Rt. 520 medical building wins approval from board
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO - A two-story, 35,261- square-foot medical building will be constructed along Route 520 on a 5-acre piece of property that currently houses the Avatar Spa, about a quarter-mile east of Route 79.

The project was granted approval by the members of the Marlboro Zoning Board of Adjustment at their Dec. 11 meeting, being called "a nice ratable" by board members who expressed the need for this type of building in the community.

SFC Enterprises, the applicant, originally came before the board with plans for a 40,000-square-foot building, but later reduced the size of the structure. The applicant sought two "D" variances and several "C" variances, according to the applicant's planner Brian Leff.

The "D" variances concerned the Avatar Spa remaining on the property. One variance was to allow two buildings on what would be merged to be one piece of property, and the other concerned the fact that the spa is not a permitted use in the OPT-II zone.

Leff explained that according to a township ordinance a spa is not a permitted use in any zone, nor is it prohibited, and seeing as the owner, Lisa Girandola, already had a certificate of occupancy there was no reason to move the business.

According to testimony provided earlier by Girandola, she believed the new medical building would help her operation. She described her business as a day spa with a focus on healing. Girandola said she works closely with doctors, including pulmonary specialists, plastic surgeons and chiropractors.

She said her clients enjoy the privacy theAvatar Spa facility allows them, as appointments are scheduled so as to prevent clients from encountering one another. Moving into the proposed medical building would not allow Girandola's clients that privacy.

The "C" variances included a 10-foot setback between the building and the start of parking spaces, where township ordinances require 30 feet; also for impervious lot coverage as the applicant requested 53.9 percent, while the ordinance permits 50 percent maximum; and not providing a loading zone as required by the zoning ordinance.

At the start of the hearing attorney Salvatore Alfieri, representing the applicant, said that evening's testimony would address the three main concerns expressed by the board members at their prior hearing.

Those concerns included the variance to start parking spaces 10 feet away from the building, dressing up the facade of the building that would face Route 520 and concerns over a traffic study that was conducted during a school holiday period.

Engineer Stephen Atkins said parking spaces were removed to allow greater access between the building and the parking lot. Originally planning a total of 221 parking spaces, the plan was reduced to 217 spaces, although it still exceeded the overall parking ratio.

As planned, the front of the new medical building will not face Route 520, which had board members concerned about the structure's appearance from the road.

To alleviate this concern a landscaped island with a shade tree or ornamental tree was proposed to break up the side's features. Atkins also said a fence to impede access to the recharge basin would be

provided, as board members had previously

questioned the safety of the depth of the basin.

The original traffic study was conducted

from Sept. 6-13, but

board member Joseph

Castellucci noted the request

had been to have

the study conducted after

Sept. 15. At the October meeting, the applicant's traffic consultant Michael Hanna explained that the study had been done early in order to meet deadlines for the Oct. 2 hearing.

Anew study was conducted to compare to the previous examination. This study was held from Oct. 9-16 and found the same information as in the first study. The study found there are two peak times in traffic, one occurring from 7-9 a.m. and another in the evening from 4-6 p.m.

Hanna said that according to the Department of Transportation's criteria, the level of traffic with the expected number of cars is at a level D at peak times of traffic, which is still considered satisfactory.

Traffic service is measured on a scale ofAto F, withAbeing the best level of traffic service and F being the worst level of traffic service.

Hanna answered questions concerning sight lines that motorists who are exiting the property onto Route 520 would have, as well as the safety of vehicles heading west on the road passing on the shoulder to maneuver around vehicles that are making a left turn into the medical complex.

Board members questioned the safety of vehicles passing in the shoulder, but the board's traffic consultant Mark Kataryniak said it is an accepted practice, and said calculations used to determine if a left turn lane would be warranted show there is not a need for one.

Kataryniak did suggest moving the right lane egress curb to allow more cars into a queue when exiting the lot.

In the end, board members Joseph Castellucci, Adrianne Spota, Robert Knight, Lewis Wildman, Joseph Sparacio and Matthew Weilheimer voted unanimously to approve the project.

The board said any future business that might move into Avatar Spa's building must be medically related. In addition, two separate parking lots must be merged, lot coverage cannot exceed 53.9 percent and no loading zone is necessary.

Board members did express concern about the traffic, with Weilheimer stating that "time will tell" on that issue, but noting that the board members must listen to their professional, who agreed with the applicant's consultant.

Alfieri said construction at the Route 530 site would not start for another year or so.