Warehouse Issue In Hillsborough To Be Tackled By Committee

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — In an effort to combat an influx of warehouse applications being proposed to be built in the township, Committeeman Robert Britting said Hillsborough is working to "redefine" what is classified as a warehouse.

"Over the last several years, it is obviously clear that the term warehouse covers a vast array of uses and types of buildings," said Britting at the Oct. 25 Township Committee meeting. "They are massive. A couple of years ago, it could've been a building with two trucks now it can be a distribution center. We have to redefine how we do this."

In order to do this, Britting provided residents with an outline on the steps the township is taking including taking a look at roads, location and scale, sustainable design standards and spec building.

"Our Township Engineer is conducting a study and we are awaiting the results on the existing infrastructure, speed, turn geometries, and weight restrictions. It will also be important that the compatibility of other modes of transportation such as walking and biking are taken into account along with identifying sensitive receptors in an area such as schools, daycare centers, recreational parks, and places of worship, etc," said Britting.

Recently the New Jersey State Planning Commission / Office of Planning Advocacy recently adopted Distribution Warehousing and Goods Movement Guidelines.

"As such, Hillsborough Township needs to reexamine the definition of warehouses based on this recent guidance from the State of New Jersey. As we move forward with these changing times and the guidance provided, this is an opportunity for Hillsborough Township to redefine and subsequently reaffirm what is and what is not a warehouse," said Britting.

Additionally, the township will re-examine zoning districts to ensure they are appropriately scaled to match the type and intensity of land use in surrounding areas. This will help to minimize and avoid on-and-offsite impacts.

The township is also looking at supporting green initiatives "so we will add sustainable components to the redefinition. And finally, building on speculation - that will be addressed as well," said Britting.

Speculation came up recently in the township when an application to build a 107,366 sq. ft. warehouse near the Green Hills Community was unanimously denied by the Hillsborough Planning Board on Oct. 13. Read More: Warehouse Application Denied By Hillsborough Planning Board

"A spec warehouse number one is too hard for us to determine the impact to the neighbors both in sound, noise, congestion, environmental impacts… And in this case also the potential for more flooding in this area, I think is a concern I can not overlook," said Mayor Shawn Lipani said at that meeting.

Overall, Britting said the township is looking to redefine what a warehouse is in Hillsborough, along with circulation plans, hours of operation, multimodal infrastructure, and roadways as well as other factors.

"It is essential that in order to protect our community — and I mean that with 3 kids here, I didn't move here not to protect them — we have a proactive and comprehensive approach to our Land Use Master Plan, Zoning, and project review procedures based on sound planning practices," said Britting.

"You can see I have a ton of energy behind this and I will continue to push for this," said Britting.

Other towns in the area have also begun to take action against the rising number of warehouse applications including in Bridgewater where the township council passed an ordinance last week to "remove warehouse use" as a permitted use in specific areas of the township.

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