Neighbors fear proposed Upper Freehold warehouse could ruin life in neighboring Allentown

UPPER FREEHOLD - A proposed 453,720-square-foot warehouse and distribution center drew more than 200 residents to Tuesday night’s Upper Freehold planning board meeting, many peppering the developer with concerns it could upset life in the quiet neighboring hamlet of Allentown.

The site of the proposed warehouse has brought out protests in previous months, as it abuts a residential neighborhood. “This is 50 feet from my home,” said Barbara Pleva, an Allentown resident.

The proposed warehouse and distribution center is also the site of a 1778 British encampment during the Revolutionary War. Three days later, the British were routed at the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse.

The proposed property would be divided into two buildings. Building A would contain 238,393 square feet of warehouse, 10,000 square feet of office space and 44 loading docks. Building B would contain 195,327 square feet of warehouse space, 10,000 square feet of office space and 37 loading docks.

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The larger of the two buildings would span along the backyards of nine houses along Probasco Drive. The physical warehouse would be directly behind those houses.

According to Jeromie Lange, an engineer and director of development with the developer Active Acquisitions LLC, there is about 95 feet to 113 feet of buffer space between proposed Building A and the neighboring property. The developer’s civil engineer, Tung-To Lam, said the warehouse was split into two buildings so that the loading docks would face westward, away from Allentown. Two lines of evergreen trees are also proposed to buffer the warehouse with the existing residential neighborhood.

But those considerations did not quell residents' concerns. Although the property is in Upper Freehold, residents of the neighboring historic village of Allentown could be most affected.

A number of residents spoke of lost truck drivers passing through Allentown after the Amazon complex in Robbinsville, the borough’s other neighbor, was built.

Allentown resident William Lull questioned why the warehouses are proposed to be built south of Interstate 195 when a large cluster of warehouses exist north of the highway.

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Lange said the property was for sale and zoned for warehouses. It is also right off Exit 8 of 195. He said previously a luxury apartment complex was proposed at the site. However, the site was not suitable for residential wastewater flows. Warehouses generate less wastewater.

Lange said no end users have been identified yet. He said the warehouse is proposed to operate 24/7 and could hold up to eight tenants, but one tenant could occupy all eight spaces. He said if the project is approved, the developer will either sell the title of the property or build the warehouses and then sell the property.

Other residents brought up about pollution, the potential lowering of property values, the exterior lights, the size and what legacy the warehouse would pose to the neighborhood when it reaches its end of its usefulness.

Upper Freehold Township's ordinance requires 535 parking spaces for passenger vehicles for warehouses of the proposed size. The developer’s civil engineer Lam said that many spaces won't be needed, so they are requesting to "bank" as many as 162 spaces, leaving space for them to be added later if needed.

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Board member Joseph Covello cautioned that the current proposed design for banking parking spaces, in which the asphalt is laid but the lines are not drawn, could result in spaces that trucks drivers would decide to idle in.

Lange said the developer is also proposing plans for a traffic circle in front of the development to give truck drivers a few chances to make the correct turn and not drive into Allentown. He also proposed to contact trucking GPS companies so they could add a turn restriction to their maps.

Carla Lebentritt of Allentown said the borough has been experiencing a problem of lost truck drivers. She said Upper Freehold relies on the State Police, whom she said have not been enforcing the existing traffic issues.

The application for the warehouses will continue at the next board meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26 at Stone Bridge Middle School.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Upper Freehold NJ warehouse plan worries neighboring Allentown