A develper has proposed building a self-storage facility on Wellington Avenue in Ventnor.
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR – The Board of Commissioners and Planning Board will consider a redevelopment plan for a commercial property on Wellington Avenue adjacent to Ventnor Plaza shopping center, which is undergoing extensive renovations.
Developer Steven Yenowitz of Ventnor Holdings, LLC is considering building a self-storage facility on an underutilized 2.9-acre lot he has owned for about 10 years, planner Tiffany Morrissy told the Board of Commissioners Thursday, Nov. 9.
The plan will rejuvenate the property under a draft redevelopment plan approved in 2018 that designated the property as an area in need of redevelopment, planner and grant consultant James Rutala of Rutala Associates of Linwood said.
The developer’s plan for the site includes an indoor storage building, and an area in the rear for storing RVs and boats.
Morrissy said the developer evaluated the current real estate market, economy and stormwater management regulations for the site to determine what would work best for the property.
The plan would remove half of an existing building but maintain the Dollar General store which was built after the owner subdivided the lot when he purchased it a decade ago.
“We looked at colors and techniques on what would work with what’s happening with the property next door at the shopping center,” she said, referring to the look of Provenza, a new restaurant that opened this past summer at the north end of the Plaza. “This ties it together and creates a nice beautiful entrance as you come down Wellington Avenue.”
“The planning board will dive into the details,” Mayor Lance Landgraf said. “I’d like to see some buffering around the back where outdoor storage will be, but this is a good design from a color standpoint.”
“This looks beautiful as the entrance to the city,” Commissioner Maria Mento said. “But I am a little concerned about the boats. I don’t want it to look like a junkyard.”
The boats would be in the rear behind fencing, Morrissy said.
“With raising the grade, a retaining wall and the fencing design of the site, we can assure they will not be visible as a primary feature,” she said.
Before it is approved, there will be two public hearings on the plan.
The Planning Board will review the plan’s consistency with the redevelopment plan at its Dec. 13 meeting. If it approves the plan, it will make a recommendation to the commissioners for their consideration and approval at their meeting on Dec. 14, Rutala said.
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