Planning Board Hears Modified Proposal for C-Town Property

A modified plan for the mixed used property proposed for 126 Main Street, the current location of the vacant C-Town supermarket, was presented to the Matawan Planning Board Wednesday night.

The new plan calls for two residential floors as opposed to three, a smaller retail level on the ground floor and both street level and underground parking, according to Architect Dean Marchetto.

There are still 42 apartments proposed in the new plan despite there being only two residential floors, which required changing the design of the building from an L-shape to a T-shape, Marchetto said. This includes 24 one-bedroom units and 18 two-bedroom units.

The new plan also has a pitched roof, while the previous plan had a flat roof. According to Marchetto, this results in about a 5-foot difference in height between the two plans but reduces the variance needed for approval.

Marchetto contends that the design of the building fits in with the character of downtown Matawan. The clock tower designed for the corner of Little Street and Main Street remained in the new plan, which Marchetto said he hopes will become a landmark in town.

Board member Robert Montfort disapproved of the new plan, saying that reducing the size of the retail space defeats the purpose of the project.

"This [new plan] really is a residential project with retail space secondary rather than a retail space with the residence as secondary," he said. According to Montfort, since the building is located on Main Street its primary purpose should be to welcome new businesses into the community.

Montfort also said he feels the plan lacks consideration of security issues for residents of the builing and lacks consideration of amount of garbage produced by residents and businesses.

Peter Young, a resident of Maiden Lane, is concerned about the increase in traffic, inaccessibility to the area for trucks and large vehicles and potential water runoff from the new construction.

Young said that trucks - whether for garbage, delivery or moving - use the parking lot behind C-Town to turn around. Little Street, a one-way road, and Jackson Street, a two-way but still thin road, surround either side of the property and intersect Main Street. Maiden Lane, which runs behind the property, is a dead end at both ends and according to residents, is barely two-cars wide. No parking is allowed on any of the three streets.

Engineer Carl Heusen said that a garbage truck removing dumpsters from the mixed-use property would be able to use the loading bay to k-turn in the street. The board asked that the developers provide more information on garbage removal and truck accessibility at the next meeting.

According to an article in the Independent, a C-Town supermarket was approved in June of 2006 to occupy the property at 126 Main St., which was previously Harris Hardware and a Foodtown.

The article quotes Joseph Mullaney, a councilman at that time, as saying the mid-sized supermarket would revitalize downtown Matawan.

The planning board will meet Wednesday, Oct. 3 to further discuss the plans for this property. Residents are encouraged to attend and ask any questions they might have.