Proposed Buffalo Wild Wings Raises Noise Concerns for Residents

The vacated building at 1540 Route 46 once housed a Chili’s before it closed in 2011 and caught the fleeting eye of Houlihan's Restaurant and Bar in 2012.

Now, Buffalo Wild Wings is looking to set up shop.

The restaurant is set to close at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, which raised concerns among residents at the meeting.

BWW received minor site plan approval last month and the approval included the hours of operation. The applicant and went back in front of the Planning Board’s minor site plan/subdivision committee on Tuesday night. The applicant will return with a revised plan depicting the new underground basin layout and landscaping buffer, possibly by the next meeting, Oct. 7.

Florence Hal, a resident of 45-plus years, who lives behind the proposed BWW, and other residents were concerned with the hours of operation, especially the 2 a.m. closing time as well as the 5 a.m. truck delivery times.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Hal. “You come to move to the suburbs and it’s worse than the city with all this garbage coming in. They don’t care about the residents.”

Another resident was worried about the quality of life and effects on residents’ sleeping ability with the hours of operation and asked if they could sue the business or file noise complaints.

Ed Snieckus, board planner, said that there’s a separate noise requirement for residential and commercial areas.

“We have a performance requirement … they can’t exceed certain thresholds that are established by law. Those laws can be enforced by the police department,” he said, adding that residents may file complaints and areas where the township sees that “noise is increasing, measurements are taken of what those noise levels are, so there is evidence taken.”

However, he responded to resident concerns by adding that cars that blast their radio while leaving the site can’t be controlled or enforced, unless it's a parked car with very loud music blasting.

“What kind of barriers are we going to have for sound at 2 a.m. when the 1.5 people per parking space leave that bar?” asked Laracca, a resident of Sandra Drive.

James Henry, principal at Dynamic Engineering Consultants and engineer on the project, said the site is in compliance with the setback requirements and that should provide a sufficient buffer.

“If that buffer is not enough to make our quality of life remain proper, can that buffer be increased?” asked Laracca.

The answer from the board was ‘no’ and Henry added that the applicant will comply to all local noise ordinances.

The board also responded to resident concerns saying that alcohol is not allowed to be consumed in the parking lot and alcoholic beverages cannot be removed from the restaurant.

Here’s a look at some of the features of the proposed BWW:

The Surroundings

• Taco Bell west of the property
• Residential uses to the rear (of the proposed BWW site)
• “The property next door is being purchased by the applicant to expand the parking lot,” said Henry.
• “Across Sandra (court) is commercial use that’s being developed as well. Advance Auto Parts is being proposed across Sandra Court.”

Operations

• Anticipated number of employees is 100-115
• Maximum number of employees per shift is 25 - 30
• BWW will use existing water and sewer on site
  

Hours of Operation “was approved as the part of the minor site plan,” said Henry:

• Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
• Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.
• Sunday 11 a.m. – midnight
• Deliveries will be done at 5 a.m. three times a week by a refrigerated box truck.
• Trash will be picked up two times a week

Interior

• Existing restaurant is 6,174 sq ft - No change in the footprint of the building
• “We did slightly increase the number of seats” from 217 to 251,” said Henry.
• “The (number of) seats are not changing enough to warrant a new traffic study,” said Gordon Meth, board engineer.

• Buffalo Wild Wings Makes Progress