Lakewood - More housing?

APP: Left or right, it can take Charles Zatrinski a few minutes to turn onto Route 9 from Michael's Auto Service Inc., the mechanic's shop he has worked at for three years. A new town house development at the Chateau Grand site across the street won't help. "There's already traffic now," Zatrinski, 45, said. "There'll be a lot more if they put up more houses." But that's exactly the plan for Chateau Grand, a Lakewood landmark that may soon be razed to make way for a development. A developer has submitted plans to knock down the Route 9 banquet facility and build 66 town houses in its place, according to documents on file with the township Planning Board. The application is not yet completed, but Kevin Kielt, the board's secretary, said the plan could be discussed at a March 7 meeting. A public hearing on the proposal would be held at a separate meeting.....No realty signs yet foreshadow the proposed project, and the parking lot remained unplowed Tuesday. The proposal calls for 40 four-bedroom town houses and 26 five-bedroom homes on the 8.25-acre site. The property could have two entrances along Route 9 and would include a cul-de-sac, 200 parking spaces and a community building, plans show. The banquet hall property was sold in March 2005 to Lakewood Equities LLC for $7.75 million. A contact name for the company is Victor Fried of Staten Island, but no one returned a call to the corporate phone number listed on the Planning Board application. The developer's attorney, Abraham Penzer of Lakewood, also could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Coles said more development along Route 9 — where several housing developments already are under construction — will further clog the roadway. "I think we really need to take a long, hard look at what we're doing along Route 9," Coles said...