An office building that has served as a landmark near the busy intersection of Route 88 and Jack Martin Boulevard is being proposed to become a dialysis center, planning document said.
Route 88 Brick Medical Complex, LLC, a local subsidiary firm owned by Fresenius, a national kidney specialist firm that employs 70,000 people nationwide, is proposing to turn the building located at 1541 Route 88 into a dialysis center. Dialysis, local officials have occasionally noted, is a service with a significant need in Brick Township, with the municipal government itself securing grant funding to provide patients with transportation to their appointments. Traditionally, the need for dialysis services becomes a major issue during the summer months when part-time residents return to the Shore area.
An office building at Route 88 and Jack Martin Boulevard slated to become a dialysis center. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
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Fresenius proposes to utilize, improve and occupy a portion of the property – approximately 6,200 square feet in area – for use as a dialysis clinic. The clinic would be comprised of dialysis patient treatment stations, patient training, office and waiting areas, storage and related administrative and accessory areas. The clinic will be operational weekdays and weekends, accommodating multiple patient treatment shifts per day, a public notice said.
Proposed accessory improvements include development of a standby generator, refuse area, façade improvements, business and directional signage, lighting, and modifications to parking areas.
The opening of the office as a dialysis clinic, which would be located in the B-1 commercial zone, requires a hearing before the planning board due to local land use ordinances. The applicant is requesting routine “bulk” variances, including impervious coverage (72 percent where 60 percent is normally allowed), a residential setback of 2.4 feet where 10 feet is normally required, and a variance to allow for the building’s 39 parking spaces to remain, despite the modern requirement of 62.
The board will hear the application at its Sept. 27 meeting, which is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. at the township municipal complex.
