Zoning Change Mulled By Planning Board, Township Committee

The Planning Board will begin mulling a major change to the zoning map that could affect the majority of Wall’s Route 35 corridor.

The Township Committee at Wednesday’s regular meeting introduced an ordinance that proposes to allow “Home Center” uses into zones that currently exclude them. The ordinance was introduced by unanimous vote and was immediately remanded to the Planning Board for study by that panel.

In zoning map changes, the advice of the Planning Board is sought prior to approval. The advice of the Planning Board is not, however, binding. The panel has 35 days to make its recommendations.

If adopted, the ordinance would change the zoning designations of two Highway Business Zones – HB-80 and HB-200 – by allowing “Home Center’’ use with a maximum floor area of 55,000 square feet, according to the ordinance.

The majority of the Route 35 corridor falls in one of those two zones, making the map change significant.

But while the township has been approached by big box companies looking to put a blue or orange home center warehouse, the ordinance is not designed to allow that, township officials said.

Jeffry Bertrand, township administrator, said the size of the footprint of the ‘home center shops, should they be allowed, is far smaller than the size currently used by the big box home center warehouses.

“This is not on the scale of a Home Depot as we currently know it,’’ Bertrand said.