Industrial Way Business Approved to Install Solar Carport

With a nod from the borough's planning board Monday night, is on track to be one of the first businesses in the area to take solar panels off the building and into the parking lot.

The already has almost 1,500 panels covering its roof and was approved to install a solar carport and separate solar canopy in the back of the buiding at the July 11 Eatontown Planning Board meeting. No variances were required for the project.

The 19-foot by 300-foot solar carport will blanket an existing parking lot that is little-used, according to CDS President Ronald J. Wollner.

A separate solar canopy, 30-feet by 110-feet, will cover a grassy area east of the carport that will be covered with a concrete slab and used as a picnic area, said Wollner.

Both areas are in a secluded area of the site, with a wooded buffer between one adjacent property and a fence separating CDS from the neighboring Post Office.

"You're really not going to see any of this," said Wollner during his testimony.

According to Board Attorney Mark Steinberg, the Ray Catena Mini Cooper dealership on Route 35 North in Oakhurst was recently approved to install a solar carport.

Mayor Gerald Tarantolo commended Wollner for his innovation. "I think you're establishing a model," he said, "and I'm glad it's in Eatontown."