20221018 - Planning Board Meeting Minutes
Ridgewood Planning Board
Regular Public Meeting
October 18, 2022
The following minutes are a summary of the Planning Board meeting of October 18, 2022. Interested parties may request an audio recording of the meeting from the Board Secretary for a fee.
Call to Order & Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act: Mr. Joel called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m.
Roll Call – The following members were present: Mayor Knudsen, John Young, Councilwoman Reynolds, Richard Joel, Dianne O’ Brien, Melanie Hooban, James Van Goor, Darlene Johnson and Igor Lyubarskiy. Also present were Stephen Wellinghorst, Esq., Board Attorney; John Barree, Village Planner; Christopher Rutishauser, Village Engineer and Jane Wondergem, Board Secretary. Fran Barto and Sergio Alegre were absent.
Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board – There were no comments at this time.
Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics – Ms. O’Brien reported on the October 13 Historic Preservation Commission meeting. Mayor Knudsen reported that the Council is discussing an ordinance which would require a hold on the issuance of a demolition permit where a historic property or structure is involved pending the first available Historic Preservation Commission meeting and thirty days thereafter.
Councilwoman Reynolds arrived to the meeting at 7:48 p.m.
Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 155 Linwood Avenue, Block 2003, Lot 8 – Preliminary and Final Site Plan approval for paving and striping existing parking lot, lighting improvements and changes to site landscaping. (Continued from October 4, 2022 without further notice)
Joseph Russo, Esq., stated that they have no further witnesses.
Public questions:
William Fajardo, 229 N. Walnut Street, asked when the LED lights were put in. Mr. McGeary said the existing wall packs were converted to LED in 2017-18 and 3 wall packs were added to increase visibility in the parking lot and this was done with permission from the town.
Joseph Donlan, 232 N. Maple Avenue, asked why there was a blank on the Site Plan Exemption application where it asked for prior approvals.
Board Professional reports:
John Barree, Village Planner, commented on the inconsistency with what was approved by the Site Plan Exemption Committee and what was done, the Committee was told the lights would be on until 10:00 pm and now they say 10:30 pm, which is an open issue. Mr. Barree had commented in the report regarding the shielding and the landscaping, which are still open issues.
There were no questions from the public for Mr. Barree.
Chris Rutishauser, Village Engineer, was sworn. Mr. Rutishauser commented that he had issued summonses to the applicant, which is why they are before the Board. Mr. Rutishauser commented on the tree line and the lack of a barrier between the Church and the properties to the north of the properties, and the recent significant trimming of the trees.
Board members asked if there was a way to screen or shield the lighting. Mr. Rutishauser said that vegetative screening would need significant height to achieve the needed screening, but the lights could have reduced lumens power and be installed with shielding to cast the light down on the driveway.
Mr. McGeary said the trees were trimmed recently due to a lot of dead branches.
Mr. Rutishauser testified regarding photos he had taken around the parking lot, the building, and of the trees. The photos were marked as Exhibits B-1 thru B-12.
Mr. Barree testified regarding photos taken on July 19, 2022, marked as Exhibits B-13 and B-14.
Mr. Barree’s report was marked as Exhibit B-15 and Mr. Rutishauser’s report was marked as Exhibit B-16.
Board members asked about the locations of the lights and the light spillage to the neighboring yards and how much the lighting is affected by the thinning of the trees and what is being caused by vehicles with their lights on. Board members asked about the existing fences and who owns them.
Mr. Rutishauser said the headlight issue could be resolved with fencing and the spillage from the wall packs could be remedied with reduced intensity.
There was Board discussion regarding what could be planted to shield the headlights.
Mr. McGeary said that they could turn off 2 of the wall packs on the east side of the building after 10:30 pm and he showed the Board a shield that could be put on the wall lights.
Public questions:
Joseph Donlan, 232 N. Maple Avenue, asked about the necessity to cut as much of the trees as they did and asked how they were supposed to protect themselves from the lights and glare. Mr. McGeary suggested they put up a fence.
Laurie Howard, 218 N. Maple Avenue, stated she contacted the church and planted arborvitae, she said the wall packs are bright and the shields should help. Ms. Howard said that the neighbors need a contact person at the church. Ms. Howard said she has concerns regarding the EV parking spaces.
Board members asked if signage could be put in the parking lot prohibiting idling and leaving car headlights on. Board members asked if the church had invited the neighbors to their activities.
Mr. Russo asked about the EV issues and if it was required. Mr. Rutishauser said it is required to make ready for the EV spaces.
Public Testimony:
William Fajardo, 229 N. Walnut Street, commented that his home was there before the church, in response to Mr. Russo’s comment that the church was there first. Mr. Fajardo said that the church actives should end at 9:30 pm so the lights could go off at 10 pm and asked that no additional shrubbery be removed during paving.
Joseph Donlan, 232 N. Maple Avenue, commented that this is the 3rd time he is going through this with the church and the neighbors need protection.
Mr. Russo made closing comments and the hearing was closed.
Following Board deliberation, Mayor Knudsen made a motion to approve the application with the conditions discussed, and Councilwoman Reynolds seconded. The application was approved.
Public Hearing on the Village of Ridgewood Master Plan (Continued from September 20, 2022 and carried from October 4, 2022, without further notice)
Mr. Barree testified regarding the updates made following a meeting with the Master Plan Committee, stating that he was able to incorporate many of the suggestions and comments made. There were no major changes made as most of the changes were typos and updates to tables.
There were no questions from the Board.
There were no questions from the public.
Public comment:
Cynthia Halaby, 1 Franklin Avenue, commented that the Master Plan should not be adopted as the public did not see a red-line version of the revised document and there was no mention of the meeting. Ms. Halaby commented that a photo of the butterfly garden was not included as requested.
The hearing was closed.
Board members asked if the photo of the butterfly garden could still be included. Mr. Barree said it was included.
Mayor Knudsen said there were multiple announcements regarding the meeting and the process was completed with a tremendous amount of public input.
Ms. Hooban made a motion to adopt the Master Plan, Ms. Johnson seconded, and the Master Plan was adopted.
Discussion re: HC (Highway Commercial) Zone – permitted signs – Mayor Knudsen commented that the stores in the strip mall on the Burroughs Poole property, in the Highway Commercial Zone, are difficult to see due to the ramp coming onto the highway off of Paramus Road. Store owners with lighted signs in the window were told they needed to turn off the signs as they were prohibited according to the existing code. Mr. Barree explained what the Village Code says in regards to the Highway Commercial Zone and the B-2 Zone. The issue may be the number of signs or the size of the signs.
The Board agreed that due to the difference between the B-2 zone, which has a speed limit of 25mph and a lot of foot traffic, and the Highway Commercial Zone, which has a speed limit of 55mph and no foot traffic, the ordinance should be amended to allow lighted interior signs. Mr. Barree will work on an amendment.
Adoption of Minutes: The minutes of October 4, 2022 were adopted as drafted.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jane Wondergem
Board Secretary
Date Approved: December 6, 2022
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