Howell's Warehouse Ordinance Nearing A Vote

HOWELL, NJ — The Howell Township Council will vote Tuesday on an ordinance that defines the distinction between warehouses and fulfillment centers, which are used by e-commerce companies to coordinate deliveries.

The ordinance, which was first voted on by the Township Planning Board during their March 3 meeting, details the key differences between "warehousing" and "fulfillment warehouse centers."

Warehousing is defined as "facilities involved in the short to long-term storage of bulk materials and products. Items are brought in and distributed in bulk with little to no material repackaging, repurposing or breakup," according to the ordinance.

Meanwhile, fulfillment warehouse centers are facilities that handle the receipt of bulk products as well as the storage, separation and distribution of those products to individual end-user consumers, including e-commerce.

The Planning Board's attorney, Ron Cucchiaro, said the current language used for the township's zoning ordinances is outdated and not up to date with current land-use proposals.

"What this ordinance does is create a definition that splits all of those different kinds of warehouses into individual elements and defines them, so you can't come and say anymore, 'I'm proposing a warehouse,' and your warehouse is broad enough for me to do a distribution center or fulfillment center," Cucchiaro told the planning board.