Two years later, Wawa projects inches forward

Two years later, Wawa project inches forward
Chain planned for Shafto Road & W Park Avenue
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — While plans for a Wawa in Tinton Falls have been on hold for several years, the chain made a move forward last month.

The Tinton Falls Borough Council approved a resolution [R-09-272] by a 5-0 vote that allows the municipal clerk to file the plat for the planned street that is needed to complete the project.

According to Tinton Falls Director of Law Brian Nelson the plan is for a Wawa with a gas station and a strip mall on the corner of Shafto Road and West Park Avenue.

Nelson said the application already received Zoning Board approval a few years ago, and this resolution is strictly a legal procedure to facilitate the project.

"Is this the Wawa approved by the Zoning Board a couple of years ago for a gas station on the corner and a new road across to feed into phase 2, which is a shopping center?" Deputy President Gary Baldwin asked at the July 21 meeting. "We haven't talked about that for two years."

Nelson explained to the Borough Council that under the Permit Extension Act, the project could be put on hold for a longer period of time.

Nelson went on to explain why the resolution was up for approval at that time.

They permitted a plat [essentially a tax map] to the clerk which still needs to filed by t he county clerk," he said. "The issue here was because of that street there will eventually be a public street at that site.

"Because of that, the clerk wanted to ensure there was authorization from the council to file the plat," he added.

While the plat is for the street, it is not necessarily a commitment to the new street.

"It's not an acceptance of the street yet, but there are certain provisions in the Municipal Land Use Law where a plat can become a publicly dedicated street after inspections and everything is completed after construction," Nelson said.

Nelson said in an interview last week he would advise the council that, while the council is not required to pass an ordinance to dedicate this particular street, he would advise that they do so.

"Issues can pop up in the future where you need a documented record of when the road was dedicated," Nelson said. "It could be something like garbage collection or the snow plow."

The council confirmed that a small street would be needed for a multitude of reasons.

"It is a very short public street," Deputy President Gary Baldwin said during the July 21 council meeting. "And the need for it is so that there is safe access to the shopping center.

"So the gas station would be a triangular section of Shafto and West Park Ave.," he added. "Now the other street will allow egress and ingress from those two major roads so it doesn't block up traffic going in."

According to Baldwin, a requirement for constructing the gas station is that the site also has a shopping center.

"To put a gas station in you have to have a shopping center with it," Baldwin said. "So it's a short street and it's not a problem."

Nelson noted that the delays were on the part of Wawa and that the project was not stuck in limbo with the borough in any way.

"I guess they wanted to move forward [at this time]," Nelson said.

The action regarding the Wawa application comes just seven months after the Eatontown Planning Board unanimously rejected a plan for a Wawa 12-pump gas station at the site of the former Eatontown Roller Rink on Route 35.

Baldwin said he is particularly happy with this recent development, saying, "I think it's a good project and I'm glad to see it moving again."

Contact Kenny Walter at

kwalter@gmnews.com.


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