BJ’s gets planners’ OK in N.B.

Plans are moving forward for a BJ’s Wholesale Club on Route 1 south.

The North Brunswick Planning Board unanimously approved an application July 12 from Prestige Properties, giving way to the basically vacant buildings in the Commerce Center to become inhabited.

Currently, there is an existing commercial center on 33.61 acres that includes Regal Cinemas, several restaurants and the foundation for an approved supermarket.

Yet dating back to 1997, an original application for a supermarket by a subsidiary of Prestige was approved with the building permits issued and foundations constructed. Two commercial/ retail buildings have their shells already built, occupied only by Moe’s Southwest Grill and a leasing office.

Joseph Comparetto, the senior vice president for Prestige Properties, said during last week’s Planning Board meeting that when his company bought the Commerce Center in 2004, it was approved for supermarket, office and retail space. However, after four years of pursuing every supermarket chain in the Northeast, he said that “despite our best efforts we could not find a supermarket that wanted to enter this property.”

Thus, with the township’s approval of a large retail establishment within the transitional mixed-use zoning of the property, he said he hopes this stimulates the retail environment and attracts other businesses to the area.

“We feel that putting a BJ’s into this property will make it successful. We feel without it, our building will lay [empty],” Comparetto said. BJ’s will be roughly 113,700 square feet, with a 2,500-square-foot mezzanine. Fifty-eight feet will have to be removed from the frontage of the building, according to professional engineer William Salmon, to accommodate the building, a Tire center, a propane filling facility and a loading area.

Peter Hopley, vice president of development for BJ’s, said that one truck per day will come from a distribution center, carrying a multitude of items, while about eight to 12 vendor-direct trucks or small box vans may unload each day.

The parking lot will accommodate the 1,445 vehicles expected during weekday peak times and the 1,338 vehicles expected during peak times on weekends, according to Scott Kennel.

Restriping will be completed on Commerce Boulevard and Aaron Road to protect vehicles from the trucks, which will use those roads to travel. To accommodate pedestrians, a sidewalk is planned to connect the 2,000 townhouse units from Governor’s Pointe/Hartland Commons area into the site. Creating a sidewalk over to the movie theater will be considered.

The application was approved pending certain conditions, such as moving the location of the propane center to allow more room for turning trucks, compliance with recommendations from township agencies such as the fire marshal and Department of Public Works, and prorating a share for roadway improvements. Contact Jennifer Amato at jamato@gmnews.com.