OLD BRIDGE — As a developer's testimony before the Planning Board for a major retail center continues, some sticking points remain for board members and residents.

"I like the project," board member David Merwin said, adding a caveat regarding the traffic it could generate. "I just don't want it coming into our neighborhoods."

Representatives for developer Gregory Matzel outlined portions of the proposed center, which is slated to include a Wal-Mart store, at the Jan. 6 Planning Board meeting. The site, located at Route 18 and Marlboro Road, consists of 53 acres and is home to the Legends Golf Center. It is the only portion of the township's 500-acre Crossroads redevelopment tract that is not owned by the township.

A number of residents and union workers from around the state came to the meeting to voice opposition to the application because of the Wal-Mart. The meeting was the second one for this application, and the board will continue hearing it in March.

One major point of contention that arose last week centered on the applicant's proposal to construct a second entrance to the shopping center on Marlboro Road. Board members and several residents asserted that the one entrance, on Route 18 and Spring Valley Road, would be sufficient for the center, and that a second one would only add to an anticipated barrage of traffic on Marlboro Road.

"I don't want to turn it into a main drag, so to speak," Planning Board Chairman Larry Redmond said. "The existing Wal- Mart [on Route 9] ... is one of the biggest parking lots in town."

Matzel's attorney, Lakewood-based William Wolf, said the second entrance would be in the public interest in cases of emergency situations. Even off-site emergencies could be better handled with the second access, since vehicles could be routed through the center's parking lot, Wolf said.

Board member and Township Councilman Pat Gillespie said that if the board allowed the second access, it should only be for emergency vehicles.

Gillespie went on to say that township officials have a goal of keeping traffic on Marlboro Road at a minimum. Merwin agreed, saying that if a second entrance is needed, it should be placed on Route 18.

Matzel representative Richard Moralle, a civil engineer, said wetlands restrictions would make such a move impossible.

According to Wolf, patrons would use Marlboro Road to get to the retail center regardless of whether there is an access point there.

"Give us another reason to say 'no,'" Merwin said of the board's eventual vote.

Wolf pointed out that the developer is planning improvements to the intersection of Route 18 and Marlboro Road, something he said will be of "tremendous benefit" to residents. Without the Marlboro Road access point, he said Matzel would have no reason to make the improvements there.

Merwin still was not convinced. He said without the development, there would be no need for improvements in the first place, because the intersection flows fine as it is now.

"I'm having a hard time even looking at the project if I can't get past this," Merwin said. "Then, I have the attorney dangling the carrot, saying 'You won't get that if we can't get this.'"

Traffic expert Robert Klein of Middletown based T&M Associates provided highlights from a traffic study conducted in the area, but some board members remained skeptical. Redmond said he is aware that the site is located in an already busy area of town, but the question remains regarding how much traffic will be generated by the center.

Klein said the study, which was accepted by township officials, was conducted using traffic counts and a manual sanctioned by the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

Board member Gerard Haran questioned Matzel representatives regarding whether the traffic study takes into account which stores will be tenants within the shopping center, pointing out the relevance of such information in regards to traffic.

According to the study, 27 percent of new traffic generated by the project would access the site via Marlboro Road. Redmond said that while he sees the value of the project as a source of property tax revenue for the town, the traffic generated on Marlboro Road remains a major concern.

The shopping center is slated to have 1,100 parking spaces, Redmond said.

"There's a reason for that," Redmond said. "The fact of the matter is the by-product of this is an enormous amount of traffic."

Board members and residents stressed the fact that traffic studies should have been conducted during the summer months, when Old Bridge Township Raceway Park and Englishtown Auction are in full swing. Resident Ron Zastocki suggested the developer add a right turn lane on Marlboro Road, in order to prevent stacking of cars at the intersection.

Klein said improvements to the intersection will include adding a left turn lane on Marlboro Road for motorists heading north on Route 18, as well as adjusting traffic signals there.

Wolf said the driveway on Marlboro Road was included in the site plan approved by the township after Old Bridge settled a lawsuit with Matzel in 2006. The developer had sued after its application to build 450 residential units was rejected by the township Zoning Board of Adjustment. Through the settlement, the township changed the tract's zoning to commercial, acknowledging that Matzel could possibly bring in a "big box" retail store.

"I think the one thing [board members and residents] are forgetting is that this is a settlement between us and the township," Matzel said. "There are always going to be a handful of residents who are opposed to the project."

The next hearing for the project is scheduled for March 3.