Holmdel Convenience Store, Gas Station Proposed For Middle Road

HOLMDEL, NJ - A convenience store and adjacent gas station is proposed to be constructed at the intersection of South Laurel Avenue and Middle Road, according to municipal zoning board documents. The site sits on the former property of Olympic Tire and Auto Center.

Applicant New Horizon Properties LLC have proposed a 3,000-square-foot 19 Express convenience store and an adjacent Conoco gas station with six fuel pumps at 494 Middle Road across from the BCB Bank, per the May 5 zoning board meeting.

Developers have called for the demolition of the one-story building currently sitting on the property.

The proposal additionally calls for 24-hour service at both the store and gas station.

Testimony will continue at the next board meeting on June 2.

The location is remarkably close to Holmdel’s proposed 50-unit controversial affordable housing site on South Laurel Avenue. The site is set to fulfill some of Holmdel’s affordable housing requirements per a settlement reached between the township and the Fair Share Housing Center in 2019.

Holmdel Family Apartments, slated to be developed near South Laurel Avenue and Middle Road, will be built by The Walters Group of Haddonfield and consist entirely of affordable housing units. Five of the approved 50 units will now be set aside for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, with an additional two units to be income restricted at 30 percent of the Monmouth County median income.

Hazlet Mayor Mike Glackin and attorney James Gorman claimed that the 50-unit complex is too close to residential property on Hazlet's Marsand Drive and only feet away from the township border, according to testimony at a July 28 Holmdel Township Committee meeting. A 2020 letter from Gorman to Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Linda Grasso Jones - who later approved the plans for the site - raised concerns over housing density and alleged negative environmental impact.

"Hazlet's attorney and mayor cited concerns over proper planning area, site suitability, proper notice, parking set back, building set back, building height, easement and disregard for the adjacent Hazlet neighborhood," read a statement posted to the Hazlet Township website.

"Several residents also spoke out about the impact of the rezoning to home values, traffic circulation and potential flooding."