Planners continue Wawa hearings
Residents oppose 24/7 business near residential zone
BY AMANDA BELING Staff Writer

Wawa Food Markets is seeking approval to redevelop the Eatontown Roller Rink site as a convenience store/gasoline station.

EATONTOWN - Residents continued to voice their opposition Monday to a proposal to redevelop the Eatontown Roller Rink site as a 24/7 convenience store.

The Oct. 8 Planning Board meeting marked the fifth hearing on the application to redevelop the site on Route 35 as a Wawa convenience store/gas station.

Running almost four hours, the hearing included testimony in support of Wawa's application by Planning Consultant Christine A. Cofone, of Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, a final list of variances that require the board's approval, and questions from the public in response to the testimony.

The site plan calls for a convenience store with 82 parking spaces and an associated gasoline distribution facility with 12 external gas pumps.

Some of the variances sought in the application include signage, foundation plantings, landscaping, driveways and a variance for detached accessory buildings because the gasoline kiosks are considered accessory structures,

Of the 10 variances required for approval, the most significant is for locating a service station within 200 feet of a residential zone and 2,000 feet from another service station.

"What takes precedence? The fact that this is a permitted use [in the] zone or the ordinance in the master plan?" asked Jim Pagano of Clinton Avenue.

Planning Board Attorney Mark Steinberg noted that Wawa's counsel, Peter Falvo of Ansell Zaro Grimm and Aaron, will submit a memorandum to Borough Attorney Gene Anthony in regard to this variance.

According to Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo, the site was once zoned as a manufacturing zone, which did not permit gas stations.

In 2001, the zoning was changed to permits gas stations as long as they are at least 200 feet from a residential zone and 2,000 feet from another gas station.

"Our attorney has to make a determination of whether or not our current zoning regulations for gas stations would be upheld in this particular case," said Tarantolo.

Another concern voiced by residents is the 24-hour, seven-day-per-week hours of operation of the proposed Wawa.

"This is a residential area, so why does it have to be a 24-hour-a-day business?" asked Vince Marone of Clinton Avenue.

Falvo's response was that all the Wawa locations in the tristate area are 24-hour operations.

"If you go on Wawa's Web site, you will notice that there are 21 sites in New Jersey that close by midnight and open again at 6 a.m.," said Angela Marone.

Steinberg said that the board and municipality can't regulate the hours of the businesses in the borough.

Tarantolo said there are still issues that need to be resolved and drawings that need to be updated for the application, and therefore any decisions would wait until the next planning board meeting, Dec. 17.