Gillette gets board OK for offices, warehouse
BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE - A 10-acre site on Cheesequake Road is the approved location of two office and warehouse structures.

Gillette Enterprises Inc. received unanimous Planning Board approval last month for two single-story buildings - one that would be 11,000 square feet; the other 61,000 square feet. The Sayreville-based developer does not have tenants for the buildings yet, but multiple users could occupy the structures, according to Borough Engineer Jay Cornell.

Bhaskar Halari, an engineer with Manalapan based Concept Engineering Consultants, said the zone allows for a much greater percentage of lot coverage than the developer is proposing on the site. In addition, a 30-foot-wide driveway is included in the plan so that trucks can maneuver the property without having to drive around noncommercial traffic to enter and exit. The developer plans to include sprinkler systems in both buildings for fire safety purposes.

Gillette requested a waiver from the borough's requirements that sidewalks be built along the front of the property on Cheesequake Road, since the site is located in an area where there are no destinations for pedestrians, Halari said. He said there is no sidewalk on the other side of the road, but sidewalks are included in the parking area around the two proposed buildings.

Halari said that a 6-foot-tall vinyl fence would be constructed around the property for the safety of children at an adjacent school. Commercial traffic would enter from a separate entrance on Cheesequake Road, designated exclusively for trucks.

Landscaping will be prevalent on the site, with greenery on 49 percent of the property, Halari said.

He described the proposed use as an asset to Sayreville.

James Gillette told the board that he can have the project finished by around June 2009. He said the development would be built to blend in with the area.

A native of Sayreville, Gillette built Gillette Manor at 650 Washington Road, and he is also known for building adjustable warehousing space that can meet the specific needs of tenants, according to Planning Board Chairman Dr. John Misiewicz.

"Mr. Gillette has been a builder in town for a number of years," Misiewicz said. "He's a local guy who has lived in Sayreville all his life. He has done a bunch of projects."

Misiewicz said Gillette's latest proposal at Cheesequake Road is a tax ratable for the borough that would be located in a light industrial area near the Dupont Parlin Plant and Hercules Inc.

"I think it is an appropriate use in an appropriate area," Misiewicz said.