Auburn Road warehouse project faces Woolwich residents' concerns
WOOLWICH TWP. — An industrial park developer will have to wait at least until August to find out whether its project here can move ahead.
Potential neighbors, as well as local officials, are skeptical that trucks using I-295 and New Jersey Turnpike will not create unmanageable congestion.
Oldmans Industrial Park would consist of a warehouse on about 70 acres at 1314 and 1366 Auburn Road. The site presently hosts a forging facility, farmland, and woods.
The warehouse would be 854,450 square feet with 75 loading docks.
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The proposal, submitted to the township in August 2022, had its first public hearing June 29 at a Joint Land Use Board meeting at Kingsway Middle School.
Experts for Oldmans Creek Holdings LLC testified for almost four hours. The board adjourned shortly after 11 p.m. with a few developer witnesses, board staff, and residents waiting for their turn.
Some opponents have hired a land use attorney. The hearing tentatively is to resume on August 3.
Project attorney Clint Allen opened by withdrawing a request for final major site plan approval, as was advertised for the June 29 meeting. Allen said “house-keeping” issues will be resolved before returning for final approval.
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Mayor Craig Frederick, a board member, previously has stated local government is not supportive of the project at that location. Frederick quizzed witnesses on traffic projections and pressed for further analysis.
The developer has some important legal leverage in the hearing process.
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Witnesses testified the design meets all zoning criteria. Additionally, Gloucester County has a role in approving the project because it owns surrounding roads. Township planners can ask about off-site road impacts, but legally they cannot base a decision on the answers.
Dan Disario, a project traffic consultant, said the number of truck trips will prove relatively low for a warehouse operation. Most drivers also will use I-295 to avoid paying tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike, addressing another local concern.
Disario asserted the added traffic will not significantly affect Charles G. Harker Elementary School, located on Oldmans Creek Road. Current traffic on that road is “not that high,” he said.
The data behind the project traffic study drew criticism. A count of vehicle trips in the area was conducted on one day in October 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hearing that, many residents shouted that schools were in “hybrid” mode and not fully open in October 2021.
“I don’t know if that’s truly representative of the full day, full schedule during the school year,” board member Carolyn Grasso said.
Frederick told the consultant just one day of data collection is insufficient.
Residents worry over Auburn Road warehouse project
Audience turnout Thursday night was relatively small. There was a substantial local police presence, but there were no incidents. The monitoring apparently stemmed from a Harrison Township planning review hearing in December 2022.
At that hearing, a controversial warehouse project drew a large crowd. Police had to remove some people before it was over. That project, now in state court, envisions using some property within Woolwich.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
Have a tip? Reach out at jsmith@thedailyjournal.com. Support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Woolwich wants more traffic data on Auburn Road warehouse project
