An undeveloped piece of property off Route 88, Burrsville Road and Jack Martin Boulevard where apartments and retail space is proposed. (Credit: Mapquest)
Brick Township’s planning board is set to hold a hearing this week on a new, 75,000 square foot medical building, but questions remain unanswered as to whether it will be a long-awaited new Veterans Administration outpatient clinic.
The board will hear the application from Kamson Corporation on Wednesday. Kamson has applied for permission to develop a 74,999 square foot medical office facility on what has become known as the “triangle lot,” a piece of land which borders Route 88, Jack Martin Boulevard and Burrsville Road. Kamson previously pitched a hotel on the property, followed by a mixed use residential apartment complex plus retail space. Both efforts faced significant opposition from neighboring residents – mainly worried about increased traffic and drainage issues – and other businesses in town.
The site is one of three under consideration by the Veterans Administration for a new outpatient clinic to replace the existing clinic on Route 70 that is plagued by overcrowding and parking woes. While the few specifications provided in a public notice seem to match that of the procurement specifications from the VA, it is unknown if the proposed facility is, indeed, the clinic. U.S. Rep. Andy Kim’s office has said the federal government plans on announcing the new location Sept. 30. Mayor John Ducey told Shorebeat the same, and Kamson did not respond to a request for comment.
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At Wednesday’s hearing, the planning board will consider the merits of the application from a planning and legal perspective. The facility is located within the Hospital Support zone, which includes many medical offices, and will replace both a wooded area and one single family home, which would be demolished. It would be built on the oddly-shaped 409,028 square foot parcel. Kamson is asking the township for permission to reduce the size of parking spaces from 9-by-18 feet to 6-by-12 feet, which further adds to speculation of a VA connection, as the federal government made a large number of parking spaces a major bid qualification. The remainder of the requested variances are minor in nature, mainly having to do with setbacks and the position of signage.
No use variances are required due to the Hospital Support Zone designation. The hearing is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday night at the township municipal complex.
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