By Sunayana Prabhu
HOLMDEL – After major revisions to the initial plan, Holmdel Extra Space won unanimous approval for its self-storage facility from the Holmdel Zoning Board at a meeting Nov. 9.
Located at 2125 Route 35, near the Holmdel Towne Center, the facility was initially proposed as a 109,400-square-foot building and later redesigned into a four-story, 78,400-square-foot building with 17 parking spaces by Holmdel Storage Developers LLC.
Mitchell Feldman, president of Feldman Cos., the Florida-based parent company of Holmdel Storage Developers, testified before the zoning board meeting, along with professional engineer Christopher Muldoon.
Board members viewed a video showing changes made to the plans by the developer. “The size, the setback, ever ything was reduced,” Feldman said of the revised design, keeping it in line with neighboring properties. The changes were made to accommodate the board and appeal to residents.
Zoning board member Demetri Orfanitopoulos said he appreciated the changes and noted the new façade “set a new standard for storage buildings.”
During provided testimony, Muldoon said the new plan, compared to the one offered in the previous presentation, “eliminates many variances initially requested.” According to Muldoon, changes made include a reduction in the size of the building and its setback from the road. In consideration of wetlands on the back of the property, the new plan maintains a 10-foot distance from the 50-foot buffer as directed by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
In terms of site landscaping, Muldoon said the previous landscaping design has been spread out using a variety of evergreen trees for larger front yard buffer, addressing concerns about deer.
The storage site abuts homes on Bayberry Drive, part of the Meadowood Estate residences. Addressing concerns of homeowners about the visibility of the nearly 40-foot-tall structure from their backyards, the developer conducted a “balloon test” during which balloons were deployed on the proposed site to a height of 40 feet to see if they were visible from the residences. The project team confirmed a buffer of tall trees adequate to hide the building from the residential backyards.
The zoning board voted 6-0 to approve the self-storage facility, a franchise of the national storage chain Extra Space, which will be built next to Brightview Senior Living facility, a project approved for construction in February.
The article originally appeared in the December 15 – 21, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
