Marlboro zoners approve dental office on Route 79

MARLBORO — The owner of a dental practice has been granted a use variance that will allow him to establish an office in a residential zone on Route 79 in the Morganville section of Marlboro.

Zoning Board of Adjustment members approved a use variance for Dr. Richard Champagne during their Feb. 16 meeting.

Champagne’s application was bifurcated (split in two), with this portion of the hear- ing focusing on the use variance for a 3,600- square-foot, one story medical office facility.

The property in question is in an R- 30/20 residential zone at the corner of Route 79 and Roosevelt Avenue. The tract is across Route 79 from a commercial zone.

Site plans and building code issues for the dental offices will be addressed at a future meeting of the zoning board.

Board members had previously expressed concerned about a 1,000-squarefoot space that would not be part of Champagne’s dental practice. The applicant wants to rent out that space.

Attorney Gerald Sonnenblick, representing the applicant, explained that Champagne wants to use that 1,000 square feet of space as a source of income to help offset the costs of the building.

Planner Christine Cofone, representing the applicant, discussed the extra space with members of the zoning board.

Cofone highlighted Champagne’s testimony which indicated that the 1,000 square feet of space would be dedicated to another type of medical or professional office use.

The board’s planner, Richard Cramer, said he did not believe the proposed use would be detrimental to this area of the township, but said the board should retain its right to know what type of use would occupy the 1,000-square-foot area in question.

Board members were concerned about high volume uses, such as a pediatrician’s office or a chiropractor’s office, coming to that particular location.

Champagne testified that he would not be seeking a high volume use as it would likely take away from his own patients if too much was going on at the property.

When asked what his ideal tenant for the extra space would be, Champagne said an attorney’s office might be the best use for that space. Champagne said he would consider taking on another dental practitioner such as a periodontist.

Roosevelt Avenue resident Eugene Gorzelnik spoke about the traffic issues with turning from the street onto Route 79 and how dangerous it is. Gorzelnik noted a number of accidents that have occurred in the area.

“I really think that the danger part of more traffic coming out of that street (RooseveltAvenue) onto Route 79 is a significant factor,” Gorzelnik said.

Zoning board Vice Chairwoman Jennifer Bajar questioned whether any study looked at traffic on Route 79 in relation to the neighboring shopping center.

The applicant’s traffic engineer, Scott Kennel, said the he focused on the traffic flow specifically at Roosevelt Avenue and Route 79 and did not focus on the neighboring shopping center.

Kennel told the board that the frontage of the lot Champagne wants to develop is too narrow to meet New Jersey Department of Transportation requirements for an exit directly onto Route 79. Instead, the access will be from Roosevelt Avenue.

As the board members discussed the application, their general consensus was to allow Champagne to have a 3,600-squarefoot building, as long as any future uses for the building space not being used by Champagne would be brought before the zoning board for review.

In the end, the decision was made to approve the use variance for the proposed building and to label the 1,000-square-foot space in question for a dental use such as an orthodontist, a periodontist, etc.

There is no prohibition against other uses such as an attorney’s office, but that type of tenant would have to come before the board to receive approval.

The vote to grant Champagne the use variancewas 7-0 with Chairman Michael Shapiro and board members Ira Levin, Michael Mahon, Frank Yozzo, Matthew Weilheimer, Alan Zwerin and Bajar approving the motion.