Two Redevelopment Plan projects in Harrison Township along Route 45 (N Main Street) are expected to bring a Car Wash and Oil Change facility to one property, and a Gas Station with Convenience Store to another property about 750 feet away.
At the corner of Cedar Rd. and Route 45, the currently empty lot is expected to see the development of a 16-pump gas station and convenience store
A second unrelated project will bring a car wash and oil/lube center to the area where Breakneck Road meets Route 45. The properties for this development are already being cleared.
For a simple location point of reference, if you know where the Heritage Dairy store is on Route 45 at Breakneck Rd, the two projects will basically be on either side of Heritage’s. That’s not an exact placement, so please look at my images here. Just an easy way to give you an idea of the area.
This area of Route 45 already contains several commercial developments. In fact, the block where the new gas station is planned also includes the Heritage’s, a CVS pharmacy and an orthodontic office.
Also, directly across Cedar Road from where the gas station is planned, there is a small section of stores which includes Dunkin.
Both of these projects are moving through Harrison Township approvals via Redevelopment Plans.
Kudos to the Township for having a very clear Redevelopment Project page listing many (all?) redevelopment projects, as well as links to the associated documentation and redevelopment plans.
I found both of these project redevelopment plans on the town website and some of the information provided in this article comes from those documents
Multani Gas Station and Convenience Store
As mentioned, the new gas station and convenience store is planned for Route 45 and Cedar Rd..
The property is currently empty, and previously it was home to a gas station.
The associated Multani Plaza Redevelopment Plan is dated August 23rd 2021 and includes an overhead site plan, which shows the gas station canopy, the retail store building with parking, water basin and access driveways.
The Redevelopment Plan process has several steps where the town is fully aware of the project and scope… so for the most part the March JLUB final full site plan review was likely more about verifying the final details of the project such as landscaping, signage, and other aspects.
The plan calls for a convenience store of approximately 3,500 square feet.
The gas pump area will be completely under a separate canopy, and will offer 16 fueling pumps.
While some folks in local town Facebook groups have speculated on the brand being associated with larger convenience store brands, based on other Multani properties I believe this is an independently owned gas station, although it will likely feature a national gasoline brand.
It does not appear that there will be any drive-thru associated with this project, and in fact it is listed as a prohibited use in the redevelopment plan.
Some variances were requested related to signage, lighting in landscaping… Typical things it seems.
The project site will have two driveway accesses; one from Route 45 (N Main Street) and the other on Cedar Rd.
North Main Oil: Car Wash and Lube Center
The North Main Oil project will also be on Route 45 (N Main Street) situated across from the Heritage’s Convenience Store (Breakneck Rd separating them).
The Car Wash and Lube Center project will utilize five smaller properties to support both buildings. Those properties are currently being cleared.
The car wash and lube center will only have one driveway and it will access Route 45. Only a very small portion of the property extends onto Breakneck Road, so that probably made it just too close to the intersection to put another driveway entrance on Breakneck.
According to the Redevelopment Plan, this project will feature the car wash building (long straight single path), and a large area for cars to park at vacuum stations, as well as additional parking. The Lube Center will sit more in the corner of North Main Street and Breakneck Road and will feature four bays. Cars will enter on one consistent side.
It appears that thought was put into the interior property traffic flow so that cars follow a “one direction” path where it makes sense. Cars utilizing the car wash and vacuum area will have a slight zig-zag traffic pattern to keep traffic flowing in one direction.
Similar to the situation of the gas station, North Main Oil has been working with the town for several years on the redevelopment plant.
They are appearing at the Harrison JLUB meeting this week for final approval, but details of this project have previously been reviewed with the town.
There are no indications anywhere regarding what the name brand of the car wash and lube center would be.
Links and Locations
Multani Gas Station and Store – Reviewed at March Harrison Twp Joint Land Use Board meeting
North Main Car Wash and Lube Center – JLUB Meeting
Thursday May 18, 7pm
Municipal Building
114 Bridgeton Pike
Mullica Hill, New Jersey