Business & Tech

Just Carpets Gets Warehouse Expansion Approval

Questions about parking and safety raised during meeting

After close to a quarter century in business Just Carpets and Flooring went in front of the planning board last week looking to expand its warehouse facilities. After questions from the board were answered, the application was granted with only a few minor changes from the proposed plan. 

The Route 9 business, which currently has 1,1000 square feet of warehouse space on the building and rents another 5000 square feet from a neighboring propertym was applying for a 12,000-square-foot expansion solely for storage purposes. 

Because of the added space, township code requires more parking spaces. The location of those spaces became one of the biggest issues for the board members as they heard the application.

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Even before they went to the board, the applicants said they went to the state Department of Transportation to see if they had any issues with the expansion and the impact it would have on parking. With parking currently fronting the major roadway, the state issued a letter of no interest allowing the application to go forward as planned. 

Some members of the board questioned whether the parking had to be in the front of the building or whether something could be done to improve the outside appearance and move the parking to the back.

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"What would be wrong with eliminating the parking spaces in front and having a nice design standard in the front of the building and having the customers park in back," asked board member Paul Schneider.

The applicant said they preferred to keep the parking in the front and other members agreed that it was a good way to help attract business from motorists driving by. Other members of the board and even some of the professionals questioned whether having parking in the rear and the only access in the front was a safety concern. 

Schneider also questioned the safety of parking in the front. It was a similar question he raised about an earlier in the meting. "I never really want to see any new applications that have parking adjacent to a retail building without any kind of barrier in the front," he said. "You read about it every week about a car going through a building. Despite limited space on the property, the applicant agreed to put a barrier at the front of the parking spaces to ensure cars could not go through the building. 

After questions were raised about the back entrance that goes into the current warehouse and the safety of store patrons walking around the building, the applicant also agreed to update their plans to help in that regard. When the work is done, the building will have a more consumer friendly entrance in the back so customers will not have to walk around the building and potentially into oncoming traffic. 

The next meeting of the board is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at town hall. 


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