Convenience Store Proposed for Shell Station

The owner of the Shell Station at Parker and Valley is proposing adding a 2,000 sf convenience store to the corner. Ali Enterprises LLC last night presented its plans to the Maplewood Planning Board for an informal review. 

Tom Carlson, Chair of the Planning Board, explained, "Such a procedure is prescribed by statute, allowing a developer or property owner to gain feedback from the Planning Board on an idea or preliminary proposal." Carlson said that the review is informal in the legal sense: "No sworn testimony is taken, and nothing said by any party is binding on any future review that might follow. In particular, there is nothing about an informal review that shortcuts the full site plan application and review process should the applicant decide to pursue this project."

This is good news to some neighbors in the area who have been circulating emails with the preliminary plans attached. Neighbors on Crowell Place and Parker Avenue worry that a convenience store would add to traffic and trash to the area and be a source of junk food to the high school students across the street that would be a "step down" from Maplewood Pizzeria.

Ali Enterprises' proposal seeks to relocate the gas pumps and canopy and erect a new building for a convenience store. Said Carlson, "It would be fair to say that board members were concerned about the proximity of the new building to nearby houses to the south; potential for increased vehicular traffic volume and congestion; and potential for safety issues due to increased pedestrian traffic of high school students in an around the new store.  These observations were made in the context that the existing service station already has many of these characteristics and that the new store may or may not exacerbate them."

The Board listened and reviewed the proposal last night, asked questions and made comments. Carlson explained that the proposal now goes to the Zoning Board because some aspects of the project suggest that the project falls to the jurisdiction of the Zoning Board. However, the Zoning Board does not have informal review and the property owners were desirous of this part of the process.

John Davenport, a neighbor of the Shell Station, was present at the meeting and is opposed to the project for several reasons including increased traffic, the proximity of the new structure to residential properties, increased noise and lighting, and the potential for increased crime. As Davenport wrote to Patch, "We had an armed robbery on Valley right across from the Shell station last week. Do we want to create a hangout spot till midnight in this area?"

"I think the owner got a clear message from the community at the preliminary hearing that homeowners in this area are very unhappy with his proposal," wrote Davenport, who felt that the neighborhood had enough food store option with the proximity of Tara's Deli, Maplewood Pizzeria, the A&P and Pathmark.

Planning Board chair Carlson added, "It's important to note that the applicant . . . expressed a willingness to work with the town and the neighbors to achieve a mutually successful operation."

The next step, should the applicant proceed, would be full site plan review process, which would likely be routed to the Zoning Board.

Concerned neighbors were able to engage with the property owners and their engineer after the review.