in an area currently housing the Autopik used car lot on the northbound side of the highway.
Due to possible runoff from the site, the nearby Bannen Meadow Brook was a topic of concern, given that it connects with the Manasquan River and ultimately, the Manasquan reservoir. But, after considering the environmental impacts for the surrounding area, which includes undeveloped land and areas zoned for farming, the Board appeared more than pleased with the improvements and changes that the applicant had incorporated into their revised plan.
“What is being proposed is a drastic improvement over what is currently there,” said Howell Township Planner Jennifer Beahm. “In this particular instance, the benefits of this development outweigh the absolute strict adherence to those ordinances.”
“I concur that this is [an] excellent improvement to the site,” said Board member Richard Mertens as he made a motion to approve the plan. “I think the architectural part of it is one of the best I’ve seen [in] my years on the zoning board.”
Conditional to the approval was the agreement by the applicant to provide a sidewalk along U.S. Highway 9, and that lit signage at the site be turned off one hour after the business closed.
