BRANCHBURG - With the formal approval of a QuickChek at the intersection on Route 202 and Old York Road, the township Planning Board will begin turning its attention in September to a proposal to also build an Aldi at the intersection.
The board is scheduled to hold its first public hearing on the Aldi application on Sept. 10.
The Planning Board had directed its attorney on May 14 at the end of the public hearings on the QuickChek plan to draft a formal resolution approving the project.
On Tuesday board members unanimously approved the QuickChek proposal and the resolution which contains all the conditions for the development suggested by the board members and township's professionals, including the engineer and planner.
Despite the opportunity for public comment on the QuickChek plan ending on May 14 when testimony concluded, residents came to Tuesday's meeting to oppose the project on which the Planning Board has held public hearings since early 2023.
Complicating and delaying the approval of QuickChek were plans recently unveiled by the state Department of Transportation to make changes to both Route 202 and the intersection to improve traffic flow at one of the most congested intersections in Branchburg. The location of the QuickChek was moved 22 feet back from the new Route 202 right-of-way to meet the zoning setback requirements.
Branchburg 202 LLC, the developer of the property, will be paying its "fair share" of the improvements, which includes adding a third lane to the highway at the intersection, according to the applicant.
"This is a really, really good plan," John McDonough, planner for the developer, told the Planning Board in May.
McDonough said the final plan was the result of an "interactive process" between the developer and township officials to agree on a proposal that substantially complies with the zoning of the site.
In 2020, the Township Committee approved zoning for the vacant property that used to be farmland at the intersection. The zone allows a variety of uses, including a hotel, fast food restaurants and a convenience store with a gas station.
The new zoning and the senior community were part of the township's settlement of affordable housing litigation.
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Included in the development approval were a stormwater drainage system and sanitary sewer system to serve the entire lot for both the QuickChek and Aldi.
Already built on the property, one of the prime real estate locations in Somerset County which had been open space, across from the township's police headquarters and Old York School is the Cornerstone at Branchburg senior apartments, part of the township's affordable housing plan.
Aldi has proposed a 19,053-square-foot grocery store on 4.5 acres subdivided from the overall lot of 24.32 acres at the intersection.
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Aldi would be Branchburg's second grocery store; the other is ShopRite on Route 22 in the North Branch section. There are 60 Aldi stores in New Jersey, but the closest to Branchburg are in Flemington and Watchung.
The QuickChek would become the only convenience store on northbound Route 202 between Wawa in Readington and 7-Eleven in Raritan Borough.
The 5,670-square-foot convenience store and gas station will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The store will employ about 40 to 50 people, with 30 to 40 new jobs created.
Email mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Branchburg turns to Aldi proposal after final QuickChek approval
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