Route 206 Self-Storage Plan Continues To Be Heard In Hillsborough

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — A proposal to build a three-story, 103,560-square-foot self-storage facility on Route 206 in Hillsborough was heard at the recent Board of Adjustment meeting on July 15.

The application, filed by Nan Realty Holdings, LLC, looks to demolish businesses and a home next to the Quick Chek gas station at 269 and 271 Route 206 North in Hillsborough.

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The application is seeking “d” and “c” variances, preliminary and final major site plan approvals and waivers to demolish existing structures, gravel and asphalt on both lots and construct a self-storage facility on 2.97 acres in the HS/Highway Service zone.

The proposal includes office space and a loading area on the first floor, along with climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled drive-up units, for a total of 710 units.

At the July 15 hearing, a resident questioned how a traffic study could account for current state roadwork.

"The studies that you have done, how can you do a traffic study while DOT construction is going on? How do you know what the future traffic is going to be?" Thomas Rodriguez of Grouser Road said.

In response, Traffic Engineer Matt Seckler with Stonefield Engineering said the use would generate relatively little traffic compared with other uses allowed in the zone.

"I know how much I have based on data collected. I know how much traffic this site will generate, and know that this site will generate less traffic than other uses that can be built in this zone. That is what I'm testifying to," said Seckler.

"Again, I feel very comfortable that a self-storage building will continue to generate less traffic in the future than daycares, restaurants, or medical office buildings," said Seckler.

Architect Laurance Appel, principal of Appel Design Group Architects, described a building with 710 storage units across three stories, including 44 units with exterior access on the ground floor.

He said the building would be climate-controlled, "fully fire sprinklered," and designed with decorative parapets intended to add variation to the facade and screen rooftop equipment.

Appel also described an interior loading area.

"There are no vehicles parked outside. They will actually pull into the building and load and unload within the building, concealed," he said.

He added, "We think this is a huge benefit visually and architecturally in here."

A board member later pressed the applicant’s team on whether a different design could have come closer to the ordinance’s two-and-a-half-story standard while still meeting the project’s goals.

The meeting was carried to Sept. 2.

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