John Shalbey Jr. Proposes Office Building Behind Ro-Jo Car Wash-August 9, 1978

Zoning Appeals Board Evaluates 65-Foot Variance Request for 12,000-Square-Foot Office Project Hampered by Easements and Proximity to Purgatory Brook

Local businessman John Shalbey Jr.’s plan to construct an office building on land behind his Ro-Jo car wash on Route 1 received a mixed reception during a public hearing last night before the Zoning Appeals Board. Shalbey appeared before the board seeking a 65-foot variance that would allow his proposed one-story building—designed with the structural capacity to expand to two stories and encompass up to 12,000 square feet of floor area—to be situated 10 feet from the rear property line, well within the standard 75-foot buffer perimeter. While office use is fully permitted on the manufacturing-zoned parcel, the building site is constrained by major utility easements, including a municipal sewer line, an Algonquin Gas pipeline, and Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) rights-of-way.

Basing his request on site hardship, Shalbey told acting board Chairman Joseph J. Randall that positioning the building elsewhere was economically and functionally unviable because “this land is cradled between easements taken for the common good.” Shalbey assured concerned neighbors that because “office space is a glut on the market,” he intended to make the development attractive by placing heavy emphasis on landscaping. He boasted that his Ro-Jo operation is “the most environmentally controlled car wash in this country” and ranks second only to Cadillac dealer Carl Johnson’s property in local landscaping quality. Furthermore, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carita of 5 David Terrace noted that Shalbey had previously donated land to the town for widening Purgatory Brook, which helped alleviate local water problems. Conservation Commission Chairman Bettina S. Cottrell reminded Shalbey that he must still appear before her board due to the project’s proximity to the brook, noting that the building itself will stand about 135 feet away, while parking spaces could be as close as 25 feet from the water’s edge.

Despite some favorable views seeing the project as an opportunity to clean up idle land, a small delegation of residents from David Terrace expressed sharp division and opposition. One disgruntled resident argued that Shalbey was fully aware of the easements when he purchased the property, while a young father voiced deep concern over the hazards further commercial enterprise and increased traffic near Route 1 and Everett Street would pose to neighborhood children. Access to the proposed office site would be routed through the existing car wash area. Following the contentious testimony, the Zoning Appeals Board took the petition under advisement pending a scheduled field inspection on Saturday.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger