Taco Bell sought for Cedar Bridge Ave., Brick Blvd. site

Taco Bell sought for Cedar Bridge Ave., Brick Blvd. site

By karl vilacoba

Staff Writer

BRICK — Two buildings would be razed and replaced with a Taco Bell and a new Riviera Realty office as part of an application heard by the Planning Board last week.

Taco Bell franchise owners El Rancho proposed the changes Feb. 12 for a property located between Brick Boulevard, Cedar Bridge Avenue, Duquesne Boulevard and Aurora Place.

If approved, the Taco Bell will have a drive-through window that will remain open until 1 a.m. Regular store dining room hours will be from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., according to applicant attorney Mark Troncone.

The site use complies with the B-2 general business zone. A variance is being sought to permit a 64-square-foot Taco Bell sign. Engineer Charles Lindstrom said it is the smallest standard sign the franchise uses.

"Your sign is 25 percent over the ordinance," said board member Frank Dockery. "Telling me that your typical sign is 64 feet is not an acceptable reason for a variance."

Board member Jane LaDuke asked hypothetically if the franchise would refuse to come to Brick if they weren’t allowed to use the sign.

"Any deviation from their standard, nation-wide specifications would require a special authorization from Taco Bell, not just El Rancho," said Philip Neuer, general counsel for El Rancho. "Our position is we respectfully ask that you grant this variance."

"This is the kind of response we get from every major franchise that wants to come to town," LaDuke replied.

Other bulk variances were sought for 9-foot-wide, rather than 10-foot-wide, parking spaces and high impervious coverage. Lindstrom testified that the Ocean County-maintained drainage system on the site has handled runoff with no problems.

A continuation on the application is scheduled for tonight’s board work session.

In other business, Troncone and Lindstrom also worked together on a continuation of an application to build five homes and a cul-de-sac on Adamston-Osbornville Road.

During the previous public hearing, several neighborhood residents complained that even light rain causes major flooding in the 1.75-acre property’s area. Troncone and Lindstrom were asked by the board to re-examine their plans and attempt to alleviate the drainage problems.

This time, their plans were revised with the addition of what Lindstrom termed "gentle depressions" in the landscape, designed to absorb runoff. Once again, members of the public who spoke on the application worried that the drainage plans would not suffice.

"We came with five lots in this plan, and maybe we need less lots in this plan to make it work," said Councilman Frederick Underwood, who sits on the board.

Board members’ suggestion that the applicants replace a home on the plan with a large drainage basin were dismissed by Troncone as "unwarranted." Troncone said the homes fully conform to Brick’s ordinances and creating a basin for a five-home subdivision was unnecessary.

Residents also testified that soil samples should be conducted because auto repair work had been done on the grounds for many years.

The application is scheduled to be continued Feb. 26.