Developer targeting Montgomery site that's been vacant for decades. Here's what's planned
MONTGOMERY – The Zoning Board of Adjustment will hold a hearing Tuesday on a proposal to build a self-storage facility at the site of a demolished office building on Route 518.
Renard Management, of Mahopac, N.Y., wants to build the facility next to Wawa, across the street from Bank of America and backing to the Montgomery Shopping Center.
The project calls for two buildings – a three-story 123,295-square-foot structure and a one-story 9,907-square-foot structure – on the 2.99-acre lot.
A use variance is required because a self-storage facility is not a permitted use in the zone.
A variance is also required because no building in the zone can exceed 50,000 square feet and the proposed buildings are more than 130,000 square feet.
Another variance is required because the proposed height of the building is 42.5 feet where 30 feet is the maximum allowed in the zone.
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The property, which used to be occupied by Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments, has been vacant for many years. The two-story building became dilapidated and there was a partial roof collapse in 2011.
The office building was demolished earlier this year.
Renard Management "seeks approvals to restore active use of the property for the first time in decades," according to papers filed with the township.
The owner of the property, Yonkers 300 of Brooklyn, bought the land in May 2022 for $2.6 million, Somerset County records show.
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The property is part of the township's Gateway Redevelopment Area.
The property is also within the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Montgomery Township Housing Development Superfund site, approximately 72 acres east of Route 206 and north of Route 518.
The area was designated as a Superfund site in September 1983 based on the detection of various volatile organic compounds in the groundwater. There are monitoring wells on the property.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Montgomery NJ property on Route 518 eyed for self-storage facility
