P&Z Members Question Size And Traffic Impact Of Office Building Plan

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have raised some questions about a developer’s proposal to construct a 35,000-square-foot office building in the Borough, on the vacant corner at the intersection of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard.

After receiving a request for comments on the proposal from the Borough Zoning Commission, P&Z members discussed the topic at a March 20 session. Because the borough has no planning commission, the P&Z serves as the borough’s planning agency, commenting on such applications.

Church Hill Partners, LLC, proposes a two-story office building, in what would be the most intensive development project in the borough since the mid-1990s redevelopment of Newtown Shopping Village on Queen Street. The proposed office building would house professional offices, some of which would be medical offices.

Church Hill Partners is seeking a special exception to the borough zoning regulations for office building construction on the southwestern corner of a 4.4-acre site at 37 Church Hill Road, plus an adjacent 161-space parking lot. The site, which is in a P-1 Professional zone, is across Church Hill Road from Starbucks Coffee.

The office building proposal has drawn the concern of Boulevard area residents, who have said they do not want the presence of an office building to worsen traffic conditions at the congested and hazardous intersection of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard. The proposed office building’s driveway for both entry and exit at the site would be on The Boulevard.

After reviewing the proposal earlier this month, the Police Commission, acting as the local traffic authority, recommended that a traffic signal be installed at the intersection of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard, if an office building is constructed there.

The Borough Zoning Commission plans conduct a public hearing on Church Hill Partners’ office building application on April 10.

P&Z View

P&Z member Sten Wilson said the presence of a new office building would worsen existing traffic congestion problems on Church Hill Road. The developer unfortunately does not state how many tenants would occupy an office building, Mr Wilson said. He termed the proposal “a very intense use of the property.” Mr Wilson said the proposed building would be “a pretty large structure for the area,” adding that he does not believe such a building would be in keeping with the character of nearby buildings.

Mr Wilson urged that the Borough Zoning Commission deny the application, saying, “There are too many unknown variables.”

P&Z member Daniel Fogliano said, “In concept, this is a good idea [but]…they’ve got a huge problem with traffic.” Mr Fogliano said, “the building is probably too big,” but added that the area is zoned for such a land use. “They’ve [applicant] tried to put ten pounds of apples in a five-pound bag,” he said.

P&Z member Edward Kelleher said such a facility would generate much traffic throughout the business day.

“[It’s] going to be a tremendous traffic generator,” Mr Fogliano said.

P&Z Chairman William O’Neil suggested that the borough zoners focus their review of the construction proposal on several points, including the size of the proposed building in relation to existing buildings in the area, the exact volume of traffic that would be generated by such a facility, and how such additional traffic would be managed.

“The concept is proper, but the scope is large,” Mr Wilson said.

“Our three concerns are traffic, building design, and size,” Mr Fogliano said. “The concept’s good,” he added.

Church Hill Partners’ office building proposal is a revised version of its similar informal proposal for the site, which borough officials reviewed last fall. That earlier version called for a 39,260-square-foot building, plus 30 more parking spaces than the current proposal.

Letter Outlines Concerns

Following the March 20 P&Z session, Mr O’Neil composed a letter to the Borough zoners, outlining the P&Z’s concerns about the office building proposal.

In that letter, Mr O’Neil writes that the proposed building “seemed very large for the general area. A smaller building would be more in keeping with the general commercial character of the area.”

 The P&Z chairman adds that the P&Z would like to have the architectural design of the proposed building be consistent with “village district” zoning regulations, which the borough zoners are formulating for that area.

“The applicant should identify the intended tenants and estimate the level of public, commercial [and] employee traffic that these likely tenants will generate, to determine whether the proposed parking will be adequate, and to determine the additional traffic load on the area,” Mr O’Neil adds.

The P&Z chairman also expresses concerns about traffic safety, in light of additional motorists who would be turning left from The Boulevard onto Church Hill Road, where there are restricted motorist sight lines.

In addressing the broader issue of traffic congestion in the town center, Mr O’Neil suggests that the P&Z and Borough zoners undertake a joint project to study the best long-term traffic patterns in the areas along Church Hill Road between Interstate 84 and the Main Street flagpole, along Queen Street, and along Main Street between Wasserman Way and Schoolhouse Hill Road.

Mr O’Neil points out there is the potential for significant commercial growth along Church Hill Road and Queen Street.

The proposed traffic study would address topics such as the creation of new roads, altering traffic patterns to create one-way streets, creating pedestrian walkways, and the use of curb cuts, he adds.

Having such a long-range traffic plan in place would allow local land use agencies to determine whether future development proposals support such a traffic plan’s goals, Mr O’Neil writes.