Articles Land use and development
Branchburg's Land-Use Applications, Explained: What Is Before the Boards
Which applications the Branchburg Planning Board and Board of Adjustment heard and decided from October 2025 to October 2026, from the boards' own minutes and agendas — what each sought, how each vote went, what was said at the 953 Route 202 and 22 Readington Road hearings, and which hearings continue in November and December.
The short version
- From October 2025 to October 2026 the two boards approved a four-story self-storage building at Route 202 and Imclone Drive (Dec. 2, 2025), a phased plan for GDB International’s plant at 68 County Line Road (May 12, 2026), a front addition at 40 Harlan School Road (Sept. 16) and a trade school at 3087 Route 22 East (Sept. 22), and let the first, 30,000-square-foot Evans Way warehouse go ahead as a phase (Oct. 28, 2025).
- Two large Board of Adjustment cases are still being heard: an indoor sports complex at 22 Readington Road, continued at a special meeting noticed for Nov. 10, 2026, and a 40-patient residential treatment facility at 953 Route 202 North, carried to Dec. 1, 2026.
- The nine-unit, 100% affordable Mitras Realty building at 1100–1104 Route 28 was heard April 15 and carried to July 15 without a vote.
- October brought hearings on converting the 968 Route 202 hotel into 88 apartments, a Chipotle at 204 Raritan Valley College Drive and a manufacturing building at 3083 Route 22 East; their minutes come up for approval at the boards’ next meetings.
Where the record lives
The Board of Adjustment meets the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of each month and the Planning Board the second and fourth Tuesdays, both at 7:30 p.m. in the Municipal Building courtroom. Both boards post their agendas and adopted minutes on the Township’s Documents-On-Demand portal, linked from its Agendas/Minutes page, and meeting video on the Township’s Granicus archive. Minutes are approved at a later meeting, so the October 2026 hearings below are reported from their agendas and the applicants’ legal notices. Each meeting has its own page on LocalWhy, linked in the table.
The register
| Application | Site | Relief sought | Hearing | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S/K Stoney Brook Associates, case 2022-010P PFSP/PFSUB Amended | Evans Way, Block 58, Lot 36 and Block 58.01, Lot 4 | Amended final site plan making the approved 30,000-sq. ft. building on Lot 4 (5,000 office, 25,000 warehouse) phase one; no change to the 2023 plan | Planning Board, Oct. 28, 2025 | Approved 5–0; Resolution PB 2025-022 adopted the same night |
| Sempre Property Group, case 2025-002AUV PFSP | Route 202 North at Imclone Drive, Block 68.06, Lot 1 (I-2, 6.2 acres) | D(1) use variance for self-storage; four stories where 3.5 are permitted; lot width 326.5 ft. where 350 is required; steep-slope and other waivers | Board of Adjustment, Dec. 2, 2025 | Approved with conditions, 7–0; Resolution BOA 2025-019 adopted Jan. 6, 2026 |
| Daniel and Noelani Diemicke, case 2025-010 AHV | 976 Old York Road, Block 73, Lot 1.13 | Height and floor-area variances for a two-story detached garage | Board of Adjustment, Mar. 3, 2026 | Redesign agreed; withdrawn without prejudice, Resolution BOA 2026-010, Apr. 15, 7–0 |
| Mitras Realty (formerly Genesis Capital), case 2019-006A PFSP/PFSUB | 1100–1104 Route 28, Block 7, Lot 3 | Site plan and three-lot subdivision for a nine-unit, 100% affordable apartment building; bulk variances and design exceptions (use and density variances granted in 2012) | Board of Adjustment, Apr. 15, 2026 | Carried to July 15, 2026 without a vote |
| GDB International, case 2023-003P PFSP Amended II | 68 County Line Road, Block 9.01, Lot 3.06 (I-1) | Split an approved 38,688-sq. ft. addition into two phases; temporary variances for 36 parking spaces instead of 47 and front-yard parking | Planning Board, May 12, 2026 | Approved with conditions, 7–0, including a bond if phase two is not built by Jan. 28, 2029; Resolution PB 2026-013 adopted June 9 |
| Dr. Morsy Alsamadisi, case 2025-009A HV | 15 Kenbury Road, Block 56, Lot 30 | Addition joining the house to the garage; side-setback, greenhouse and accessory-building variances | Board of Adjustment, July 7, 2026 | Carried to Oct. 6 for revised plans; the Oct. 6 agenda lists Resolution BOA 2026-014, dismissal without prejudice |
| Chinmaya Mission Tri-State Center / Chinmaya Ramdoot, case 2025-008 AUV PFSP | 1941 Holland Brook Road West, Block 70, Lot 24.02 (OL, 1.44 acres) | “d” variance to expand the religious school: additions of 400 and 792 sq. ft., a second driveway and a larger parking lot | Carried July 7 at the applicant’s request; on the Board of Adjustment’s Oct. 21, 2026 agenda | Minutes of Oct. 21 pending |
| Commerce Park Investors XII LLC, case 2026-006AUV PFSP | 22 Readington Road, Block 9.02, Lot 28 (I-1, 9.95 acres, about 433,510 sq. ft.; existing building about 83,000 sq. ft.) | D(1) use variance (indoor recreation not permitted in I-1), preliminary/final major site plan, bulk variances and design waivers; the Oct. 26 notice adds possible multiple-principal-buildings relief and a C variance for the 35-ft. Meister Avenue buffer | Board of Adjustment, Sept. 1, 2026; continued hearing noticed for a special meeting Nov. 10, 2026, 7:30 p.m. | Carried for a comprehensive parking plan and revised site plan; time to act extended to Dec. 31 |
| Branchburg Medicorum LLC, case 2026-001 AUV PFSP | 953 Route 202 North, Block 55, Lot 7 (R/S-2, 2.12 acres, existing 16,000-sq. ft. office building) | D3 (conditional-use) relief and preliminary/final site plan; the notice lists deviations for front-yard setback (100 ft. max, 111.1 ft. existing), lot width (200 ft. required, 197 ft. existing) and transition buffer (50 ft. required, 25 ft. existing), and design waivers | Board of Adjustment, Sept. 16, 2026 | Carried to Dec. 1 without further notice; time to act extended to Dec. 31 |
| Thomas Gamarello and Christine Spodnick, case 2026-009A HV | 40 Harlan School Road, Block 30, Lot 3.02 (LD) | Front-yard setback reduced from 73.19 ft. to about 66.09 ft. where 75 ft. is required, for a front addition and rear office | Board of Adjustment, Sept. 16, 2026 | Approved 7–0, no public comment; the Oct. 6 agenda lists Resolution BOA 2026-013 |
| The Training Center, case 2026-011 AUV PFSP | 3087 Route 22 East, Block 10, Lot 7 (I-1, existing 42,000-sq. ft. building) | Two use variances (a school in an industrial zone; two principal uses in one building), preliminary/final site plan, design waivers, for a trade school in about 26,000 sq. ft. | Board of Adjustment special meeting, Sept. 22, 2026 | Approved 7–0; a Township public notice states Resolution BOA 2026-015 was adopted Oct. 6 |
| Briad Development LLC, case 2026-003AUV MSP | 968 Route 202 South, Block 44, Lot 32 (R/S-2, about 5 acres, 131-room hotel) | d(1) use variance and minor site plan to convert the hotel into 88 rental apartments (a 20% affordable set-aside, per the notice); transition-buffer relief | Board of Adjustment, Oct. 6, 2026 agenda | Minutes of Oct. 6 pending |
| Daphne Lazarte, case 2026-010A HV | 79 Lamington Road, Block 5.07, Lot 7 (LD) | Approval of two fences built in the front yard | Board of Adjustment, Oct. 6, 2026 agenda | Minutes of Oct. 6 pending |
| RVCD LLC (Chipotle Mexican Grill), case 2026-005P PFSP | 204 Raritan Valley College Drive, Block 6, Lot 16 (R/S-1, 1.24 acres, vacant bank) | Site plan for a 2,385-sq. ft. restaurant with a drive-through pick-up lane; the notice lists variances for 48.7% impervious coverage (40% max), trash-enclosure setbacks (15.46 ft. rear, 4.20 ft. side, 25 ft. required) and a second façade sign | Planning Board, Oct. 27, 2026 agenda | Minutes of Oct. 27 pending |
| 3083 Route 22E, LLC, case 2026-004P PFSP | 3083 Route 22 East, Block 10, Lot 8 (I-1, 5.47 acres, undeveloped) | Preliminary/final site plan for a 68,956-sq. ft. building — 17,660 manufacturing, 45,296 associated storage, 6,000 office; retaining-wall variance (walls above 6 ft.) | Planning Board, Oct. 27, 2026 agenda | Minutes of Oct. 27 pending |
The boards also acted on earlier approvals: Resolution PB 2025-024 for Starr Industries, County Line Road (Dec. 9, 2025, 3–0); supplemental Resolution PB 2026-009 for AAVLBR Property, Industrial Parkway (Feb. 10, 2026, 4–0); an extension of time for Symrise, 170 Industrial Parkway (BOA 2026-011, July 7, 2026, 8–0); and an extension of time for Branchburg 202, LLC, Old York Road and Route 202 North (PB 2026-014, July 14, 2026, 9–0).
The 953 Route 202 hearing
Branchburg Medicorum LLC owns the building and is the applicant; the prospective operators are Samuel Kesaris of USR Holdings, who said he runs seven facilities in Maryland and Florida, and James Mikhail of Omnia Holdings NJ LLC, who operates under New Jersey licenses. The applicant’s attorney, Lawrence A. Calli, said the use is conditionally permitted in the R/S-2 zone and that most deviations concern buffers and the setbacks of the existing building. In the minutes’ account of the Sept. 16 hearing, Mr. Kesaris said:
- Admissions. It is not a walk-in facility; patients call an admissions center and are background-checked; sex offenders and court-mandated patients are not accepted; it is not a Medicaid facility; staff drivers bring patients in, and patients keep no vehicles on site.
- Size and staffing. Census is capped at 40, usually about 80% full, two to a room; about 12–18 staff on site at a time and about 12 overnight; a typical stay is 7–10 days of detox and about 21 days residential.
- Security. Badge-controlled access, audible doors, window alarms, outdoor cameras, pre-approved visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a DEA-governed pharmacy, and checks on patients every 30 minutes.
- Activity. One to two admissions and discharges a day; food deliveries once or twice a week; no patients outside after 9 p.m.; contact with law enforcement about one to two times a year at a comparable 40-bed facility.
Mr. Calli said any use variance would run with the property, with conditions on the use rather than the operator, and that a use variance does not require environmental, traffic or community impact studies; the minutes note the Board has its own traffic consultant reviewing the case. Mr. Kesaris agreed to a condition that no outpatient programs come to the site, and Mr. Pappas asked for a written list of the licensing process and oversight agencies before the next hearing.
Seven members of the public asked questions: Rebekka Zydel, Glenford Warmington (an attorney for River Trace Condos), Markette Harris, Yuriy Boltyah, Jennifer Testa, Adam Perahia and Maria Kron. They asked about outdoor smoking and the 25-foot buffer to the neighborhood, noise, night emergency calls, staffing, visitors and vendors, a traffic study, property values, success rates, use of the basketball court, and whether staff can stop a patient from leaving — the operators said they have no legal right to. The Board carried the case to Dec. 1, 2026, without further notice, and the applicant extended the Board’s time to act to Dec. 31.
The 22 Readington Road hearing
Commerce Park Investors XII LLC proposes to turn the former industrial building at 22 Readington Road into an all-recreational indoor sports facility; its attorney, Michael E. Silbert, said the plan had been 70% recreation and 30% light industry. At the Sept. 1 hearing, he said two tenants had signed leases — Soccer World (four soccer fields) and Onkar Ventures, doing business as Yugo Sports Arena (cricket batting cages and eight pickleball courts) — with a third, Evolution Training Center, intending to sign. The site plan shows 124 parking spaces and a banked-parking plan adding 49; the applicant’s traffic engineer, Gary Dean, calculated 102 needed at maximum use, while the Board’s traffic consultant, Jay Troutman, said the facility “absolutely needs” all 170 spaces. Board members and professionals raised the lack of a phasing plan, drop-off areas and walkways, and Mr. Fox said the Township does not want parking on Readington Road. The Board unanimously carried the case to Dec. 1, 2026 for a comprehensive parking plan and a fully developed site plan. A legal notice published Oct. 26 sets a continued hearing at a special meeting on Nov. 10, 2026, describing a revised plan of interior fit-outs of units A–H with no new buildings.
What comes next
- Nov. 10, 2026, 7:30 p.m.: the Board of Adjustment’s special meeting on 22 Readington Road, as noticed.
- Dec. 1, 2026: the Board of Adjustment’s regular meeting, to which the 953 Route 202 case was carried; the Board’s time to act on it runs to Dec. 31.
- The October 6 and 21 Board of Adjustment minutes and the October 27 Planning Board minutes come up for approval at each board’s next meetings; they will record what happened on 968 Route 202, 79 Lamington Road, 1941 Holland Brook Road, 204 Raritan Valley College Drive and 3083 Route 22 East.
What residents can do
- Read the file. The notices state that application plans are on file with the Land Use Coordinator in the Engineering Department, 1077 US Highway 202 North, during business hours.
- Attend and speak. When a case is called, any interested person may appear, in person or by attorney, to ask questions and present objections; hearings may be continued without further notice.
- Check the notices. The Township’s public notices page and agendas and minutes index link the boards’ notice folders; special meetings and continuances change dates.
- Corrections to this page can be emailed to info@localwhy.org.