Company will build addition to warehouse
Buffer zone, noise were among concerns expressed by residents
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO — Operators of the EFCO plant on Vanderburg Road will be building a 53,100-square-foot addition to their existing building after receiving Planning Board approval for the project on July 16.

The warehouse is in a light industrial (LI) zone on a 41-acre parcel. Over the years that EFCO has operated at that location, residential developments have been built around the site, according to the applicant's planner, Andrew Thomas.

At a previous hearing on the application, Bruce Beerman, the district manager for the Marlboro EFCO site, said the company supplies formwork for power plants, water and wastewater treatment plants, bridges, culverts, tunnels, high-rise and low-rise buildings, stadiums and arenas.

The reason for constructing the addition will be to store steel products inside, Beerman explained. At present, those item are stored outside the EFCO facility.

Upon learning that neighboring residents had complaints about noise and about the company's possible expansion, Beerman told the board members at the July 16 meeting that he met with some of the neighbors and had taken steps to address their concerns.

Loud radios have now been banned from the plant's floor and Beerman said changes have been made to eliminate a loudspeaker that was used to page workers. Another changes is having no one working at the site past 11 p.m.

Neighbors also complained about trucks that they said would arrive at the EFCO site in the middle of the night and park, leaving the truck idling.

Beerman said the dispatcher has informed drivers that trucks will not be permitted before 7 a.m., and at the moment a sign that reminds drivers of the hours hangs from a cable across the driveway.

Planning Board alternate Joshua Pollak, who was sitting in for member Sanjay Joshi, suggested that Beerman send letters to the people he does business with in order to alert them to the new hours and to remind them they may not park along Vanderburg Road.

Beerman said he would do so and added that he is planning to install a permanent fence across the driveway in order to stop drivers from entering the site offhours.

One condition imposed by the board as part of the approval of the building addition is the installation of signs for "no parking" and "no idling" near the site. Marlboro will have Title 39 jurisdiction, allowing the police to come in and take care of any violations from trucks at the site.

The building addition is not for business expansion, but to help meet current demands, said the engineer for the applicant, Jason Fichter.

Fichter said that as he became involved in the application he discovered that the original plans for the EFCO building were designed with the intent of future expansion, including footings in designated areas.

The new area will be for shipping and receiving, allowing trucks to enter the facility to be loaded. It was explained that having the trucks enter the building will help to lessen the noise neighbors of the property currently hear. The building addition will be insulated and that will provide more of a noise buffer, according to the testimony presented.

One of the primary concerns with the application was the board's interpretation of the size of the buffer between the light industrial site and the Marlboro Manse residential development. Between the light industrial site and the closest property line at the housing development there is a 100-foot buffer owned by the township. A 150-foot setback to the residential zone is required by ordinance.

The township's planner, Richard Cramer, told board members they had the option of including the 100-foot piece of land in addition to the roughly 71 feet existing from the EFCO addition to the lot line. In doing so there would be a 171-foot setback between the residential properties and the building's addition.

Attorney Patricia Carrheher represented the Fino family who reside in Marlboro Manse. The Finos objected to the application as it doubles the size of the building and would disrupt their quality of life, Carrheher said.

The attorney said the homeowners were aware of the plant's existence when they purchased their home, but said they also counted on township variances requiring a 150-foot setback from the building.

It was again noted the including the township's property the setback would be 171 feet.

Carrheher countered by saying that the 100-foot property does not need to be counted, it was at the discretion of the board to do so.

Carrheher asked who would maintain the proposed tree buffer.

Attorney Salvatore Alfieri, representing the applicant, said that if the buffer was placed on the EFCO property then the company owners would be responsible, but if the trees went onto the township property the applicant would post a maintenance bond to ensure the trees' growth at the site.

For the buffer of trees between the light industrial site and Marlboro Manse, Township Engineer Ernest Peters recommended that the tree line be supplemented to provide for more coverage as the majority of existing trees are deciduous and lose their leaves during the fall.

Peters recommended that the additional tree buffer should be placed on the township's 100-foot buffer, which is between the EFCO site and Marlboro Manse.

With the property's location on Vanderburg Road, questions arose about the difficult traffic situation that occurs when motorists attempt to turn from Vanderburg Road onto Route 79.

Traffic engineer John Rea, testifying on behalf of the applicant, said he conducted a traffic impact study of the area and determined there would be no significant impact to the existing road conditions.

The existing conditions at Vanderburg Road and Route 79 have long been under investigation for possible improvements, Rea said.

Peters concurred and said the existing problems at the intersection of Vanderburg Road and Route 79 could not be placed on the applicant. Victor Wittmann lives in Marlboro Manse and met with Beerman to discuss the complaints he had about noise at the EFCO plant. He thanked Beerman for taking the time to address some of the residents' concerns and noted there has been some improvement.

Some residents who live across the street from EFCO described sleep deprivation they said their family has suffered from the activity at the site.

One resident requested that the warehouse's hours of operation be changed since it is next to a residential area where children live.

Testimony indicated that possible tree buffers will be looked at to help reduce noise from the plant specifically for residents living across from the site.

Shahid Farooqui, who lives across from the property, said when he purchased his home he was told the EFCO plant was closed.

Alfieri questioned whether Farooqui signed a disclosure form upon purchasing his home, which would notify potential occupants about what was in the surrounding area.

Farooqui said he was not certain of that and said he would be contacting an attorney to find out.

In their discussion, members of the Planning Board appeared to agree that the proposed addition to the EFCO building would be making improvements to the existing conditions.

"We've hopefully addressed the concerns of the residents who came here, and we are trying to make an existing situation better for you," Mayor Jonathan Hornik, who sits on the board, told residents.

He added that the enforcement end of the application in terms of no idling trucks would be enforced by police.

Planning Board Vice Chairman Gerald Bergh said he saw the application as accommodating, given the fact that Beerman met with residents who were willing to discuss the problems and then made steps to alleviate the concerns.

The board members unanimously approved the EFCO application with the conditions that had been set forth by the board and its professionals.