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[quote="Glenn Johnson-p3qs"]Paul Mullen recently posted an article on www.centraljersey.com that was critical of the application by Penske Truck Leasing that was recently approved by the Cranbury Planning Board.  Many people reading that article would not realize the part Paul Mullen played in the list of permitted uses in the Highway Commercial Zone and the Penske application specifically.  Perhaps I can help by fleshing out the record.

Paul was a member of the subcommittee that was formed to revise some of Cranbury’s land use ordinances.  We discussed the permitted uses for the Highway Commercial zone for more than a year.  He expressed no reservations concerning the final list of permitted uses that was referred to the Planning Board for comment and then to the Township Committee for action.  He also did not express any objection to the language allowing “substantially similar” businesses to those on the list of permitted uses.

On January 18, 2018, Penske Truck Leasing appeared before the Development Review Committee for concept review.  The company explained that its business included truck leasing and rental, truck repair for its own fleet, a washing facility for its own trucks, and a fuel island for its own trucks.  They presented a sketch indicating the location of the building.

On January 24, 2019, Penske appeared before the Development Review Committee for completeness review.  The plan they presented was the same as the sketch they presented during concept review.

Paul attended both Development Review meetings.  During one meeting he asked whether the plan conformed to the requirements of Cranbury’s Riparian Ordinance, and the applicant’s engineer confirmed that it did.  Paul raised no objections, environmental or otherwise.  If he perceived an environments problem, these meetings would have been the perfect times to raise a red flag.  Paul is responsible for informing the Environmental Commission of matters discussed at the Development Review Committee.  No objection from the Environmental Commission was forwarded to the Planning Board following either of Penske’s appearances before the Development Review Committee.

Penske presented its application to the Planning Board on March 7, 2019.  They presented fully engineered plans for the site and testimony concerning the operation of the business and the safety features built into the fuel island.  It was subsequent to that meeting that the Planning Board received the memo from the Environmental Commission outlining their objections.

And what were the objections?  They were primarily jurisdictional.  They believed that the application should have been heard by the Zoning Board rather than the Planning Board.  The Environmental Commission lacks the expertise to make that determination.  They are intended to be an advisory board on environmental issues of importance to our town.

Why did the Environmental Commission wait until nearly 14 months after Penske came to Paul Mullen’s attention before it raised an objection?  I’m sure Paul Mullen or Barbara Rogers could explain that.
	
	In Paul’s article he points out that Village Park and an affordable housing complex (under construction) are across the highway from the Penske site.  From the context I assume he feels there will be loud noises coming from Penske.  I don’t know whether Paul ever drove to the present Penske site on Route 130 in South Brunswick and stood outside listening for noises, but I have.  I didn’t hear any.  Certainly nothing about the Penske operation could be heard from across Route 130.

But here is the question every resident of Cranbury should ask.  If not Penske, then who?  Property on Route 130 will not be used as pasture for unicorns.  It will be developed.  The former property owner had an offer a few years ago from a group of people who wanted to build a house of worship.  To put a house of worship that is exempt from paying property taxes on a prime parcel in a Highway Commercial zone would be a loss to our town.  He also had an offer from a developer who wanted to build apartments.  Fortunately our zoning doesn’t allow that use in that zone.[/quote]

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