Quick Chek to beef up business corridor soon
By elaine van develde
Staff Writer

HAZLET — A familiar spot in town is being transformed.

Going from empty to fast food and gas, the tract on the corner of Route 36 and Poole Avenue that formerly housed the Sunbird recreational vehicle shop will soon be home to a Quick Chek.

Calling the plans for the new convenience store and gas station a part of the township’s efforts to revive business on the ailing corridor, Deputy Mayor Christopher Cullen said the "plans are finally coming to fruition. This has been in the works for about a year."

While the four acres of land is owned by local company Lackland Storage, the Sunbird shop had been vacant for about five years.

Despite the plans for new development on the site, it had been eyed as a possible spot for a new town hall or a temporary place for municipal offices while a new town hall was being built.

Plans for the hall, which have vacillated for the past 10 years, are now on hold.

Pleased at the prospect of a healthier economy brought by the new business, Cullen said, "It’s good to see something new coming to that lot. We really need the [tax] ratables for a healthier economy in the township."

While the store will be located in a business highway zone, variances were needed from the township’s Zoning Board to allow for two unique uses that the Quick Check will bring. Neither the fast food nor the gas station components of the business are permitted uses in the zone.

Since there will be tables and on-premise eating in the store, with the gas pumps outside, the variances were required. The Zoning Board and Planning Board approvals allow for two businesses on the site.

The Quick Chek will be erected first. There are also plans for 10,000 square feet of retail space to be built to the rear of the convenience store.

There are many underground streams and wetlands in Hazlet, so construction will have to be halted until "permits from CAFRA (Coastal Area Facilities Review Act) are issued. The area in and around where the Quick Chek will go is considered [environmentally] sensitive," Cullen said. "Once the permits are in place, it won’t be long before there is construction progress. Then all that’s left is to find a tenant for the retail spot."