Residents attended the rally protesting a large warehouse proposed near their Somerset County community.
“What’s going to happen to this environment?” Brien, 81, asked the crowd. “What’s going to happen to our health What about the truck traffic?”that has raised more than $22,900 for attorney fees and independent analysis by a hydrologist and a planner.
The group has been organizing in their usually sleepy suburban community for nearly a year to combat what they describe as unchecked warehouse expansion in Franklin Township. Franklin is a sprawling township that spans 46 square miles in the Raritan Valley region. Residents have said Franklin had previously been known for its “cornfields and kids,” but lately it has become known as a hotbed for warehouse development. There’s a total of 7,920,168 square feet of warehouse space built, waiting to be built, or waiting to be approved in Franklin Township, according to data provided by the township to Citizens Warehouse Action Group. More than 5,350,000 square feet of warehouse space has already been built or previously approved. Most of the warehouse development is concentrated on a few blocks — like the 600,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse on Randolph Road or the 926,400-square-foot warehouse and distribution center owned by LG Electronics. Residents say they aren’t thrilled by the truck traffic these warehouses create, but they accept it. The problem is when warehouse expansion begins to infringe on residential life, they said. Site plans for the B9 Schoolhouse Road warehouse, more than 200,000 square feet total, on a scenic corridor across from Canal Walk. That’s the concern with an application from developer Link Logistics Real Estate for two large warehouses totaling 215,420 square feet along Schoolhouse and Mettlers roads. The plan includes 4,000 square feet of office space, a total of 60 loading docks and an additional 127 parking spaces, according to site plans. “Warehouses belong in warehouse and business and manufacturing districts. They don’t belong 50 feet, 100 feet, from residential senior citizen communities because they are horrific when it comes to our health — to anybody’s health,” said Kiki Anastasakos, a resident of Canal Walk and member of the Citizens Warehouse Action Group. A spokesperson for Link Logistics Real Estate has previously said the concerns of residents in Canal Walk will be taken into consideration. “We strive to be a good neighbor by engaging with and giving back to the local communities in which we operate,” a spokesperson for Link said. “We have been working with community representatives to hear and address their concerns and we plan to continue partnering with them throughout the process.” Town officials have said they’re sympathetic to resident’s concerns and passed an ordinance last summer limiting where warehouses could be built.Link Logistics originally said its site plans would not change as a result of the ordinance, but in February, the developer submitted a new set of plans that reduced the total size by more than 29,000 square feet. The revised site plans also increases the front setback of the facility from 50 feet to 100 feet.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
LA County to lift COVID emergency declarations; some residents urged to be readyMedi-Cal coverage will not stop on Friday, but the county Department of Public Social Services will be re-evaluating cases to ensure people are still eligible for the program, which provides health…
Read more »
Will County judge dismisses election fraud lawsuit from November county clerk raceWill County Judge John Anderson dismissed a lawsuit by Republican Gretchen Fritz that claimed mistakes and fraud were committed in the casting and counting of ballots.
Read more »
Guadalupe County deputy arrested for DWI, evading arrest, Bexar County Jail records showA deputy with the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office resigned after he was arrested on drunken driving and evading arrest charges, according to the agency.
Read more »
A look at how the largest US counties gained or lost peopleSeveral large, urban counties across the United States gained residents or stemmed population declines in the year ending last July after losing residents in the previous 12-month period amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimates released Thursday. LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — The most populous county in the nation lost more than 90,000 residents last year and now has a population of 9.7 million people. Los Angeles County gained almost 34,000 residents from abroad and another 18,000 people from births outpacing deaths.
Read more »
LA County Saw More People Leave Than Any Other County In The USIt’s also the most populated county, by about 5 million people.
Read more »