Glassboro approves self-storage opening in suburban housing area near Route 55

Joseph P. Smith, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·2 min read

GLASSBOR0 — Self-storage is coming to the borough suburbs, overcoming the constraints of soggy soil and concerns from a wary luxury apartment complex that got to the area first.

An Aberdeen-based company will build a 75,000-square-foot facility at 555 Aura Road, just south of Ellis Mill Road and in earshot of Exit 48 of Route 55. The borough Zoning Board approved the project site plan at a hearing on July 20.

The largely wooded site is 12.84 acres, though that size comes with a “but.” A branch of Raccoon Creek passes through it and there are extensive freshwater wetlands and buffer zones, so construction is possible only on about 2 acres.

Glassboro zoning explained: What's a 'pallet-able' industry in residential area under Glassboro zoning rules?

When is Raisin Caine's coming: Restaurant lays out new store plan for Washington Township planners

That topography also means the three-story facility will be close to Aura Road, facing Essex Chase Apartments at 580 Aura Road. The apartment complex raised concerns at a December 2022 Zoning Board hearing at which a use variance was granted.

Witnesses for developer Vision Aura LLC testified that extra effort went into their design to come up with a facility that blends with Essex Chase architecture. The properties face each other over an 800-foot-long section of Aura Road.

This artist rendering of a self-storage facility by Perry M. Petrillo Architects P.C. was an exhibit at the July 20, 2023 Glassboro Zoning Board meeting. The board approved Vision Aura LLC to build it at 555 Aura Road, about a quarter-mile from the Route 55 Exit 48 interchange.
This artist rendering of a self-storage facility by Perry M. Petrillo Architects P.C. was an exhibit at the July 20, 2023 Glassboro Zoning Board meeting. The board approved Vision Aura LLC to build it at 555 Aura Road, about a quarter-mile from the Route 55 Exit 48 interchange.

Aura Road at that point is a quarter-mile from the highway interchange and is zoned for office park-type development. It also adjacent to single-family housing, and the borough almost two decades ago settled on the Aura-Ellis Mill roads area to host residential development.

Victoria Turner, an employee of Essex Chase Apartments, was the only person in the audience to question the board prior to its unanimous vote. Turner also had raised concerns about the project at its use variance hearing.

Essex Chase Apartments at 580 Aura Road in Glassboro, just south of Ellis Mill Road near the Route 55 Exit 48 interchange. PHOTO: July 24, 2023.
Essex Chase Apartments at 580 Aura Road in Glassboro, just south of Ellis Mill Road near the Route 55 Exit 48 interchange. PHOTO: July 24, 2023.

Turner asked the board to clarify whether there will be restrictions on storing vehicles and boats at the facility. Project attorney Kevin Diduch answered that neither one would be acceptable at the facility.

The borough affordable housing fund will pick up a contribution from the facility after it opens.

Project planner Leah Furey Bruder said Glassboro will receive a fee equal to 2.5 percent of the assessed tax value of the project when Vision Aura finishes. The facility will have about 522 units, more than first suggested. It will operate seven days a week but will not be accessible overnight, according to testimony.

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: Self-storage company squeezing into wetlands-heavy Aura Road site