Land Rover Looks To Build New Somerset County Dealership In Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The luxury car dealership Land Rover is looking to build its second Somerset County location in Bridgewater off Route 22.

"Not only does this add significant value to the Bridgewater community but it also benefits all Somerset County residents by providing a convenient location for Land Rover vehicle services," said Michael Silbert (an attorney with DiFrancesco Bateman who is representing the applicant Paul Miller Auto Group).

Currently, the closest Land Rover locations are in Edison, Princeton(mailing address in Montgomery), or Parsippany.

"Somerset County and Bridgewater Township deserve a dealership of this caliber to serve its residents and further support the area's already vibrant successful retail and restaurant establishments," said Silbert.

Silbert presented the application during the Tuesday night Board of Adjustment meeting.

The Applicant is proposing to construct a single-story building of about 24,831 square feet for a Land Rover Car Dealership, which will include a new car showroom, offices, and a Land Rover automotive service center with 11 service bays.

The proposed development includes 243 parking stalls, consisting of: 76 customer and/or
employee parking spaces (including four EV & Make Ready Spaces); 84 new car inventory spaces; 54 used car inventory spaces; seven car display spaces; and 26 vehicle service spaces.

The dealership would be located on Route 22 West in the empty lot between Safavieh and the Honda dealership, which was formally home to Gannett and Courier News.

Silbert said the applicant took input from various township officials and looked at other dealerships in the Township to determine what worked and didn't work for them.

In particular, Silbert said the applicant "went to great lengths to make sure no parking would be located in the front of the property."

The only vehicles in the front will be an area for display vehicles on its patio.

This new location and application is part of a national rollout or rebranding by Land Rover. They will no longer be a single entity and instead moving forward there will be three distinct brands — Range Rover, Defender, and Discovery.

As a result of the rebranding, the applicant is seeking three signs for the dealership. This proposal wasn't well received by the Zoning Board.

Board Chairman Jeffrey Foose noted that all other dealers in the Township have one sign.

"We worked very hard to protect the aesthetic and the design elements on that corridor," said Foose. "We don't want it to look like Union, Springfield. We want it to look like Bridgewater."

Along with signage, the applicant is also seeking bulk variance relief for the number of loading spaces, parking space sizes, and setback relief for the proposed building and parking area.

"All setback relief is consistent with the surrounding properties and buildings within this portion of the Route 22 corridor," said Silbert.

The application will be carried to the March 11 meeting, if there is time to hear it. If not, the application will be heard at the April 8 meeting.

Correction - An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the new dealership as the first Somerset County location when there is a location in Montgomery(Princeton).

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