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Developers Scale Down Condo Plan in Egg Harbor

Developers have scaled down a proposal for a condominium project at the Mueller’s Mini Mart property in the center of Egg Harbor. 

The revamped plan for the Village View Shoppes and Residences at Egg Harbor includes 14 residential units, down from the 27 originally proposed, and would preserve the former Birnschein gas station. The condominium would be three stories, with a utility room for stairwell and elevator access to the roof.  The location has been a gas and service station for much of the last century, but the property has been for sale for several years. 

Developer Mike Schwantes of Creative Business Solutions said the changes came in response to feedback from the plan commission and residents.

“We’re open to the concerns of the Egg Harbor citizens, and the size of the structure was a major concern, and the historical significance of the old gas station,” he said. “This should hit all the buttons now.”

Herman Birnschein’s service station and car dealership next door to the Bertschinger Lumber yard in downtown Egg Harbor. Photo courtesy of the Egg Harbor Historical Society.

The Village of Egg Harbor’s plan commission got a first look at the new plan Tuesday, June 30. Commissioners were pleased with most of the changes. 

“This is a massive improvement,” said plan commission member Kathy Navis. 

The storefront of the new building will have a façade designed to look like the original gas station and shop to the north. 

“After understanding many of the concerns of Egg Harbor residents, we have submitted a development plan that reflects those concerns,” Schwantes said. “That includes less density of the development, an architectural design that reflects more of Egg Harbor’s past, keeping the former Mueller gas station in its current state, preserving the historical architecture and history of this beautiful building, and the elimination of underground parking, which greatly concerned many residents because it would require blasting of rock.”

The new plan still requires blasting, but not as much as the previous proposal. If approved, blasting wouldn’t begin before Sept. 20 and would only take place on weekdays. Developers said it would require about four to five days of blasting. 

Even with the downsizing, the project will require variances for building size and parking setbacks. The village’s maximum allowed floor area is 18,000 square feet. The footprint of the new building is 11,976 square feet, but the total square footage of all three stories would be 34,642 square feet. The original plan would have torn down the old stone gas station to make way for a 72,000-square-foot structure.

The combined redevelopment would provide 40 parking spaces: some in a first-floor garage and others at surface level with permeable pavers. According to the plans, the development would reduce impervious surface on the lot by 800 square feet. The proposal calls for removing the existing asphalt in front of the original building to replace it with lawn and paver parking, and installing a shared driveway between the buildings, with parking in the back.

A public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 4 at 6 pm, at which the public may submit comments. 

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