Walgreen's Application Approved For Hamburg Turnpike
Store will be located where Friendly's restaurant used to be.
The Planning Board approved an application for a new Walgreen's store on Hamburg Turnpike Monday night.
The board approved the application 6-1. Board member and Councilwoman Lonni Miller Ryan cast the lone vote against the application.
The store will have large glass windows covering most of the front of the building to let in more light and a white roof, both eco-friendly features. The windows will let in more sunlight, decreasing the need to use fossil fuels to illuminate the interior of the store. The roof will also reflect more sunlight away from the building and into the atompshere, lowered the ambient temperature of and around the building.
The Board of Adjustment voted down an application to construct a Walgreen's at the same location in 2010.
The store will have an entrance and exit ramp on Hamburg Turnpike. A drive-through window will be located on the rear side on the store, nearest to Alps Road. An entrance and exit ramp will be integerated into a jug handle that will lead out to an adjacent property being redeveloped by Faces Plus Salon and finally to Alps Road.
The jug handle is one in a series of jug handles being constructed on Hamburg Turnpikein an effort to alleviate traffic on the heavily-traveled thoroughfare. Township officials have spoken to the Passic County Planning Board about the effect the jug handles could have on nearby side streets.
"The county Planning Board is under no obligation to listen to what Wayne township has to say and its unfortuante that they are buidling roads in our neighborhood," Ryan said. "I understand the frustration and the amount of traffic there, but, at the end of the day, this was a project that stood on its own merits. It is not about the jug handle."
A group of residents spoke out against the application. They claimed the store, particularly the drive-through, will create additional traffic for them to contend with in what is already a congested neighborhood.
"We can't get off of our street as it is the traffic is so outrageous," said Perry Delvecchio, a resident of nearby Moutainview Drive. "[This is] only going to make traffic worse."
There is already a Walgreen's in Wayne on Valley Road. Two pharmacies are located close to where the new store will be: a CVS across the street in the Preakness Shopping Center, and Wayne Pharmacy in the Wedgewood Shopping Center across from the Wayne Hills Mall.
An 8-foot tall sign for the store will be located near Hamburg Turnpike. The sign will be surrounded by shurbs. it is the reason Ryan voted against the application.
"I feel that smaller signs are better," Ryan said. "I've been to communities where they don't allow big signs and no one has a problem finding stores. It's just visually nicer."
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In This article
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Walgreens Pharmacies
321 Valley Rd, Wayne, NJ -
CVS Pharmacy
2440 Hamburg Tpke, Wayne, NJ -
Wayne Pharmacy & Surgical Supplies
1055 Hamburg Tpke, Wayne, NJ
Scondo
7:04 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Good, maybe the town will learn to get out of the way of land users in the run down commercial districts. Who would ever think that Wayne would have run down commercial districts.
Al Scala
8:34 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
I would love to know the reason why Councilwoman Lonnie Miller-Ryan voted no against this application!
F. Lonagast
8:50 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Al ...
An 8-foot tall sign for the store will be located near Hamburg Turnpike. The sign will be surrounded by shurbs. it is the reason Ryan voted against the application.
"I feel that smaller signs are better," Ryan said. "I've been to communities where they don't allow big signs and no one has a problem finding stores. It's just visually nicer."
She's a councilwoman, the possibility of collecting taxes to support her incessant spending is incomprehensible to her! She voted no to promoting local business and the economic benefit they provide because of a sign. So very sad what this town has become.
Al Scala
12:55 pm on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Thanks for the info. Even after reading her comments, I'm still not sure why she would vote no over an 8 ft sign. Our town council as well as our land use boards, Planning Board and BOA, have taken a lot of heat and criticism over their posturing with business' coming into town, or business wanting to expand. Not sure what gives. Our town needs to be more accommodating or business friendly for the sake of ratables. Not only would it bring in more ratables, but cut down on our litigation costs. Would be nice to save us taxpayers some money.
F. Lonagast
8:54 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
I try to be civil, but really there are 30 foot signs on the other side of the road. This sign will hardly be noticed.
Scary to think this is what her constituants felt was the best choice for them in November.
Scondo
9:52 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012
It would be nice if all political personalities were left off land use boards, it would eliminate the NIMBY effect and the political consequences effect and it would also be nice if the terms of members were strictly limited to not more than 5 years. Take an application like Rob Burke's wind generation project, it appears to me that NIMBYism and political ramification played a role in delaying that project improperly, but that is just my opinion and is probably better suited to discussion elsewhere, I am glad to see another vacant site being put to use, even though it is yet another pharmacy style use. How many pharmacies do we need to feed the drug habits of the masses. Get off the drugs.
Rob Burke
11:31 am on Thursday, June 28, 2012
The very very good news here is that we will not only have Walgreens to help finance the municipal budget. And no legal battle to consume more tax dollars to get there. Whether you are for or against this particular use for this site, these two things are clearly big positives.
Business Competition
3:17 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
How will the CVS right across the street be affected by this decision?
Pad
5:43 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The Mayor and Council have to come out of the dark ages. LED & electronic signs are all over and they are the future. Wayne is very unfreindly to buisness and no one wants to open a buisness here due to all the regulation BS. The tax income is down 35 million and we put roadblocks up in front of new ratables wanting to come into town. Who needs ratables when we have the Wayne taxpayers to support our increased spending habits. Wayne's motto should be " COME TO WAYNE WHERE TAX INCREASES NEVER END". Mayor, Council & BOE you are destroying this township with your tax increases. ARE YOU BLIND OR JUST DON"T CARE?
wyldthang18
9:22 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I am glad that another empty building is finally being occupied and going to be bringing in more revenue to the town, but why across from CVS? You also have the S&S right there as well for pharmacy. Once this Walgreens opens I really hope I don't see the CVS disappear a year or so later.
Nose Wayne
2:20 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Looked up WAYNE in the dictionary- Where All Your Nuts Entertain!!! Watch for the next meeting ? What excuse can we come up with next time ? Only took two years,can anybody guess how much taxes we lost in those two years ? Councilwoman Ryan, Do you NOSE how much ?
Scondo
4:37 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Taxes are paid on value of land and improvement, the fact that it is vacant does not materially affect the payment of taxes, it is when the buildings start to fall into decrepitude that the value goes out and the taxes drop through the appeal process. Our big problem right now is that we have too many vacant buildings becoming eyesores, Borough Motors, Wayne Dodge, Preakness Chevrolet to name just a trio of buildings looking a little forelorn. The old Channel Lumber site is a goner, check that one out on Google Earth, the entire roof looks like it is about to cave in.
Nose Wayne
2:26 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Councilwoman Ryan, when I NOSE how much we lost, I will make an 8 FOOT SIGN and bring it to the next council meeting for all to see what we lost. Any guess how much $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ ?
John Gontimore
5:43 pm on Monday, July 9, 2012
I think it is a good development for the town. I think the only issue is the jug handle. You will be able to make a left turn onto Alps Road from the jug handle. That makes no sense. Why did they let the Walgreen's gain access onto the jug handle? Why is the county permitting a left turn onto Alps Road?
Nose Wayne
7:03 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Scondo,That roof has been that way for years. Went in after a rain storm one day and it was still raining.INSIDE!!
fboy1932
9:43 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Great, another large pharmacy and a smaller one to close and more druggies passing through to pick up their prescriptions. Has anyone noticed how many drug stores we have in Wayne? hum?
Nose Wayne
10:04 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
fboy, Guess you haven't noticed how many "senior" druggies their are in this town. Have you noticed how many bars you pass on Belmont Avenue in Haledon. Does that mean that everyone there is an Alcoholic ?
wyldthang18
10:17 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Decrepitude? Nice SAT word scondo.
Nose Wayne
10:47 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wild, Scondo must have gone thru the Wayne School system, he's edumachated !!!