The Chairman & Members of Marlboro Township Zoning Board of Adjustment
1979 Township Drive
Marlboro, NJ 07746

RE: Wooleytown Associates LLC
Preliminary & Final Major Site Plan with Use Variance
Block 120, Lot 47 (4 Wooleytown Road) Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey

The Wooleytown Associates, LLC application for Preliminary and Final Site Plan with Use Variance application is scheduled to be heard at the Zoning Board of Adjustment February 7th , 2023 meeting. The subject site is undeveloped and mostly heavily wooded. The applicant is proposing to construct a two story office building,  warehouse / flex space buildings along with appurtenant parking, landscaping, lighting, stormwater, sewer, water improvements. The proposed use is not permitted within RSCS and C-2 zones. In addition to use variance, the applicant is also seeking other variances such as minimum lot area, minimum lot frontage, minimum lot width, minimum side yard setback, minimum lot coverage. All of the above variances, if granted, will allow the site to develop much beyond the permitted limits.

The site abuts single family residential homes and brings major commercial development into residential neighborhoods where many families raise their school going children and seniors live. This proposed development will bring offices and warehouses into backyards of single family homes in addition to increased auto traffic, potential boxed trucks, tractor-trailers. This will significantly  deteriorate the quality of life of residents of the immediate and surrounding areas, increase air pollution, glare, noise pollution, potential truck parking into smaller residential streets and other negative impacts to the concerned citizens. 

The site is home to wooded areas, wetlands, streams, vernal habitat, and state endangered wildlife species within the vicinity of the site. The State of New Jersey has already determined that all or a portion of this lot lies in a freshwater wetland and/or transition area. The NJDEP’s GeoWeb GIS mapping service shows that a portion of the Matawan Creek runs through the lot. Proposed clearing of all the trees and over development of such a lot with the above characteristics poses increased flood hazard to the surrounding properties besides causing detriment to the environment.

Wooleytown road is a small arterial road that connects Tennent Road and Texas Road which is already taking a good amount of vehicular traffic in addition to bikers, joggers with no sidewalk provision on this road. At peak times, making a safe turn from Wooleytown Road onto Tennent Road already takes a lot of time due to heavy vehicular traffic on Tennent Road including truck traffic. Detours from Texas Road and/or Tennent Road due to flooding or other reasons bring additional diverted traffic into Wooleytown Road periodically. The traffic study conducted is deficient because it has not taken into consideration the proposed 387 residential units at Texas Road - Falson Lane intersection that this Board has approved earlier this year as well as the new apartment buildings under construction on Tennent Road. The proposed development will add more vehicles including trucks into a road that is not meant to handle this increased volume of traffic and will make traffic conditions worse and unsafe.

This proposed development will also increase traffic volumes on Tennent Road where traffic buildup at Tennent Rd - Rt 520 intersection backs up almost beyond Amboy Road and at Tennent Rd- Rt 79 intersection to beyond Church lane at peak hours.

This proposed development will fundamentally and significantly alter the characteristics of the neighborhood and will cause substantial detriment to public good. Based on the above, we would like to respectfully request you that the subject site shall remain undeveloped and the use variance application be denied.

Sincerely,

Concerned residents of Wooleytown Road and Woodbury Oaks