Board approves Route 1 parking lot expansion
Environmental group protests plan that requires 450-tree forest clear-cut
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer

EDISON - The Edison Township Planning Board voted to grant preliminary approval to the creation of a 2-acre parking lot for a business that details and repairs Ferraris andMaseratis, during its Dec. 17 meeting.

The application had generated significant opposition from both neighbors and environmental groups over buffering issues, as well as the need to clear-cut a forest of 450 trees to actually build the lot, which will be located off Route 1.

The application was brought forth by United Auto Group (UAG), representatives of which said that due to a changing business environment, additional space was needed. The parking lot itself, according to Planning Board member Dennis Pipala, will be used not for customers but for employees and for storing the cars that are being worked on. The agenda for the meeting states that the new lot will add space for 187 additional vehicles.

Pipala said that when the application was first proposed, about a month ago, neighbors of the site were concerned about how close the project would be to their homes, since the property lines abut a residential area. After the meeting, he said, representatives from the applicant met with the residents and agreed to add fencing as well as additional trees for buffering. He said that for the most part, this seemed to satisfy them.

"During the interim, the applicant did a pretty darn good job," Pipala said. "The residents … kind of confirmed that they worked, and were satisfied with what the applicant was doing for them. The applicant, subsequent to the first meeting we had, went above and beyond the minimum requirements and is putting more buffering, and I think the neighbors somewhat appreciated it."

A bit more contentious, however, was the plan to clear-cut the 450-tree forest that currently occupies the land the parking lot will be built on. Bob Spiegel, of the Edison Wetlands Association (EWA) had candidly voiced their concerns over this matter during the initial Planning Board hearings. The group said that the removal of the forest and the paving of the land would exacerbate flooding in an area already prone to it.

Further, it was pointed out that the application was approved under outdated stormwater regulations, noting that the state mandated all towns to update their standards according to new rules four years ago, but that Edison has not done so.

"At a time when south Edison is suffering from a number of adverse environmental projects, it's insane that Edison would encourage the clear-cutting of this mature forest oasis in an asphalt sea of development," Spiegel said in a statement.

Pipala and Spiegel said that a meeting between UAG and the EWA was set up, though Pipala felt that the environmental group took too long to set it up.

"It was a little disappointing that they did not choose to respond to phone calls by the application until some three weeks after, the Friday before Monday's meeting," said Pipala.

Spiegel, in a phone interview, said that given everything that needed to be examined in the application, and the time it took to make a formal report of their critiques, three weeks was actually relatively quick. They needed the three weeks to also prepare alternatives that Spiegel said UAG was not interested in hearing.

"I understand they want more parking spaces, but bottom line is there are other options. They could have reduced spaces and cut [fewer] trees, they could have put in a parking deck so instead of one level, [there would be] two or three levels, or even have parking on the roof, and they told us flat-out they're not doing it and they're doing this," said Spiegel.

He said that the EWA is currently examining what legal options exist now that the application has gained preliminary approval from the Planning Board. He said that at the very least, the group would send its technical comments to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Pipala said that he had voted for the application, along with the six other members able to vote on it, because he was impressed with the way the applicant had reassured concerned neighbors, as well as the potential to create jobs.

Spiegel said the EWA will continue to object to the proposal and is seeking state action on the lack of movement on a new storm-water ordinance.

"They didn't offer to cut [fewer] trees or fill in the wetlands, they are just looking to completely clear-cut one of the few remaining areas in Edison like this for no reason except to make more money, and so in situations like that, there is no room to negotiate. They want to cut 450 trees and fill in wetlands, and there's no room for negotiations," said Spiegel.