Testimony Continues for Proposed Convenience Store

Representatives from Sky Trading LLC continued giving testimony Tuesday to the Washington Township Zoning Board on the application to replace the existing 5 Star Gas station at the corner of Pascack Road and Washington Avenue with a more modern station that would include a convenience store.

The applicant’s attorney, Bruce Whitaker, continued to question traffic expert Calisto Bertin, after he informed the members of the board that the Bergen County Planning Board has approved the applicant’s plan to work with the county on proposed improvements to the intersection.

Bertin wanted to address concerns raised at the with regard to traffic flow both on and off site. He again pointed out that the proposed plan would much more clearly mark the entrances from Pascack and Washington, respectively, and that left turns onto or out of the Pascack entrance would be forbidden, and left turns from Washington would not be allowed.  

Another concern was the current delivery of fuel to the existing station, and how the truck sticks out into the road during delivery and backs out of the station. Bertin explained that the applicant’s plan would allow for a much safer delivery of fuel, both because the truck would no longer stick out in the road while providing fuel and because they’d not need to back off the lot. He also explained that the proposed addition of more fuel tanks would allow for a more controlled need for refilling, as well as the addition of multiple grades of gas.

There was much concern previously expressed over on-site maneuvering between parking, the service islands and the convenience store. Bertin explained that the applicant had shifted several aspects of the site plan, allowing for wider through-ways and more space for cars to maneuver. The islands, he also pointed out, would be narrower, down from four feet to three feet, and the canopy would also be two feet smaller. The sidewalk along the convenience store had also been reduced from five feet to four feet, but an alteration to the building itself kept it ADA compliant.

Board members still expressed some concern about the flow of traffic and the adequacy of parking for the proposed store. Bertin agreed that while it was not absolutely ideal, it was sufficient for the space they had to work with.

Members of the public expressed concerns about traffic both onto and off site, though Bertin assured them that the proposed changes would only improve matters, not make traffic at the notoriously busy intersection worse. The board’s traffic expert agreed with Bertin’s analysis.

Whitaker stated they had only one more witness, to be presented at the next meeting. He concluded by displaying artists’ renderings of the canopy and convenience store to show the applicant wanted to provide décor that would not stand out from the rest of the neighborhood.

Immaculate Heart Academy was on the agenda to ask for a variance to cover the school roof with solar panels, but the business was carried to the next meeting. 

The next Zoning Board meeting is scheduled for Oct. 18 at 7 p.m.