Update 10/9/20 – Cyzner Properties will seek zoning approval from Branchburg officials this month to build a new self-storage facility at 3421 Route 22 E. rather than convert the existing 40-year-old office building. Once the interior of the original was gutted, engineers determined the building didn’t have the structural integrity to bear the necessary weight. The cost to reinforce it would be much more expensive than razing the building and replacing it with a new steel, according to the source.
The new Arthur’s Self-Storage is expected to have the same specs of the conversion plan originally submitted for the project, including the exterior design.
7/1/19 – Cyzner Properties received approval from the Branchburg Zoning Board of Adjustment to convert a former Sun National Bank building into Arthur's Self-Storage. The 40-year-old building, which sat empty for three years, is in an area targeted for multi-family housing. It’ll comprise 1,000 units and offer wine storage and safe-deposit boxes. The 25-acre site will also include 400 spaces for boats, RVs and other vehicles. The facility will be designed by Stephen Overcash of Overcash Demmitt Architects. Construction is expected to begin this fall and be complete by June.
10/2/18 – Commercial real estate developer Cyzner Properties intends to build an Arthur’s Self Storage facility in Branchburg, N.J., though the plan could face opposition due to township restrictions against storage development. The company wants to convert a 40-year-old office building it owns at 3421 Route 22 E., but the project would require an override of the municipality’s current plans, according to the source.
Cyzner’s proposal faces a zoning hurdle, as commercial storage is banned in both the master and land-development plans, and self-storage is banned in I-1 and I-2 zones, the source reported. The Branchburg Board of Adjustment is scheduled to review the application tonight.
The multi-stage project would begin with self-storage as well as a wine-storage cave designed for caterers and restaurants. Additional phases would include two additional storage buildings and a covered boat/RV-storage area with solar panels on the canopies, according to Irv Cyzner, president of Cyzner Properties.
Cyzner characterized Branchburg as “upscale” and indicated the facility design would be “architecturally interesting” to fit aesthetically within the town. "We will take [the building] back to its basic structure and rebuild it," he told the source. "It's 40 years old; it's obsolete. Our adaptive use will make it beautiful.”
An affordable-housing project is under development across the street. A proposal for a second housing project has been submitted for the same tax lot.
Headquartered in Green Brook, N.J., Cyzner Properties specializes in industrial, medical, office, residential and retail projects. It has more than 50 properties in New Jersey, including an Arthur’s Self Storage location in Green Brook. The company is a member of the U.S Green Building Council and is a LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) builder, according to its website.
Sources:
My Central Jersey, Branchburg: Construction of Route 22 Storage Facility Hits a Snag
My Central Jersey, Branchburg: Developer Wants to Convert Route 22 Office Building Into Self-Storage Facility
