Dollar General Carried to Planning Board's October Meeting

The Dollar General application was carried to the Planning Board’s Tuesday, Oct. 9 meeting. The applicant did not appear at Monday night's meeting.

The general merchandise store, if approved, would be located at 120B Lacey Road, where an existing and occupied house sits, bordering Railroad Avenue and the 

The applicant is seeking to gain access to Railroad Avenue, if and when the right-of-way is built, board Attorney Joseph Coronato said. The applicant has gone back to the county and Department of Environmental Protection.

The board believes access to Railroad Avenue would be prohibited, Coronato said.

“When we did the design early on, there was limited access,” board engineer Bruce Jacobs said.

The DEP’s CAFRA approval only permits access to and from the St. Pius church and the Forked River School, board member John Curtin said.

The access to Dollar General would have to be a condition in the CAFRA permit, Mayor Mark Dykoff said.

“It was our understanding to keep access off that Railroad Avenue,” Coronato said. “That should be nailed down.”

The applicant will have to look for the DEP’s preliminary analysis of the right-of-way, Jacobs said. As their plans stand now, a left turn cannot be made onto Lacey Road.

Last month, the application was deemed technically complete but tabled until the August meeting due to many unanswered questions.

The store would not be considered a dollar store as it sells a variety of generic household brands from household products and office supplies to clothing and toys ranging from $1.50 to $60.

With a 9,100-square-foot building on 1.02 acres, the applicant is seeking minimum lot width, front setback, side setback and rear setback variances as well as several design waivers.

The site is small, located on a wellhead protection area and only provides 38 parking spaces, which poses concerns for the Planning Board.

“A lot of issues have to be addressed,” Committeeman Gary Quinn previously said.

The Lacey Municipal Utilities Authority would have to give its approval prior to the Planning Board since the site could potentially impact drinking water.

The board also showed concerns over the appearance of the building, which is stucco, saying it looks like a “warehouse.” They asked the applicant to add windows, a sidewalk in front of the building and improve its aesthetics.

The applicant also has to submit a revised drainage plan separating the parking lot’s drainage from the roofs.

With such a large building located on a limited lot, the Planning Board also expressed their desire to receive comments from the Forked River Fire Company as well as the Board of Education.

For more information on the application, read 

In other news at the Planning Board meeting…

• The board approved a resolution for the preliminary and final major site plan with variances for Lacey Plaza. with Retro Fitness and six other stores.
• The board passed a resolution adopting the Department of Transportation’s Complete Streets Policy. Story to follow.
• The board discussed amending Chapter 211 entitled “Land Development Fee.” The amendment says that the board can determine as to whether a Certified Appraiser will be needed to provide professional services. If necessary, the developer will have to post additional escrow deposits to cover the expenses of the board in conjunction with the professional certified appraiser. The costs are set throughout the chapter. The amendment will go to the township Committee.