Call to Order
Chair Wynn called the meeting to order at 7:40 pm and announced that the meeting has been properly noticed in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act and that the meeting is being recorded and can be viewed on the Township website or on Channel 34.
Roll Call
Chair Wynn, Vice Chair Brodock, Mr. Cook, Mr. Rooney, Mr. Ianuale and Ms. Loughman were present. Councilor Schlager, Mr. Schwartz, Ms. Willis, Mr. Barr and Mr. Gilmer were excused. Board Attorney Arthur Neiss, Board Engineer John Chayko and Planning Director Janice Talley were also present.
Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from the July 8, 2019 meeting as amended was made by Ms. Loughman, seconded by Chair Wynn and approved unanimously with Mr. Cook abstaining.
Chair Wynn announced that the resolution for Application 2606: Adaline Moster, LLC – 403-405 Bloomfield Avenue will be carried to the August 12th Planning Board meeting.
Resolution Application 2608: GaRE Venture Mtc Bloom, LLC – 467- 469 Bloomfield Avenue (Block 3201, Lot 1)
A motion to approve the resolution as amended was made by Ms. Loughman, seconded by Chair Wynn and approved unanimously with Mr. Cook abstaining.
Application 2566: 59 Glenridge Avenue, LLC – 59-61 Glenridge Avenue (Block 4210, Lot 23)
The applicant was represented by Robert Gaccione, Esq. Mr. Gaccione summarized the applicant which is for site plan approval for additions to the one-story building at 59-61 Glenridge Avenue to provide additional storage space on the ground floor and two apartments on the second floor.
Mr. Gaccione introduced the applicant, Mohammad Khokhar, who has owned the property for six years. The property contains a Domino’s pizzeria and has a total of 12 employees. The maximum number of employees at any one time is 10 on a Friday night. The hours are 10:30 am to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 am to 1 am on Friday and Saturday. Mr. Khokhar stated that many of the employees live in the neighborhood and walk to work. The drivers own their own cars which are used for deliveries.
The purpose of the rear addition is to provide additional storage room in the back of the restaurant, as there is no basement for storage. The parking lot in the back will include five parking spaces, including one for each apartment and three spaces for drivers. Mr. Khokhar stated that 80 percent of pizza sales are deliveries and 20 percent are pick up. Most of the business activity occurs between 5 pm and 10 pm.
Carola Rosas was sworn in as the project architect. Ms. Rosas described the existing one-story building and the proposed 165 square foot addition to the rear of the building and the two one-bedroom apartments on the second floor. One apartment will be 630 square feet in area and the second apartment will be 685 square feet in area. Ms. Rosas discussed the proposed building materials, including the two brick colors and the brick detailing for the building. She stated that the brick façade will wrap around the building corners for two feet.
The Board asked how the apartment door will be distinguished from the entrance to the pizzeria. Ms. Rosas stated that the residential entrance will not have signage and will not be transparent as the storefront. The Board suggested that the two doors be balanced across the front of the building. The Board asked what will happen to the two existing windows on the east side of the building. Ms. Rosas responded that they will be filled in with stucco to match the side of the building. The Board asked about the color of the stucco, and Ms. Rosas responded that final determination of the color will be made in consultation with the HPC. The Board congratulated the applicant on the great job on this project with the attractive brick work that will integrate this outdated building with the neighborhood.
Mr. Gaccione introduced J. Michael Petry, the professional engineer and professional planner for the project who was accepted by the Board and sworn in. Mr. Petry stated that adjacent properties drain onto the subject property, which currently has a dry well system. He noted that the property has an eight-inch pitch from the west to the east and that a step will be required in front of the residential door. He presented the lighting plan for the property which includes a combination of bollard lights, pole-mounted lights and building-mounted lights. He stated that the parking lot will be milled and paved with three-inches of new asphalt and striped, with landscaping added to reduce the impervious coverage.
The Board suggested that the refuse enclosure be relocated so that it is not adjacent to the building. Mr. Petry stated that it could be moved to the northwest corner of the property. He noted that the refuse area will be enclosed with a six-foot high board-on-board fence.
Mr. Petry noted that variances are required for the on-site parking (12 spaces required and only 5 provided), lack of on-site loading, a nine-foot wide driveway, a parking area setback of less than four feet, parking spaces that are less than 9 feet wide, and exceeding the maximum impervious coverage of 80%. He testified that the project meets the requirements for a c (2) variance because it provides a comprehensive aesthetic improvement to the site (purpose i) and is more consistent with the historic nature of the district (purpose j).
Mr. Petry stated that the project does not create any significant detriments to the area. The parking variance can be justified by the fact that most of the business is delivery. Also, the property is near a train station and near where many residents and employees are within walking distance. He stated that one parking space will be reserved for each of the new apartments in the much-improved parking lot, noting that the property was originally an 8-unit apartment building. He concluded that the application is a reasonable expansion to the building that will benefit the neighborhood. He summarized that the benefits outweigh the detriments and that the project should be approved.
The Board discussed the application. The Board agreed that building-mounted down lighting should be provided along the driveway but should be shielded so as not to create a glare to the adjacent apartment building. Also, a new solid fence should be provided in front of the building on the west side to screen this area from view. Mailboxes for the residential apartments should be provided inside the building. The speed bump in the driveway should be removed or designed so that drainage to the dry wells is not impeded. The trash enclosure should be increased to four feet by six feet to handle recycling and include columns to support a roof. Residential parking spots should be designated. A new roof drain should be provided that directs drainage to the landscaped areas. A revised plan should be prepared showing all these changes, including roof pitch and leaders.
The hearing was opened to the public and there were no comments.
A motion to approve the application with conditions was made by Ms. Loughman, seconded by Mr. Ianuale and approved unanimously.
Payment of Bills
A motion to pay bills was made by Vice Chair Brodock, seconded by Chair Wynn and approved unanimously.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 pm.