Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

RED BANK: NO VOTE YET ON SHELL 7-ELEVEN

Red Bank resident Tracy Khonstam implores the zoning board to reject the planned convenience store on Newman Springs Road. (Photo by Sarah Klepner. Click to enlarge)

By SARAH KLEPNER

All the evidence is finally before the Red Bank zoning board in the matter of a proposed 7-Eleven that would replace a self-serve car wash at Wasseem Chaudhary’s Shell gas station at Shrewsbury Avenue and Newman Springs Road.

But after eight months of hearings, including one Thursday night, there’s been no up-or-down vote on whether to allow the store. The full board is expected to consider the application on August 1.
In the interim, two board members who were not present for concluding testimony and comments are expected to listen to a recording of Thursday’s hearing, said board chair Lauren Nicosia.

If approved, the store would be the second 7-Eleven to be greenlighted in town in a year; back in January, the planning board approved the conversion of the Welsh Farms store on East Front Street to the brand, a change that has not yet taken place. There’s also an existing 7-Eleven on Maple Avenue, at the corner of West Front Street.

The owner of the Exxon station across Shrewsbury Avenue from the Shell station, Gulssham Chaabra, mounted a serious challenge to the application, which began hearings last December.

The proceeding was hard-fought on both sides, with arguments drawing widely on zoning case law, the Red Bank Master Plan and a 1984 zoning board resolution passed to allow the then-Texaco gas station at the spot in question to add a mini-convenience store to the location.
Thursday’s hearing picked up with testimony from civil engineer Andrew Janiw, principal with Beacon Planning and Consulting Services, on behalf of Chaabra, who argued that the zoning board approved a retail kiosk, not a full-size retail outlet on the site, and that the board should consider the application a change of use rather than an expansion of existing use.
Janiw reminded the board of the language in the 1984 resolution, which described the “exceptional narrowness and shallowness of the property, which preclude the addition of a free-standing building” for retail, while allowing the separate self-serve car wash, Janiw said.
“What’s being proposed tonight isn’t a benign, ‘We’re leaving the service-station alone under the canopy,'” Janiw said. “There is also an intensification of use also because of the introduction of diesel fuel.”
Responding to Janiw’s 40-minute presentation, 7-Eleven attorney Phillip San Filippo said several of Janiw’s points were nullified by modifications to the proposal, made in the wake of earlier appearances before the zoning board, including the addition of a 15-foot buffer between the site and the adjoining property, which is a private home.
Summarizing the applicant’s argument, attorney John Anderson of Foss, San Filippo, and Milne countered Janiw’s position that the wrong variance is being requested.
“We’re dramatically different from the case law cited,” Anderson said. “Objector’s argument is flawed because what we’re proposing to do is the same [use].”
Tracy Khonstam, of Shrewsbury Avenue, was the only member of the public to address the board – one of three onlookers present, including Councilman Ed Zipprich.
“Does Red Bank really need another traffic nightmare?” Khonstam asked the board. “These things should be thought about and anticipated.”
“Measure twice, cut once,” she said.  “Once you give it up, you can’t get it back.”
Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED TRUCKS AT RED ROCK
A small dishwasher fire at Red Rock Tap and Grill was put out quickly by firefighters overnight, causing minimal damage. Red Bank Fire Depar ...
CREATIVE COVER UP
The windows of Pearl Street Consignment on Monmouth Street were smashed when a driver crashed their car through them injuring an employee la ...
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...