TAKE NOTICE that a public hearing will be conducted by the Township of Hopewell Land Use Board (HLUB), at the Hopewell Township Municipal Building, 590 Shiloh Pike, Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., on the following application:

Applicants:

Christopher Sparks and Richard Sparks, 145 Roadstown Road, Bridgeton, New Jersey 08302

Property:

The property that is the subject of the application is a 1.37+/- acre parcel of developed land owned by the applicants, located at 145 Roadstown Road in a Professional/Retail-PR zoning district, designated as Block 52, Lot 25, on Sheet 14 of the Hopewell Township Tax Map. The property is the site of a detached single-family dwelling with related structures, driveways, and other improvements, and also a block building and small frame shed that may have been used by prior owners for commercial purposes such as wholesale or retail sales, storage and/or warehousing. The applicants reside at the property.

Summary of Application:

The applicants seek preliminary and final major site plan approval and use and bulk variances from the HLUB to continue living in the house at the property and to enlarge the commercial building and upgrade other improvements at the property for use as a community thrift store, with the frame shed to be used for merchandise sorting and storage. The applicants’ thrift store business would involve purchasing and otherwise acquiring a wide variety of new and pre-owned items, including clothing, household goods, and furnishings, from numerous sources, including auctions, yard sales, and donations. The applicants would then sort out and dispose of any unsaleable items; prepare saleable items for display within the commercial building; and conduct on-site (in-store) retail sales of those items.

As for the applicants’ “use” variance request, the applicants’ proposed use of the property for on-site retail sales is, in itself, a permitted use in the Professional/Retail-PR zoning district in which the property is located, but single-family residential dwellings are not permitted. Specifically, subpart (1)(f) of Hopewell Township Code § 220-29.A. permits “stores and shops for the conduct of retail business”, but does not list single-family dwellings as permitted or conditionally-permitted uses. Additionally, the applicants’ proposal to use the property for two principal purposes – on-site retail sales and as their residence – is also prohibited, as it constitutes a “dual principal use” of the property in contravention of the Code § 220-29 preamble which provides that “no more than one principal use/structure shall be permitted on a lot”, and also Code § 220-66. The applicants believe that the house at the property, and its ongoing residential occupancy by prior owners, and also the “dual” residential and commercial use of the property, might qualify it as a non-abandoned “nonconforming structure” and “nonconforming use” pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-68. For all of the above reasons the applicants have applied for use variance relief pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70.d.(1) (and also N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70.d.(2), if applicable) to permit the applicants’ ongoing single-family residential use of the property, and also the applicants’ proposed dual use of the property for residential and on-site retail purposes.

As for the applicants’ “bulk” variance request, no new “bulk” nonconformities will result from the applicants’ proposed development and use of the property, as no changes to the existing buildings or site improvements are contemplated that would encroach (or further encroach) into any yard setback areas (although the proposed addition to the commercial building will encroach into the rear yard setback due to its alignment with and connection to the existing building, but only to the same extent as, and no further than, the existing rear portion of the building). The existing commercial building’s setback encroachments might qualify for “nonconforming structure” entitlements pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-68, but the applicants are nonetheless requesting bulk variances to allow the continuation of these existing conditions as indicated on the applicants’ site plan in case the Board determines that such variance relief is necessary:

• Front yard setback (16.7 feet for the existing commercial building where a minimum front yard setback of 50 feet is required);
• Side yard setback (17.7 feet for the existing commercial building where a minimum side yard setback of 25 feet is required); and
• Rear yard setback (14.6 feet for the existing commercial building where a minimum rear yard setback of 40 feet is required).

The applicants have requested various submission and design waivers as set forth in the application, and they have also requested any other variances, submission waivers, exceptions, design waivers, de minimis exceptions, modifications of conditions of prior approvals, continuation of any preexisting non-conforming conditions, and any other approvals or relief as may be determined to be necessary during the review and processing of the application by the Board and its professional staff, or as may be necessary or appropriate for approval of the application as submitted, or as the same may be modified, supplemented, or amended, and for the applicants’ proposed development and use of the property.

Public Review and Participation:

As required by law, this notice is being published once in the South Jersey Times online newspaper, and it is being mailed, by certified mail, return receipt requested, to owners of all properties that are determined by the Hopewell Township Tax Assessor and Bridgeton City Tax Assessor to be within 200 feet of the subject property or otherwise entitled to mailed notice. Copies of the application and related materials are currently on file at the Land Use Board office at the Hopewell Township Municipal Building (address above) and are available for public inspection during regular office hours by contacting the Land Use Board Secretary at lub@hopewelltwp-nj.com, or by calling (856) 455-1230. Any interested person may receive a copy of the application and related materials by requesting same from the Land Use Board Secretary at the above email addresses or phone extensions. Any interested person may attend and participate in the application hearing in accordance with the rules of the Hopewell Township Land Use Board and applicable laws.

This notice is being given by the applicants’ attorney pursuant to the Municipal Land Use Law (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1, et seq.) and the Township of Hopewell land development regulations.

William L. Horner, Esq.

HORNER & HORNER, L.L.C.

67 Market Street/P.O. Box 66

Salem, New Jersey 08079