I'm so disappointed. Another ugly blemish in butler. There are going to be many accidents on that corner. I will not use the QC or it's smelly gas.

Lets rally behind Craig Brinster and the residents behind the station you guys were here first and I stand behind you!!!!

Rented from Craig before and he's one heck of a great landlord And hard working gentlemen

No quick check gas!!!

Im glad the board approved this. You NIMBY attitude residents have got to have a few screws loose. YOU LIVE ON A HIGHWAY! DUH! What else would have gone there? Its an eyesore as it is now and I welcome the Quick Chek and will be buying their gas as they are a very competitive brand.

Of course it's the same attitude as usual, put whatever you want wherever you want as long as it's not in my backyard, or in this case, on my highway.

To NJ Steel...I live in butler far from the highway and I, unlike uncompassionate people like you, care about my fellow residents. The business there now is quiet and does NOT disrupt people or the traffic. We could have done MUCH BETTER than a gas station.

Next time don't buy a house next to a major high way. I welcome the quick check they have great sandwiches and they are priced right. The crap in kinnelon sucks and the prices are well for the folks who live in kinnelon. Much better store than the Indian run 7-11. I'll be there.

Really, someone is concerned who lives on Bartholdi Ave about breathing in fumes from one gas station?? How about breathing in the exhaust fumes from the 1000's of cars that drive on that part of Route 23 daily, everyday?? Not worried about that?? Just another excuse someone tried to come up with that has no merit.

Guess who will be the 1st person to go to the new gas station to get gas for their lawn mower, the person on Bartholdi Ave.

First... It's highway property , second.. more often then not BIG money will always win out in the end.
The only thing I object to is that we already have the 7-11 right there...

Same old same old wt comments, because it's not behind your house. I wonder how much the politicos are putting in their pockets. Butler cares nothing about the people or conservation.

They are making this area way too congested. It was beautiful up her in the 70's. I will support my fellow Kinnelon resident and 7 Elevan owner and only go there.

Chocolate cookies fom a stinking chain store. Wow now thar's a classy addition! All of u people that want this will see the nightmare that the gas pumps will have on that corner.

To Michael Hauck and Bill Sueski the planning board members who voted "no" thank you..To Jim Brown, Dwayne Davenport, Jim Nargiso, Ed Dwyer and John Donnelly who voted "yes" on this application SHAME ON YOU!!! I thought the town attorney properly explained that conditional use is permitted if it meets certain conditons and two (2) pages of non-condtional use apparently wasn"t enough proof to show that the site was inappropriate. They were also to take into consideration the effect on surrounding property and damages to the character of the neighborhood ...As to the jerk (NJ STeel) who suggested that our neighbor used her handicapped son ....shame on you! and by the way, none of the people objecting live on the highway, they live on the back streets, get your facts straight before you open your mouth..As for the Quick Chek gas and convenience store...I wouldn't use that lousy no name gas where ever they were located.

Its about time this application got approved. Of course the abutting property owners don't want it. They want the status quo. As far as additional traffic, it won't even be noticed....The town finally did the right thing in approving this application.
And to the adjacent property owners. Its up to YOU to realize you are buying a property adjacent to a highway business zone. The reason your home cost less is because you live near a highway.

Of course the property owners know that they live near a highway business zone. It was not acceptable for the board to grant an excessive number of variances so that they can squeeze in this mega gas station. They could have approved any one of many businesses....a hair salon, a bagel shop, a nice restaurant....I could go on forever. Thanks Mary Anne for letting me know who did/did not approve this.

Mary,

None of those businesses came in to apply, did they? The Town can't dicatate the type of business that decides on locating on that parcel. The Quik Chek came in, has an acceptable site plan with minor variances and got approved. Nearly every site plan application has some type of needed variance. Let me ask this, would the abutting residents be happy if another car dealership went in there? I doubt it!

A hair salon? What about the fumes from the hairspray? A restaurant you say? What about the mice it will attract? I got an idea Mary...why don't you open up one of those businesses up?? Even if 1 person was dumb enough to build another bagel shop...the would still need multiple variances any you NIMBY people would be right there objecting to it.

eot...MINOR VARIANCES! You know nothing about this do you?! The Town can certainly dictate a land parcel. They did in this case. A 12-pump gas station buttressed right up to Route 23 is not good planning! The Board will regret this decision, although they probably already got paid so why would they care.

NJ Stool...my business choices were purely exemplary to make a point. But of course you not understand that as the KIng of Selfish Ideas and bad chocolate chip cookies.

7-11 sucks. Bring on the quick check. A wawa would be better but that is a south jersey thing.

I actually know the site very well. A gas station / convenience store is a good fit for the property. The variances granted were not anything out of the ordinary for a site as constrained as that one. And as far as being paid off...I love that whenever a non-paid Board makes a decision that rubs a minority or people the wrong way, the minority makes the statement that Board members are on the take. I for one, would not want that thankless job.

eto....perfectly stated: "a site as constrained as that one." Dictionary definition of constrained: to force by imposed stricture, restriction or limitation. That is exactly what's happening....forcing a mega gas station and another "convenience" store on limited, restricted space. So glad you agree. Also, wake up and smell the pay offs! Are you so naive that you think that doesn't happen! And BTW, I know tons of people in Butler and almost every one of them is disappointed in this decision. A minority I think not!

Mary, I will respectfully agree to disagree with you. A 12 pump station is not a mega gas station. Heck the Lukoil on the SB side of Route 23 in Riverdale is the same size, 12 pumps, has a convenience store. Its not a huge traffic generator. Well anyway have a good weekend and try not to let this approval get you down.

I am not for or against this development, but From a neutral point of view, look at this site in its current state. I don't think anyone would argue me that it is an eyesore, and not very appealing. Somebody said the quik check would be an ugly blemish, well, the site is pretty hideous now. Also, to the person who said something about before approving this you need to see about the possible 'damages to the character of the neighborhood' once again, look at what is currently occupying the site, is that what you wish to convey as our neighborhood character? Also the site currently is 100% impervious, meaning there is not a blade of grass or tree anywhere. At least new construction of any sort will have some attractive plantings that are good for the environment and pleasing to the eye. As for the bagel store etc ideas, unfortunately in this economy noone is going to fund building a small store or two in the hopes that someone will rent it. Our downtown area is enough proof of that. I am truly sorry that the people located adjacent to this site feel that their quality of life will be reduced, but unfortunately when you buy a home in that location you have to plan for the worst and not assume that a quiet business will always be your neighbor. Thanks for listening and have a nice weekend.

Well said Jackie O. Mary I was at a couple the meetings and the only people that didn't want the gas station were the few people that live adjacent to the property. If "tons" of Butler residents were against it there would have been a lot more people speaking out against it which was never the case.

I think we can all agree that the current business is an eyesore. But never in my life did I find any beauty in a Quik Chek and a gas station. Some "attractive plantings" around the gas pumps sounds so lovely and environmentally friendly. Come on people, admit it, we could have done better. And NJS, you're wrong about the meetings. How could you possibly know everyone there. My husband and I were to show our support for Butler and our fellow residents. (And again I do not live any where near that corner.) Unfortunately, there was not enough action taken by those against it. If there were a vote by the town, it would have not happened.

I want to clarify a few points made by the Quick Chek groupies, first of all when the residents bought their property the current business at this site was not open 24 hours per day/ 7 days per week, as the Quick Chek will be. The property owners knew that the area was in an HC2 zone and thought the town master plan would protect them. During the course of this application the town changed the zone to HC3, thus making it easier to put this type of development in. If NJSteel was really at the meetings why didn't he speak up in favor of it? Or is he one of the Quick Chek shills? There is another interesting point to this development, the wall that will be built at the back of the neighborhood properties will be 20' high, the Berlin wall was 12' high in its highest spot, so perhaps we could turn this into a tourist attraction. The sound barriers on RT 287 are also 20' high. How many cookies would you have to eat to make you happy with that in your back yard?

Just wanted to add another point, everyone has agreed that the current location is an eyesore, however there are zoning laws already on the books to prevent this and clean the property up. My question is, if the town never demanded the current owners clean up the property, what makes you all think that the property will be better maintained in the future?

With a portion of the site being landscaped it would allow for stormwater recharge, which is good for the environment, and something that the current development does not offer. Also the gas station will most likely have to treat a certain portion of the runoff for contaminents. As the site currently stands, who know how much oil or contaminants leak wherever they want, and I bet none of it is being treated before discharging offsite. Especially if the business has been there for years, noone may even bother to think if it is contribuing pollutants. Mary, you keeps saying we could have done better, but we do not have other development offers. Our choices are, a tired looking bad representation for our town, or a fresh new development that conveys the message that our town is worth investing in. Ideally you are right, a nice friendly business would be wonderful, but there are none offering us that option.

Mary Anne, my problem with the current site goes beyond maintenance, you are right, the town does have the power to tell people to keep a tidy business. My problem is the absolute sea of pavement that looks horrible. I do not think the town could do anything to make the current owners change that, but there is hope that the next people would have to. I dont think its anyones dream to have a large gas station but i feel like doing absolutely nothing is no better.

Mary, you wrote..."if it was a vote by the town it wouldn't have passed." What you fail to realize is the Planning Board members are appointed to represent the town and they did just that by granting approval to this application

I don't doubt your a nice person eot....but HOGWASH!! I didn't appoint that board and they don't represent me or my friends or family that live in this town. I was at those meetings and some of those board people are rude and insensitive.

NJ Steel, I find it interesting that you know so much about the Quick Chek operations, why don't you just admit that you are not a concerned citizen, but either a shill for the property owner or the Quick Chek, stop hiding behind the concerned citizen mask...as for the Quick Chek building a wall because I am too loud, it would have to be a very long wall as I don't live near the location I do live in Butler and I do care about my fellow taxpayers who are long time Butler residents..Where do you really live? Green Pond????

This phase is now history. Maybe the court will rule against and maybe it won't. Most of us patronize convenience stores and buy sandwiches from places like this or delis or Subway or Quizno. All of us with motor vehicles have fuel pumped into them. The days of service stations with 2 or 3 pumps is in the past. A retail fuel dealer with 12 pumps is not a mega gas station to me like a truck stop that would be. I do applaud the 5 members of the board who had the courage to vote yes and I respect the 2 members who voted no; most of them have been in town a very long time with at least several lifelong with them seeing a lot of changes here mostly for the good.

@ Jackie O & Rich Dean, thank you for the intelligent, well-expressed, calm manner in which you convey the obvious. Unfortunately, the majority of these comments sound like a group of kids on the playground during recess, rather than grown tax-paying homeowners! Perhaps the "many" who have chosen to rather inarticulatly express their negative closed-minded point(s) of view rather than embrace change and welcome a tax ratable in a positive manner would like to pledge that they will not run up to the Q.C. for a gallon of milk or loaf of bread when they are suddenly caught without and the kids want some pbj or cookies and milk, but rather drive that extra mile to the over-priced "supermarkets" with the crowded parking lot and the long lines at the register. Oh, and maybe they should pass up the nickel per gallon savings on gas, or more, and drive an extra mile to the mega Hess they all approved on the same highway, in the same borough, adjacent to the same type of residential area. Let's get over it, like your neighbors up the street did when Hess came to town and get on with the future.

Richard, I and many others prefer not to buy the slop at Quick Chek. We will give our money to hard working local business owners who are being driven out of business by the likes of QC and Subway. And as it's stated in the article above this addition is most definitely a MEGA GAS STATION on that small parcel of land. It will become a truck stop now 24 hours 7 days a week.

Christine, of all the people that wrote here YOU sound more like a child than anyone with your run-on sentences and misspelled words. Of course we all welcome a tax ratable in this town. I'll bet you don't pay $14,000 a year in property taxes like my family. But I will not compromise my town or its residents for a nickel in gas savings. That corner of Butler will be a traffic nightmare. I have already witnessed several near accidents at the 7-11. The addition of this business will exacerbate this problem 10 fold.

They have great coffee.

In reading the comments of the pro-Quick Chek group, I am amazed at the lack of understanding of this project. The site in question is one acre, Ouick Chek's own standards for this are two acres, the project needs 20 variances to be built, and includes a soil moving operation to raise the Boonton Ave section of the lot,(where the building will be placed) 16' higher then it currently is, I guess so the 7-11 can't be seen from RT 23. I am not opposed to development as long as it is in keeping with the same standards that everyone else had to deal with. Why did Quick Chek get a pass and everyone else have to comply? I am also sick of hearing that the slop passed off as coffee is the reason we need convience stores next to each other. It passed, and I bet the people who should have come out to fight this will be the first to complain about the traffic on RT 23, and the need for addtional
police...too bad so sad... be careful what you wish for

Thank you Mary Anne for sharing your obviously extensive knowledge on this issue. With respect, Mary

Competition will be healthy between this Quick Check and 7/11, let the better store win. Glad they are opening up one.

Just one final comment on this site. The site in question consists of three small lots totalling 1.417 acres. The Lukoil on the northbound side of Route 23 in Riverdale which has 12 pumps and a conveince store is 0.4988 acres. The Lukoil on the southbound side in Riverdale is 1.3 acres. The Hess on Route 23 north in Butler which has 16 pumps? is 1.26 acres. So the Quik Chek site is actually LARGER than all the other local gas stations with convenience stores!

I guess it is a sign of the times that the golden rule is "he who has the gold rules" I feel really badly for the residents who will have their only major investment (their homes) devalued by a greedy corporation and the wealthy property owner, who has a very sucessful auto dealership up country, get even richer at their expense. I hope they all get an appraisal of their homes before the gas station and after it so that they can at least get their taxes lowered. It will be difficult for them to sell because FHA, VA, and reverse mortgages are not written if you are within 300' of a gas station. I really feel badly for the poor women who will not be able to live there because of her son's severe disabilities. .God bless her, and I'm sorry the $$$boro let her down, I wish her the best!

Mary, that was my point. I don't want anymore things on this highway, it is becoming an eyesore. On other stretches of the highway they have more depth that we do and it's bad enough that way. Butlers property is so narrow. And the only station I mentioned is Lukoil. And unfortunately I do live in Butler and behind another stretch of 23 with businesses behind me. So I worry what is next. We have to position our furniture so we don't get those big ugly lights from the bank in our bedrooms at night after the bank expanded it building and parking. Nobody considered that either. This town only is concerned with the money that it gets not how the town looks or quality of life. I keep getting told it's getting better, but where. Not in my backyard.

Mimi, my last comment was to eotdevice. Mary

Mary, yes I do live in town, since 1998. Lived in a an adjoining town since birth prior to that so I know the area quite well. I also knew when I looked for and eventually bought a house near High Street not to buy next to a highway, near an office or industrial zone, church, school, or a flood zone etc. I did my homework just as anyone should that makes such a large financial investment. Bartholdi Avenue, Boonton Avenue and Kiel Avenue were off limits in my search due to traffic volumes. I found a nice, affordable house that needed work on a quiet street in a residential neighborhood.

Well, eto. If anything ever happens in the neighborhood of High Street (cell tower) or some other unexpected construction that requires more than 20 variances and a 20' wall, I will support you just like I'm supporting the folks soon to be near the gas.

eotdevice...So now it's the property owners fault that the town failed to follow their own master plan? I'm glad you found a fixer-upper on a quiet street, but the women with the child with special needs had a bit more of a hardship then you. It really is sad that you are patting yourself on the back at the bad luck of your neighbors...

SO TRUE MARY ANNE.