Mrs. G's Redevelopment Project Approved

After nearly a year of hearings before the zoning board, the township voted 6-1 last week to grant a conditional use variance for the redevelopment of the Mrs. G TV and Appliances property and adjacent vacant lots along Route 1 at Bakers Basin Road, according to centraljersey.com.

The zoning board granted preliminary and final site plan approval for four proposed buildings on the site at the meeting, with final site plan approval for the fifth building to occur a future date once a tenant is found, according to the report.

As part of the proposal, existing buildings on the properties – the current Mrs. G showroom, a vacant business, an abandoned diner, and three unoccupied homes – would be demolished. Constructed in their place would be five stand-alone buildings that would house the Wawa, a new Mrs. G. store, a McDonald’s restaurant, a TD Bank branch, and a yet-to-be-determined tenant. 

While Wawa stores with fuel pumps typically are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, this particular Wawa would be subject to Lawrence Township ordinances limiting its hours of operation.

A “connector road” will be built behind the new buildings both to provide access to the new shopping center and to give motorists traveling north on Route 1 the ability to turn left (westbound) or right (eastbound) onto Bakers Basin Road. Another new access road running parallel to Route 1, behind the existing Lawrence Ford Lincoln Mercury auto dealership, would link that new “connector road” with Litho Road.

The existing jughandle onto Bakers Basin Road from Route 1 North – at which left turns to go westbound were outlawed a few years ago – would be removed entirely. Bakers Basin Road, itself, would be widened into three westbound lanes and two eastbound lanes between Route 1 and the Delaware and Raritan Canal to allow vehicles to safely enter/exit the new shopping center, improve overall traffic flow in the area and increase the queuing capacity of vehicles waiting for a red light.

To improve pedestrian safety in the area, new sidewalks will be installed along Route 1 and throughout the shopping center, and new safety features such as crosswalk countdown timers and ramps compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act will be put in at the intersection.