Lakewood Township’s Planning Board tonight granted Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval to Casa Nova Today LLC to develop a mixed-use retail and office building on Route 9 near Blue River Way.
The proposed two-story commercial building will have 5,280 sq feet of retail space on the first floor, and 7,260 sq feet of office space on the second floor.
No curb or sidewalk exist along the River
Avenue frontage. Sidewalk and curbing will be provided with this new building. The board also conditioned its approval on the applicant providing internal sidewalks from the road to the building.
A total of 68 off-street parking spaces are proposed for the office/retail building, with 4 ADA van-accessible spots. This exceeds the township’s parking requirements of 1 space per 200 sq feet for retail and 1 space per 250 sq feet for office. Based on the area breakdowns of the proposed building, only 57 off-street parking spaces are required.
Pending NJDOT approval, access to the proposed site will be provided by a 40 foot wide, two-way access driveway from River Avenue. The proposed ingress would be 16 feet wide, with 12 feet wide left and right turn egress lanes. The site plans propose two-way circulation around the building, with a minimum of 24 feet wide aisle widths.
Proposed drainage and recharge have been designed for stormwater management. Public water and sewer are proposed to connect with existing systems. Landscaping and site lighting are proposed.
Surrounding lands are generally improved with both residential and commercial land uses. The site is in the HD-7 Highway Development Zone. Offices and retail buildings are permitted in the zone.