Township plans business forum

[Cranbury Press]

CRANBURY: Township plans business forum
Friday, September 25, 2009 7:05 AM EDT
By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer

CRANBURY — The Township Committee plans to hold a public forum in October to discuss streamlining and expediting the application process for incoming small businesses.

Committee members made the announcement at their Sept. 14 meeting.

The Township Committee formed a Small Business Subcommittee in June after a slew of business owners complained about the cost and time associated with opening their establishments in town, said Committeemen Richard Stannard, a member of the subcommittee.

”Allegedly, there is a feeling that Cranbury ought to be easier to deal with by the small businesses,” Mr. Stannard said. “We wanted to determine if in fact that is the case. But our whole purpose was to streamline the planning and zoning process.”

After months of weekly meetings and discussions with the community’s small-business owners, Mr. Stannard and a fellow subcommittee member, Committeeman Win Cody, said they are looking into several recommendations.
”We want to change any misconceptions that Cranbury is not a business-friendly community,” Mr. Cody said. “For instance, the applications seem overly complicated.”

A small-business owner should not have to fill out the same application as the developer of a million-square-foot warehouse, Mr. Cody said.

”The requirements for a small business are not the same for a major development,” he said. “We want to make sure that they are safe and secure but there’s a lot of irrelevant things in the application.” Applicants who need to return to the planning or zoning board should not have to wait several months, Mr. Cody said.

Cody and Mr. Stannard also are seeking ways to cut the cost for businesses.

”One of the things we’re studying is the fees that they pay,” Mr. Stannard said. “Should they have to get a planner, a lawyer and (or) an engineer?”

Although the planning and zoning boards do not require that applicants hire professionals, the process can sometimes be so cumbersome and confusing that small-business owners need counsel from these professionals, he said.

If the process were simplified then fewer professionals would be needed, therefore applicants would save money and the township would attract more businesses, Mr. Stannard said.

Rocco D’Armiento, president of the Cranbury Business and Professional Association, said he’s looking forward to next month’s forum and that he welcomes any changes in the planning and zoning process that would be of benefit to local business owners.

”Get the people in and up and running,” he said. “Keep the cost down as much as possible and the process as fast as possible.”

Allen Kehrt, vice chairman of the Planning Board, said that although Wednesday was the first time he had heard about the review, he plans to attend October’s meeting, the date of which has not been established.

Although the application process seems to be very involved, it is because the various boards and agencies are trying to protect the interests of neighbors and business owners, as well as the historic characteristics of Cranbury, Mr. Kehrt said.

”This is a mixed-use community,” he said. “It’s always a balancing act. But there’s room for improvement. It’s always good to have a discussion.”

Mr. Cody and Mr. Stannard said they expect Planning and zoning board members, as well as representatives from the Development Review Committee, to attend the October forum, as they will be the boards implementing any changes the Township Committee might make.

”We’re looking for residents and business owners to give us their opinions and perceptions,” Mr. Cody said.

http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2009/09/26/cranbury_press/news/doc4abbf5923f39f438511369.txt