Groups unite to fight warehouses
S.B. residents form Friends of Southern Middlesex County
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

South Brunswick residents are gearing up for a fight against a massive warehouse complex near the intersection of Route 130 and Friendship Road, slated to be part of the Matrix Business Park near the New Jersey Turnpike.

Neighbors have contended that the application, composed of a 744,000-square-foot warehouse and four smaller buildings directly to the west, will have an adverse impact on the environment and traffic if it is approved by the South Brunswick Planning Board.

Lester Ray, whose house is directly in back of the property in question, said that more than 70 residents have mobilized against this development in a coalition composed of various local groups. The Dayton Citizens Village Coalition, the Eastern Villages Association, the Friends of Friendship Road and his own group from the Four Seasons senior community have joined together under an umbrella organization called Friends of Southern Middlesex County (FSMC). While the coalition formed in response to this specific warehouse proposal, it seeks to build a broader movement to call attention to what its members perceive as excessive warehouse development in South Brunswick.

"It's really, really addressing the whole issue of the paving over of South Brunswick. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist and really would like to see the land-use issue resolved, not to take over green properties," Ray said.

The large warehouse was discussed at a board meeting toward the end of July, with residents coming out in force to voice their loud opposition to the project. Further hearings on the matter are set to take place Aug. 15. Matrix is expected to discuss the four smaller buildings with the board at a later date.

FSMC members said that the proposed warehouse's proximity to a sensitive water source should be a cause for concern for several reasons. Various animal and plant species could be threatened, such as tree frogs and pond turtles, they contend. Ray said he will be taking a specialist out to the nearby wetland to catalog plant and animal species that would be threatened should the warehouse be approved.

Also, the water itself is part of a large, contiguous, wetland that flows into the Plainsboro Preserve and has been classified as a highly sensitive water source by the state Department of Environmental Protection. Further, the DEP has classified the area as flood prone, Ray said, and paving over the ground might agitate that condition.

"During the whole process of construction, you're disturbing the whole environment and everything is done very tenuously because one does not know what's going to happen in case of heavy rains. [It is] one of the most flood-prone areas in that section of town," Ray said.

Warehouse-related flooding is not a new issue in South Brunswick. Residents near Pigeon Swamp State Park have long asserted that stormwater from excessive warehouse development has been the cause of floods in the traditionally dry areas of that wetland. A study that seeks to either confirm or disprove this idea is under way in the township.

Traffic is another prime worry for those opposed to the application. Ray said he was worried about both congestion on Friendship Road, since trucks would exit onto there, as well as accidents, since the angle of the road would necessitate a truck crossing two lanes of traffic to pull out.

Ray said that he is not against all development in that area, just development he feels will adversely impact the quality of life for residents.

"We want to see land use more conducive to the environment itself, that doesn't overcrowd our already crowded highways, bring in additional pollution, and aren't placed in very environmentally sensitive areas," said Ray.

When pressed for examples, he said an office park, if done right, could be very environmentally sound, as would an age-restricted housing development or a small golf course.