The proposed Margolis Warehouse Distribution Facility includes the construction of nearly 1.8 million square feet of warehouse and office spaceon 197 acres of farmland between I-295 and the New Jersey Turnpike Extension in Mansfield Township. Divided by Craft’s Creek, the property is split into two sites, with the front parcel accessible from Florence-Columbus Road and the rear parcel accessible only from Jacksonville-Hedding Road.
Project History
Originally proposed in 2009 as a complex of four buildings totaling nearly 2 million square feet of office and warehouse space and accompanying parking for approximately 900 vehicles, the project’s Preliminary Site Plan was unanimously approved by the Mansfield Township Planning Board for a period of 10 years.
Included in the original proposal were stormwater management basins, with the intention of mitigating potential stormwater issues, and plans for a bridge to cross Crafts Creek and nearby wetlands. The proposed bridge, which required and received approval from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, was an important aspect of project and determined to be necessary as the plan indicated the rear parcel (located off Jacksonville-Hedding Road) was nearly landlocked and access was deemed too dangerous.
In 2017, an Application for Amended Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval was submitted to the Mansfield Township Planning Board. This application seeks to amend the 2009 proposal and reduce the project to nearly 1.8 million square foot of office and warehouse space within three buildings.
On the front parcel, with access to Florence-Columbus Road, would sit two buildings, 50 feet tall. One building will be 249,364 square feet of space – 12,500 of which will be office space. The remaining 236,864 square feet will be warehouse space. A second building will consist of 719,648 square feet and be divided between 35,982 square feet of office space and 683,666 square feet of warehouse.
The rear parcel, accessible from Jacksonville-Hedding Road, will have one building of 811,960 square feet which will consist of 40,598 square feet of office space and 771,002 square feet of warehouse space – roughly the size of six Home Depots.
Despite the previous decision that the parcel was landlocked and access from Jacksonville-Hedding Road was too dangerous, the 2017 application does not include plans for a bridge to cross Crafts Creek and the wetlands – a significant change from the preliminary plan that was granted approval. Traffic to and from the rear building will utilize Jacksonville-Hedding Road to access the I-295 interchange and/or other roadways.
In total, square footage in the proposed plans equates to roughly 47 acres of warehouse.
Where Things Currently Stand
The proposed application is pending before the Mansfield Township Planning Board for Amended Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval. The Mansfield Township Planning Board is expected to hold what may be the final hearing on the application on April 23, 2018 although formal notice has not yet been received.
In March 2018, the project was granted approval by the Burlington County Planning Board, as it relates to traffic and roadways. The 2017 application for Amended Preliminary and Final Site Plan Approval now sits squarely before the Mansfield Township Planning Board for final decision.
What’s at Stake?
If granted final approval by the Planning Board, the project will impact property values, sanitary sewer facilities, water facilities, municipal service facilities and traffic traveling on Florence-Columbus Road and Jacksonville-Hedding Road in Mansfield Township and the surrounding roads and communities. The result of the development will be considerable negative impacts to the quality-of-life of adjacent neighbors and all residents of Mansfield who value the bucolic nature of the community, as well as motorists in the region who utilize the nearby roadways.
Some of the concerns raised include:
- Decrease of property value
- Increase in traffic, include tractor trailers and heavy-duty trucks
- Impact of emissions from increased traffic
- Increase in noise pollution
- Number of warehouses in surrounding communities and their impacts, like those in nearby Florence
- Disturbances to the Crafts Creek Watershed and resulting stormwater and flooding issues
- Safety concerns for other motorists and cyclists on the road
- Cost to taxpayers