20180508 Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

Meeting Minutes

MAY 8, 2018

Opening:

The regular meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Village of Ridgewood was called to order at 7:40 p.m.

Present:       Hans Lehmann, Diana Ruhl, Alyssa Matthews, Sergio Alegre, Greg Brown, Ines Bunza, Jonathan Papietro and Isaac Lebow. Also present were Bruce Whitaker, Esq., Board Attorney and Jane Wondergem, Board Secretary. 

Absent:        Gary Negrycz

Non-agenda items:

         Board member comments: There were no comments at this time.

         Members of the public comments: There were no comments at this time.

Public hearings

Chairman Lehmann announced that the Hogan, 82 John Street, hearing was carried to June 12, 2018 without further notice and the O’Shea, 305 Wastena Terrace, hearing was carried to May 22, 2018 without further notice.

New Business:

BRENDAN & SEAN LYNCH-LITTLEJOHN – An application to permit the construction of a single story addition and deck which will result in a side yard setbacks of 5.43 feet and 2.79 feet, where 10 feet is required; combined side yard setback of +/- 9 feet where 10.89 feet is required; rear yard setback of 25.46 feet, where 30 feet is required; coverage by above-grade structures of 33.61%, where 20% is permitted; coverage by improvements of 55.74%, where 45% is permitted at 223 South Broad Street, Block 3902, Lot 10, in the R-3 Zone. Sean Lynch-Littlejohn was sworn and testified as the homeowner. Mr. Lynch-Littlejohn described the existing conditions and what was being proposed. Mr. Lynch-Littlejohn testified as to the size of the property, the hardship and the variances being requested. Board members had questions regarding the proposed deck and railing. Board members recognized that the lot is severely undersized, but needed to know more detail regarding the height of the deck and the number of stairs. The hearing was carried to May 22, 2018 without further notice.

EVEN & JENNIFER CONTRUCCI – Application to permit the construction of a new detached garage which will result in side yard setback of 1.4 feet, where 5 feet is required and a building height of 18 feet, where 15 feet is the maximum permitted at 506 Heights Road, Block 1605, Lot 8, in the R-110 Zone. Ms. Ruhl recused herself from this hearing. David Rutherford, Esq., entered his appearance. Mary Scro was sworn and her credentials accepted as a professional architect. Mr. Rutherford submitted the Historic Preservation Commission report, which was marked as Exhibit A-1, and stated that the Commission recommended approval. Ms. Scro testified regarding the state of disrepair of the existing garage and described the proposed garage, which would no longer encroach on the neighboring property. Board members asked about the extra space in the garage. Ms. Scro stated it was for pool equipment. The Board asked about the height of the garage, Ms. Scro said the height would be conforming except for the setback. There were no questions or comments from the public. Mr. Brown made a motion to approve the application with the stipulation that the space will never be used as a pool house or cabana, Ms. Matthews seconded and the application was approved.

ACKERMAN PRESERVATION, LLC – An application to permit a two-story addition, detached garage and patio which will result in a rear yard setback of 26.8 feet, where 40 feet is required; front yard setback and a patio located within the front yard setback, where it is not permitted at 415 East Saddle River Road, Block 4804, Lot 15, in the R-125 Zone. Robert Schwartz, Esq., was sworn and is the sole proprietor of the LLC. Stephen Carrozza was sworn and his credentials as a professional architect were accepted. Tibor Latincsics was sworn and his credentials as a professional engineer were accepted. Mr. Schwartz made introductory comments and testified that he had gone to the Historic Preservation Commission and they had recommended approval as per the report.

Mr. Latincsics listed the exhibits:

          Exhibit A-1 – existing conditions survey

          Exhibit A-2 – Village of Ridgewood tax map

          Exhibit A-3 – copy of NJ DOT property tax map parcel

          Exhibit A-4 – plot plan dated 11/17/17, revised to 4/9/18

Exhibits A-5 and A-6 – architectural drawings by Stephen Carrozza, dated 27 DEC 17, revised to 11 APRIL 18.

Exhibit A-7 – photos

Exhibit A-8 – Historic Preservation Commission report

          Exhibit A-9 – Deed

Mr. Latincsics testified regarding the property and what exists now and the history. Mr. Latincsics described the hardship as the irregular shape of the corner lot. Mr. Latincsics described what was proposed and testified regarding the photos. Board members had questions regarding the façade of the existing structure. Mr. Whitaker explained that the deed restriction runs with the land and that the existing deed restriction states that the stone shall not be altered or covered in any way and that the Board does not have jurisdiction and cannot render a decision in regards to any restrictions on the property. After discussion, it was decided to carry the hearing to June 26, 2018, without further notice. Mr. Schwartz needs to do a title search and get an order of consent to move forward.

Resolution memorialization:      The following resolutions were memorialized:

-        Aponte, 648 Upper Blvd.   

Discussion:

The request from MDRE Holding, LLC, 148 Prospect Street, for a one year extension of variance  approval to May 9, 2019 was approved by the Board.

The request from Enid Joseph, 683 E. Ridgewood Avenue, for a one year extension of variance approval to June 13, 2019 was approved by the Board.

There was Board discussion regarding the annual report from the Board to the Planning Board. Board members asked for more time to review the summary of applications heard in 2017. Chairman Lehmann said he would like to complete the report before July.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:52 p.m.

Minutes submitted by:  Jane Wondergem, Board Secretary

Date Approved:       October 9, 2018