Wayne site had single-family home for 75 years. How did zoning board update its use?
WAYNE — The zoning board has approved the use of a self-storage center on Hamburg Turnpike, despite the objections of senior citizens who live in nearby condos.
The project was denied in August because a majority of the seven-member Zoning Board of Adjustment felt that the facility would have been too large for the 3.5-acre lot.
Basis Industrial, a real estate developer from Florida, returned at the most recent meeting with a new plan. The size of its proposed facility was reduced from 102,364 square feet to 85,351 square feet by lopping off the top floor.
“I appreciate you going back, and hanging in there, to make it the best way it should be for that property,” said Hilary Caruso, a board member.
The developer opted for a bifurcated application, meaning that its plan is being presented in two parts. The approval last week was only for its use of the property as a storage center, which is not permitted in the zone.
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It must return to have the zoning board act on its site plan, which will involve a closer look at architecture, landscaping and traffic circulation, among other aspects.
The property at 555 Hamburg Turnpike is owned by George Lighthiser, who resides in a single-family home there. It is one of the very few dwellings that dot the county road.
Lighthiser said his grandfather built the ranch-style home about 75 years ago and that he has been there for almost as long. “This’ll be a big hitter,” he said to tout the facility. “I’m in full favor of it. It’s as safe a project as you could ever imagine.”
But some of Lighthiser’s neighbors to the south — those living in Four Seasons of Wayne, a condo complex off Pike Drive — said the project would cause air pollution and exacerbate flooding.
An unnamed tributary of Preakness Brook courses through the site, and Joan Sarra said she was afraid that stormwater runoff would cause the stream to breach its banks.
The property elevation is about 30 feet higher than that of the condo complex.
Sarra told the zoning board how a recent flood deluged the elevator shaft of her building. “I’m not a happy camper,” she said.
Holding one hand above her head, and her other hand at her waist, she added: “If anyone knows anything about gravity, where do you think the water’s going to go? This project doesn’t belong on this property. It needs to be somewhere else.”
Experts testified on behalf of the developer that the facility was the best use for the property, considering its challenging topography and environmental constraints.
Storage centers generate less traffic and require fewer parking spots, they said, when compared to many other uses and even those that are allowed in the zone, such as banks and office buildings.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Wayne NJ zoning board voted on new Hamburg Turnpike property
