A largely rural Salem County community rejects construction of nine warehouses near I-295

After six hours of testimony and discussion during three nights of hearings, the Oldmans Township Planning Board voted unanimously Monday to deny a developer’s application to construct 5 million square feet of warehouse space in nine new buildings.

The largely rural Salem County community of 1,800 already has 20 warehouses between I-295 and Route 130. Many residents attending the session at the Oldmans Township School applauded the decision.

“Our current road conditions and traffic are horrendous, and I can’t imagine adding any more,” said board chair Sandy Collum, who introduced the resolution denying the application by Knight Owl Holdings, a group of limited liability corporations based in Clarksboro, Gloucester County.

“I can’t see any positives for our town,” Collum said, citing the lack of availability of sanitary sewage treatment capacity for the site, as well as the township’s master plan goals and zoning regulations.

“This township is trying to preserve farmland and open space,” said board member Earl Ransome.

The 575-acre tract that the developer assembled included farm fields, woods, and wetlands near the township’s village-like Pedricktown section.

“This application exceeds what we would typically see for [variances] and seems more like a rezoning,” said board member Mike Tuturice. “We’re talking about over 5 million square feel of warehouse space that in my opinion will have a negative impact on the township.”

» READ MORE: This small South Jersey town already has 20 warehouses. Residents are pushing back on a proposal for 9 more.

Clint Allen, a lawyer for Knight Owl, declined to comment after the vote.

During his summation of testimony Monday on behalf of the developer by engineering and other experts, Allen said a “spine” road to be constructed by Knight Owl would funnel traffic to and from Exit 7 of I-295 with little local impact.

Allen also said variances allowing several of the warehouse buildings to exceed township height limits would allow the complex to be set back and buffered from its surroundings. He also told the board that Knight Owl had recently purchased the privately owned Oldmans Township Airport adjacent to the development site. The only airport in Salem County, the facility is being decommissioned, said Allen.

Once largely confined to north and central New Jersey, development of industrial-scale logistics facilities is steadily moving into South Jersey, as well as Chester County and the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. The website 42Freeway.com, which tracks South Jersey development, reported that proposals last year for new warehouses totaled 70 buildings and 30 million square feet in Salem and Gloucester Counties alone.

» READ MORE: N.J. residents used a grassroots campaign to thwart a warehouse developer. They fear his return.

In Oldmans, the prospect of additional warehouses sparked a grassroots campaign that launched an online fundraising effort and peppered the town with opposition signs. At nearly 21 square miles, Oldmans Township still has a rural flavor.

“I just think the board did the right thing, and I think the [warehouse] proposal had a lot of holes in it, particularly about access to 295,” said Keith Walton, whose front yard faces part of the Knight Owl site.

“But we haven’t seen the last” of the developer or other warehouse proposals, Walton said.

“I don’t think there’s any appetite in the township for this type of development,” said Paul Mitchell, who with his wife, Susan, operates a 54-acre Pedricktown asparagus farm.

Said Pedricktown resident Nancy Bond: “I was worried. But I am very very impressed with our board. I give them credit for protecting our township.”