Testimony on Wawa to continue in April
Residents opposed to project plan to present witnesses at next meeting
BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer
After nearly four hours of testimony Monday night, the Eatontown Planning Board voted to carry the application for a proposed Wawa convenience store and gas station on Route 35 to a meeting in the spring.

The hearing is scheduled to continue at the April 14 Planning Board meeting, which will mark the eighth meeting to be held before the board on the application.

Borough residents crowded the meeting room on Feb. 11, objecting to the proposal that calls for a 24- hour, 7-day-a-week, convenience store and gas station to be constructed at the site of the former Eatontown Roller Rink.

Wawa Inc. is seeking a variance in order to construct a gas station within 200 feet of residential property and within 2,000 feet of another gas station, which is currently restricted by a borough ordinance.

"Out of principle, I wouldn't use it," Frank Januszweski, of Clinton Avenue, said about the Wawa if the board voted to approve it.

Januszweski explained that residents in the community are not opposed to a Wawa opening in the borough, but are concerned that an approval for the project would set a "dangerous" precedent.

An approval by the board will allow gas stations to be constructed within close proximity to residential areas in the future, Januszweski said.

"I feel the burden is falling on the residents, as opposed to the applicant," Januszweski said. "That's why people are getting into this.We feel a little bit disappointed and a little bit let down that we have to put this fight up.

"People have to put their own money out [to hire expert witnesses]," he said, adding, "We thought the Planning Board would be tougher in regards to this ordinance."

A group of 15 borough residents have teamed together to retain expert witnesses to testify on the proposed application.

"We are hoping [the expert witnesses] will paint the planning board into a corner with a door so they can get out and not be worried about being sued by Wawa Inc.," Januszweski said.

"Then [the board] can say, 'we have a standing ordinance and this is a very unique place'," he said.

Plans call for a 24-hour-a-day, sevenday a-week Wawa convenience store and 12-pump gas station to be constructed on the 141,137-square-foot, or 3.24-acre tract of land on Route 35.

"[Wawa] will bring a considerable amount of taxes [to Eatontown]," Peter Falvo, attorney representing Wawa, said after the meeting. "It will bring jobs and convenience to a lot of customers.

"Alot of these same people judging this will be the same ones using [the store]," Falvo said.

Manuel Alvarez of C3 Technologies, a firm that monitors gas stations throughout the state, presented testimony at the meeting on behalf of the residents opposed to the project.

"I was posed the question when I was contacted about this case, 'Are gas stations unique in anyway?'" Alvarez said. "My answer is absolutely.

"I have been around them my whole professional life," he said.

Alvarez explained that constructing a gas station within 200 feet of residential housing causes a "unique" condition.

"Is there any question, as far as common knowledge, that gasoline is not something that is safe for people to breathe or drink?" Alvarez asked.

Borough Attorney Gene Anthony said in a Dec. 17 letter to the Planning Board that in order for the board to deny the Wawa application, it must do so on the basis that a gas station at the site would cause a "unique" situation to the area that other approved uses would not cause.

Unique situations include a higher risk of fire, pollution and noise, according to the letter.

Alvarez's testimony was cut short at the meeting due to time constraints and he is scheduled to appear before the board again at the April meeting.

Also scheduled to testify at the April meeting on behalf of the residents is Neal Guiney, a real estate appraiser from C.J. Guiney and Associates of Shrewsbury.

Residents have expressed concerns at previous meetings about the amount of light that will be generated at night from cars using the Wawa parking lot. Concerns were also raised about people loitering in the parking lot area at night.

Plans call for Wawa to install a series of gates at the northwest and southeast sides of the building to block drivers from accessing the rear lot at night.

The applicant also agreed to turn off the overhead parking lot lights from midnight to 6 a.m.

EatontownMayor and Planning Board Member Gerald Tarantolo said he does not support the proposal for the construction of the gates because it will force customers to enter and exit from Route 35 between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m., which could create a traffic hazard.

"I can see it now," Tarantolo said. "You have people riding on Route 35 in the wee hours of the morning and they are zipping along at 60-miles-per-hour and not looking for someone coming out ofWawa to go south on Route 35.

"We are coming up with two ways of egress from that property and I think that's wrong," Tarantolo said.

Eatontown Traffic Engineer, Lee Klein, said the borough would like to see a gate on the northwest corner of the store facing north in order to allow store patrons to exit onto Clinton Avenue.