Debate continues over townhomes, office plan Experts: No major impact on traffic from this project BY MARLENE CANTY Staff Writer A sketch provided by the developer shows townhomes to the right, and an office and retail building on the left. OLD BRIDGE - An application to build 16 age-restricted townhomes and a two-story office and retail building on a 14-acre parcel on Angela Drive north of Route 516 has been held over for further discussion. The controversial proposal that has attracted groups of disgruntled residents to Zoning Board of Adjustment meetings comes from T. Galante properties, an Old Bridge-based builder. The application drew nearly 30 spectators to the Oct. 19 Zoning Board meeting, most of them residents of Whispering Pines, a residential community that borders the back of the property. Those residents, along with board members, have expressed concerns about various details of Galante's plan, including its traffic impact along Angela Drive. Traffic expert Frank Miskovich was called on by Galante attorney Jonathan Heilbrun to discuss a traffic report he prepared in February to address those concerns and suggest solutions. Miskovich said that while the area has high traffic periods, it does not generate enough traffic to warrant a traffic signal. Miskovich said that what Galante is proposing will not significantly affect traffic on Route 516, an already heavy traffic area. His study examined traffic patterns at peak periods during the morning and evening. Among his possible solutions to the concerns were renting space to businesses less likely to impact traffic at those peak hours, and the possible addition of a "no left turn" restriction at the intersection of Angela Drive and Route 516 in order to minimize delays. But according to Miskovich, the 90-second delays already encountered by motorists trying to enter 516 from Angela Drive would not be significantly affected by Galante's application. Miskovich's report did not anticipate much benefit from the "no left turn" restriction on traffic entering Route 516 from Angela Drive either. Angela Drive, currently considered a municipal street, is essentially an "exit" drive that is only about 30 feet wide. The report's main assertion was that Galante's application to build 16 housing units in a zone that would allow three residential units would not have a significant impact on traffic delays already existing. According to Miskovich, statistics based on national studies conducted by the Institute of Traffic Engineers show that certain development types are less likely to generate increased traffic. One such development would be age-restricted housing. But according to Lucy Chencinski, a resident of Whispering Pines, Galante's application to develop on wetlands and the need to secure some 14 variances for the project is testament that the land is not suitable to the proposed use. "In order to institute his application, the 16 residences and the 12,000 square feet of office space, he is going to have to fill an entire acre of wetlands," Chencinski said. Chencinski and other Whispering Pines residents, unhappy with the application and concerned about what the township will ultimately decide, have put together a two-page letter, "Old Bridge Residents Against Angela Drive," addressing the issue. They are distributing it among environmental organizations and local township officials in an effort to be heard. "While we firmly believe development is healthy, we also believe development should be limited to suitable sites. It appears to us that in an effort to use land that has never been suitable for development, this developer is attempting to circumvent regulations the state has in place to protect its citizens and our natural environment," the letter reads. Chencinski agrees with Miskovich that a no-left-turn sign at the intersection of Route 516 and Angela Drive is not a solution. "All people will do is just turn into the driveway of other neighboring businesses to turn left and that only creates more problems," Chencinski said. Because the town did not widen Route 516 in earlier years, it needs to now restrict further development in an area traffic experts have given an "F" rating for its poor traffic flow, according to Chencinski. Builder Thomas Galante said he has not made a definite decision as to what businesses or retail shops he would put on the site where his office complex would stand. That part of the project requires a variance because its size exceeds the zoned limits for commercial space by 700 square feet. "I'm thinking I'll keep the upstairs floor for my company, with about six employees," he said. "The downstairs floor would be rented probably to two companies with no more than 20 employees in and out of the building during peak hours." The Zoning Board will have to weigh the pros and cons of Galante's plan and decide if the variances he seeks would have more of a positive or negative impact on the area, and whether the benefits of the project outweigh its drawbacks, according to Township Planner Sam Rizzo. Testimony on the application, which was only partially heard, will continue Jan. 4.