The Gloucester County Planning Commission is scheduled to hold two public hearings tonight, Thursday, April 2, in the T.C. Walker Education Center Auditorium, beginning at 6:30, on an ordinance to permit permanent food trucks and food truck courts in the county, and a conditional use permit for a proposed energy center.
Food trucks are not regulated under the zoning ordinance as they are currently allowed in the county so long as the businesses remain mobile and continuously change locations.
The proposed ordinance would allow the businesses to remain mobile, therefore not need a zoning permit, but would provide an avenue for them to establish a permanent location through a CUP process.
During the November planning commission meeting, Small Town Burger owner Jay Wolfson and commercial realtor Mac Houtz requested that the planners consider an ordinance to allow the operation of permanent food truck venues in Gloucester.
The planners will consider an ordinance that would allow permanent food truck locations in the Rural Countryside District (RC-1), Village Mixed Use District (B-2), General Business District (B-1), Rural Business District (B-4) and Industrial District (I-1) by CUP.
Energy Center
Tyler Cline of Purple Martin Energy Center, LLC and JRBJ Legacy LLC have submitted a CUP requesting to establish a battery energy storage system the eastbound side of Route 33 near Glenns.
The project is planned to span 15 acres of land in a nearly 76-acre lot zoned Rural Countryside (RC-1). The lot is currently vacant with some forestry. Surrounding land uses include a mix of residential, farmland, forestry and undeveloped properties.
If approved, the proposed facility is estimated to have a capacity of 225 megawatts and would be directly connected to the energy grid. The system would discharge stored energy into the electric grid during times of peak energy demand, such as extreme heat and cold and during and after severe weather events. It would also support renewable energy sources, such as solar energy facilities, which produce electricity on an intermittent basis.
Electric energy would be stored in batteries housed in fire-resistant, outdoor enclosures that resemble shipping containers.
As this technology is rapidly evolving and system construction is not expected to start until 2030 if approved, the exact size and appearance of the energy system components is currently unknown. Construction is estimated to take about six months and be completed in 2031.
Planning & Zoning staff has recommended denial of the project due to its incompatibility with the surrounding property uses and is not in conformity with the RC-1 District. The application also did not provide specific details regarding equipment safety, emergency response planning and the project’s consistency with the comprehensive plan’s future land use.