QuickChek is trying to get a use variance from the township's Zoning Board of Adjustment to move forward with the project.
QuickChek wants to build a location on Route 22 in Bridgewater but residents are opposing it. (File photo). BRIDGEWATER -- Township residents are upset over a proposed QuickChek on Route 22 that they say will bring noise, crime, traffic and gas fumes to a location that is located within 100 feet of a residential area.
The QuickChek would have 16 gas pumps, two diesel pumps and a 24-hour, 5,700- square-foot convenience store on a triangular 5.47-acre site located on eastbound Route 22, east of Route 28.
"That's not a convenience store, that's a supermarket," said Indy Banga, a board member for Bridgewater Residents United, a nonprofit group that opposes the QuickChek. "The amount of gas fumes from the site are going to be detrimental to the community. This is against the township's Master Plan. If QuickChek is approved, it would set a precedent for more gas stations and convenience stores in the area."
The township's Zoning Board of Adjustment will continue a public hearing on the application on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Bridgewater-Raritan High School auditorium.
It will be the second time a public hearing has been held on the issue. On June 16, more than 300 residents showed up at the municipal complex for a public hearing. The turnout exceeded the official capacity and the meeting was postponed and moved to the high school auditorium.
Because the area isn't zoned for gas stations and food stores, QuickChek must acquire a use variance from the township's Zoning Board of Adjustment.
PLUS: 4 students suffer minor injuries in Bridgewater school bus crash
QuickChek announced on Wednesday that it has tweaked its original proposal, eliminating an entrance and exit to the site from Route 28 among other things.
"We have met with many neighbors and have listened to their concerns," said QuickChek CEO Dean Durling. "As we go through the planning stages for a new store, we make adjustments as needed. We feel this change will allow us to build our successful store model while not disrupting the neighborhood dynamic."
But the changes have done little to placate residents.
"We don't want it and we don't need it," said Angela Bodino, a member of Bridgewater Residents United who has lived in Bridgewater since 1968. "We've hired a lawyer and planning expert. We've canvassed neighborhoods and residents have been very responsive."
Bridgewater Residents United has approximately 30 members and meet weekly, she said. Banga said he's expecting a large turnout for Tuesday's meeting.
"We're not only getting support from residents who live near the proposed QuickChek," said Banga, who lives across the street from the location. "Residents in Bradley Gardens and Adamsville are also against it."
Banga said the area is currently zoned for large businesses. He said a Sunoco Gas station in the area was denied a variance to build a convenience store last year.
"We have almost 20 gas stations and convenience stories within an approximate four-mile radius in that general area," said Bodino. "We don't need another one. The zoning laws explicitly forbids gas stations and retail stores in that area."
Banga said the proposed QuickChek would bring an unwanted element to Bridgewater.
"Gas stations are frequently robbed," he said. "We feel the QuickChek would increase crime and won't attract what we feel in an appropriate crowd at night.
"We know that QuickChek has made a few changes to its original proposal. But the problem is the proposal itself. The location is just too close to a residential area. It's not fit for this zoning. It doesn't fit the master plan."
QuickChek has created www.quickchek-bridgewater.com that details the revised plans for the store.
Bridgewater Residents United also has created www.BWRU.org that explains their opposition to the proposed QuickChek.
Dave Hutchinson may be reached at dhutchinson@njadvancemedia.com.Follow him on Twitter @DHutch_SL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
