CRANFORD — Wonder Group Inc. (formerly known as Food Truck Inc. and Remarkable Foods Inc.) appeared before the Cranford Planning Board last Wednesday to request both an extension to prior approvals and a new timeline for its facility at 40-42 Jackson Drive Block and 677-679 Raritan Road.
Steven Geller represented the applicant and discussed the application with Cranford Planning Board Attorney Jonathan Drill. Jason Bottcher, associate director for governance for Wonder Group Inc., and Nicholas Dickerson, planning expert for Colliers Engineering, were sworn in by Mr. Drill and spoke about the background information concerning the application as well as the reason for the extension request.
“There are two separate approvals made by this board in 20192020,” said Mr. Bottcher. “The first was for an interior fit out for the property on Jackson for a full renovation of that facility, and the second was an amended site approval for the enlargement of the renovation.” At the time, Mr. Bottcher was the zoning officer for the township and Wonder Group Inc. was a fooddelivery service. “Over the last 12 to 14 months, we’ve moved away from the delivery model,” Mr. Bottcher said. “We still work with chefs throughout the country. This is our principal production facility, and we have two others not far from here. What happens there is everything gets shipped to our distribution points and then from there to our restaurants. We have 11 restaurants, and more locations are planned to open this year, so the nature of this request is to extend the time allowed for us to complete the addition. So with the business-ship, the departments within that facility have changed as a result of the extension, so we’d like to have a resolution about the finance by January of next year. But we’d like to push that out an additional 18 months while we approve the times.”
In addition to the time, the board discussed amendments to prior approved condition item 14. The modification splits the addition from the fit out, even though the timelines are the same.
“Some may ask why we want to split the timelines between the setwork and addition when the timelines are the same,” Mr. Geller explained. “We’re requesting this so we can get a CO on the building envelope.”
Mr. Drill explained that condition 14 gave them until January 15, 2024 to obtain a zoning license, which he said the applicant had obtained in 2022.
“My proposed, modified issue 14 would be as follows: the applicant has applied for and obtained all 14 required building and construction permits within the time periods provided for and the conditions of the underlining resolution numbers 2019-004 and 2019-005. The interior fit out of the previously existing structure which will be referred to as ‘the fit out,’ and the construction and associated provision of additional sitework which will be referred to as ‘the addition and sitework’ shall be on separate timelines. With no changes to the condition for approval except that herein,” Mr. Drill said. “For ‘the fit out,’ the applicant shall apply for and obtain a permanent CO on or before August 15, 2025, which is a period of 18 months retroactive from January 15, 2024. For ‘the addition and sitework,’ the applicant shall apply for and obtain a permanent CO on or before August 15, 2025, which is a period of 18 months retroactive from January 15, 2024. Again, same timelines, it just splits.”
Mr. Drill went on to say that, if permanent Certificates of Occupancy are not obtained on either project track, or an additional extension is granted by the board by August 15, 2025, “the underlining approvals shall automatically expire with unknown void…So they still have to finish both in time but they have a chance to get a permanent CO for either one in time.”
“Just to be clear we are modifying paragraph 14 of the resolution memorializing the applicant for prior approval of zoning and construction permits passed in 2022,” Planning Board Chair Molly Hurley Kellett said.
Other business included the Master Plan Consistency Review for Township Ordinance No. 2023-05255 Land Development, to Correct the Zoning of 102-104 and 106 South Avenue West from the Office Residential Character Zone to the Downtown Business Zone, which was tabled until Wednesday, March 6, 2024, since the township committee commented at its meeting that the zoning might actually be better suited as village commercial. Also mentioned at the township committee meeting was the removal of excess trees around the berm and train tracks at 750 Walnut.
“A memo was written by the town engineer and was sent to James Rhatican of Hartz Mountain Industries with the township attorneys copied,” Mr. Drill said.
The deviation letter gives Hartz Mountain 30 days to submit an application to the planning board for an amended site plan after 125 trees were removed from the berm and 93 were removed along the train tracks. This deviates from site plan approval. If the amended plan is not submitted, the matter will be turned over to the township zoning official for issuance of a violation.
