Coffee connoisseurs may have to wait a bit longer for their cup of joe at Dunkin’, at least if they want to get it in Blairstown, as the county planning board has disapproved its application for a store on Route 94.
The Warren County Planning Department January 27th notified the Blairstown Land Use Board that a number of issues in the application submitted by Hopatcong DD, L.L.C. needed to be addressed and resubmitted.
The disapproval of site plan applications before planning boards is generally considered to be routine occurrence, with the issues being addressed by an applicant upon resubmittal.
Concerns indicated by the county involved thickness of pavement in the parking lot and driveways leading into the site, proposed at the intersection of Route 94 and Buchanan Road.
Several traffic issues were also cited. The county planning board indicated the applicant’s traffic impact study did not meet the guidelines of the Warren County Development Review Regulations and that the methodology applied to other portions of the study did not meet county standards.
The county recommended that the study be revised and resubmitted to the county planning department and county engineer and that a meeting between those agencies and the applicant be scheduled if necessary.
The applicant, Hopatcong DD, has until January 24, 2024, to resubmit its plans.
Joe Phalon, Contributing Writer
Joe was lured out of retirement by the opportunity to be a part of The Ridgeview Echo. During a decades-long career in publishing and journalism, he has covered government on many levels from local school boards to the United States Supreme Court.
Along the way, Joe has worked at American Lawyer Magazine, The National Law Journal and The Record among other publications, and as the Press Officer of Columbia Law School. His work has been recognized with several first place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association.
Being part of the Ridgeview Echo brings Joe back to his roots and the kind of news coverage he loves: Telling the stories of people and local communities as well as keeping an eye on how their money is spent by their government officials.
Joe lives in Blairstown with his wife Rose, the founder of Quilting for a Cause, and their two wiener dogs. He is an artist in his spare time.
