Board withdraws opposition to Manhattan Bagel drive‑through after revised plan

An attorney for the applicant told the board on June 12 that the drive‑through plan for a Manhattan Bagel tenant at Summit Square Shopping Center had been substantially redesigned to address township concerns about traffic flow, stacking and parking impacts.

Julie Von Spraggleson of Eastburn and Gray said the revised plan shifts the drive‑through to the rear of the building, removes parking that conflicted with the drive aisle and adds a bypass lane and stacking for 10 vehicles. The applicant submitted a parking study showing more than 50 excess parking spaces on site and tenant support letters for the proposed configuration.

Township staff and consultants told the board the changes satisfied the primary safety and stacking concerns that had prompted earlier opposition. The solicitor recommended that the board withdraw its previous vote that had instructed the solicitor to oppose the zoning hearing board (ZHB) application. A motion to withdraw was made, seconded, and carried 5–0.

The withdrawal does not approve the drive‑through; rather, it removes the township’s formal opposition and allows the applicant’s ZHB hearing to proceed with the revised plans. The board’s action was procedural: the ZHB will still formally hear the application at its scheduled time.