Livingston Planning Board to Continue Bottle King/CVS Review

The proposal to transform the vacant former Saturn of Livingston dealership at the Route 10 circle into new retail establishments for Bottle King and CVS remains under Livingston Planning Board review after Tuesday night’s meeting.

343 Livingston Circle LLC. proposed more than doubling the size of the current building from 14,330 square feet to 32,183 square feet to accommodate a relocated Bottle King wine and beer store and a CVS store with a pharmacy with drive-thru service. 

The current Bottle King store, at 19 S. Livingston Ave. would relocate to the new site and a new CVS building and pharmacy drive-thru would be created. There will be offices for Bottle King above the drug store on a second-floor.

The proposed project needs preliminary and final site plan approval along with several variances for building height, two freestanding signs and building area glass, according to plans filed in town hall. 

The board discussed the proposed building’s design and hours of operation along with details about the number of workers on site, the number of store deliveries and a traffic study.  

Architect Stephen Schwartz testified about the proposed new building and showed township officials designs for the Bottle King, which will have glazed glass to make "the store open and bright." The designs for the CVS store, which be made of brick, beige and tan materials was also discussed. He said the second-floor will be handicap accessible and follow the American with Disabilities Act.

Bottle King
Ken Friedman, president of Bottle King and a trustee of the organization that owns the property, said the wine and beer store would have about five to eight workers and the management office would have about seven employees.  

The Bottle King would be open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Friedman said. Wine and other liquor would be delivered twice a week and beer would be delivered once a week, he said. Most deliveries would be in the morning and last less than an hour.

The new Bottle King store would be about 30 percent larger than the current building, Friedman said in an interview after the meeting.
Friedman said he wants to move the store because there would be "more business and (a) better location."

He was unsure what would happen to the old store if the new building gets approved. 

CVS
Anthony Gallinari, a developer for CVS in Northern New Jersey, testified the pharmacy would probably be open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day and it would have 16 to 24 workers.

CVS would send a trailer to deliver supplies once a week in the morning, Gallinari said, and other vendors would bring daytime deliveries of other items, such as soda. 

The drive-thru — which would have a service window and drop-off kiosk — would have a control volume on the speakers so the sound could be lowered if requested, Gallinari said. 

In an interview after the meeting, Gallinari said it was undecided if the new building would be a new store or the relocation of another store. 

"I think it's a good project," Gallinari said. "What's there now is an eyesore that would be much improved with two stores going in there."

Gallinari said he hopes the project gets approved in June and construction would probably take a year.

Livingston currently has two CVS locations —184 S. Livingston Ave. and 277 Eisenhower Parkway. Mike DeAngelis, a CVS public relations director, did not return a phone call and e-mail seeking comment about the proposed project. 

Traffic study
Harold Malz, an engineer and transportation consultant, said he did a traffic study of the Route 10 circle last May and June during peak travel times. 

His findings revealed Route 10 traffic was the heaviest during the weekday morning and evening rush hour, and less heavy on Saturdays. Traffic on West Northfield Road was lighter, Malz said, and even lighter for Harvest Lane.

The number of customers Malz estimated would drive to the site would be 78 trips in the morning and 295 at the nighttime rush hour on weekdays and 407 trips at the Saturday peak travel time. 

Malz noted that the property was already developed before when the Saturn dealership was there, and it also had a vehicle service center. 

Ongoing issues and next meeting
Planning Board Chairman Peter Klein said the project's traffic expert would need to discuss the impact of front store deliveries. Other issues Klein still need to be addressed include the building's energy generator, repairs to Harvest Lane, pedestrian access, the environmental report, recycling plan and a report sent to opposing parties.

Last year, several Livingston residents asked township officials  a zoning change that allowed the Bottle King to relocate to the Route 10 circle.  

Bernadette Peslak, a Wyckoff resident whose parents live near the proposed development site, was the only person to speak out in public about the proposal during Tuesday's meeting.

Peslak said she was concerned about safety, traffic and parking issues. She asked why the pharmacy drive-thru was put near residential properties. 

Klein said she had a valid point and said it could be brought up again with other witnesses at a future meeting. 

The Planning Board will continue discussing the project on June 5.