Politics & Government

UPDATE: Dollar General Withdraws Planning Board Application

Join us for live coverage of the Planning Board meeting at 7 p.m.

Dollar General is listed under "Applications for Public Hearing" on the Planning Board agenda but the company withdrew its application, according to Committeeman and Planning Board member Gary Quinn. A letter regarding the withdrawal will be read to conclude the public hearing.

Return to Lacey Patch for live coverage of the meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. 

The general merchandise store, if approved, would have been located at 120B Lacey Road, where an existing and occupied house sits, bordering Railroad Avenue and the Forked River School.

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The applicant was seeking to gain access to Railroad Avenue, if and when the right-of-way is built, board Attorney Joseph Coronato said in August. The applicant would have had to go back to the county and Department of Environmental Protection.

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

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

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

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

The applicant would have had to look at 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.

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

The store would not have been 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 was 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 posed 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 had 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 would have needed 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 

Also on the Planning Board agenda:

  • Wild Bill's Chuck Wagon, which sits at Popcorn Park sesonally, is returning to the Planning Board. The food truck was approved in September to remain at Popcorn Park without having to seek site plan approval.
  • There will be a Master Plan Re-examination Report. the township Planning Board adopted a resolution Monday expanding the M-100 zoneto include land behind Oyster Creek Generating Station for the possible construction of a new power plant. That has since been approved by the Committee. The board also unanimously approved several recommendations presented by the Master Plan subcommittee that will be considered by the Township Committee in the future.


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