Planners split on Stop & Shop expansion plans

BY COLLEEN LUTOLF
Staff Writer

COLLEEN LUTOLF The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. in Bay Harbor Plaza on Brick Boulevard is looking to expand over 30,000 square feet by demolishing the plaza's existing stores between Stop & Shop and Pudgy's Pizzeria. It may soon be sandwiched between two mammoth stores, but Pudgy's Pizzeria in Brick will remain where it stands.

"Pudgy's wanted to stay, so they're going to stay," said Deborah Farr, senior real estate manager for Stop & Shop. "We're good people. We're not kicking anyone out."

The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC submitted to the Planning Board an application that, if approved, would allow the supermarket chain to replace the 165,708-square-foot supermarket and adjoining stores in Bay Harbor Plaza on Brick Boulevard with a 197,995-square-foot Stop & Shop.

Plans also call for a 12,000-square-foot retail building to be constructed in the plaza's southeast corner, along with a 3,000-square-foot drive-thru bank that would be located next to the plaza's entrance near the center of the property, according to submitted site plans.

Shops currently located between the Stop & Shop and Pudgy's Pizzeria will be eliminated. The 4,000-square-foot Pudgy's will sit between the proposed state-of-the-art Stop & Shop and Burlington Coat Factory. A.C. More Arts & Crafts and Eastside Bagels will also remain untouched.

"Nobody's being displaced or put out of place," Farr said.

Business operators will have an option of renting out space in the proposed retail building, she said.

Although Farr said tenants who lose their lease due to the Stop & Shop expansion will have the option to rent out space in the retail store, she said she didn't know how many retail spaces would be available in the proposed retail building.

"We can't start talking [about] the building since it's not been approved," she said.

A straw poll taken at the board's Aug. 2 workshop meeting showed most board members approved of the plan, although the unofficial vote was split, 5-4. Two members, Councilwoman Ruthanne Scaturro and Tony Lazroe, could not vote in the poll because they had missed prior public hearings where the project was discussed.

Most board members voting against the plan had issues with Stop & Shop's parking layout.

A township ordinance mandates parking stalls measure 10 by 18 feet. Stop & Shop refused to comply with the ordinance for parking directly in front of the store, which is currently 9 by 18 feet.

"To change that to 10-foot-wide [parking] space, we would result in a 15 percent loss of parking," Farr said after the

meeting.

Stop & Shop is proposing 857 parking spaces. Law requires 1,419. Initially, Stop & Shop proposed 906 spaces, but added 10-by-18-foot parking stalls throughout the site except directly in front of the store. The parking stalls in front of the store, Stop & Shop representatives argued, should remain 9 by 18 feet.

"That's industry standard and state standard," Farr said.

"I'm absolutely opposed to that," said board member Jane LaDuke during the meeting. "I feel the 10-foot-wide [stalls] should be in the most heavily used area. I will not deviate from that, I'm sure, in my feelings."

She suggested Stop & Shop remove the free-standing retail building from the plans to more closely comply with the parking ordinance.

"You're trying to fit too much on the site," she said. "Two things I would hold out strongly for is the elimination of that building and the 10-foot-wide spaces."

"I agree whole-heartedly," said board member Sal Petoia. "The building is an overuse of the site. If you eliminate it, you could pick up more parking spaces."

LaDuke then referred to a 13-page report prepared by the township's conflict engineer, Philip R. Kavanaugh, of T&M Associates, Middletown.

"Are we going to go through this report we just received tonight? Thirteen pages?" she asked.

"No," responded board Chairman Daniel Kelly.

"Why?" LaDuke asked.

Kavanaugh said he only wanted to review four items in the report because the applicant complied with the remaining items.

Kelly then privately conferenced with Board Attorney Charles Tivenan. After concluding their private conversation, Tivenan announced the board would be going into closed session to discuss "proposed litigation."

Stop & Shop's attorney, Kenneth E. Pringle, of Pringle, Quinn, Anzano, PC, Belmar, agreed that he found the board's decision to go into closed session acceptable.

Birdsall Engineering is contracted as the Planning Board's engineer, but because Pringle is the mayor of Belmar, and Birdsall is also that borough's engineering firm, T&M represented Brick in this matter.

Twenty minutes later, the meeting reconvened.

Landscaped dividers between parking rows would improve traffic circulation on the 19-acre site, said Daniel Disario, the applicant's traffic engineer, of Langan Engineering, Elmwood Park.

More stop signs and striping will be located throughout the site, and the speed bumps on the driving aisle parallel to the storefronts will be removed, Disario said.

The board was scheduled to officially vote on the application Aug. 9.