20231010 - Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes

VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

Meeting Minutes

October 10, 2023

Opening:

The public meeting of the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Village of Ridgewood was called to order at 7:39 p.m.

Present:  Greg Brown, Matthew Bandelt, Gary Negrycz, Jonathan Papietro, Jason Curreri and Jamie Fox were present. Also present were Bruce Whitaker, Board Attorney; John Barree, Village Planner, and Jane Wondergem, Board Secretary.

Absent:  Diana Ruhl, Michael Pickholz and Harold Maxwell

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:

Mr. Brown announced the following:

-        Les Dann, LLC, 246 – 264 S. Broad Street application was carried to October 24, 2023 without further notice.

-        Lu and James Gusfa, 288 Overbrook Road, application was carried to December 12, 2023 without further notice.

New Business:

JOHN & SOMMER BAZURO -  An application to permit the construction of a one story addition and 2nd floor dormer which would result in a rear yard setback of 17.4 feet, where 30 feet is required at 224 South Maple Avenue, Block 3904, Lot 7, in an R-3 Zone.

John Bazuro, homeowner, was sworn.

Roger Schlicht was sworn and his credentials as a licensed architect accepted.

Mr. Schlicht testified regarding the existing setbacks, the lot size and the shape of the lot. Mr. Schlicht testified that the house is a two-family house with one apartment in the basement. The variance being requested is for the first floor addition only. Mr. Schlicht testified regarding the floor plans and the elevations. Photos were distributed showing the Green Giant evergreens in the back yard which will shield the addition.

Mr. Barree went over his report and asked about the basement apartment. Mr. Schlicht said the apartment does not interface with the upstairs at all. The laundry room for the first floor is in the basement, but there is no internal connection to the apartment.

Mr. Whitaker asked for clarification regarding the 2^nd floor bedroom. Mr. Schlicht said the bedroom on the second floor is not code compliant. Mr. Whitaker said it could not be labeled as a bedroom on the plans. Mr. Schlicht said he would change the plans in regards to the 2^nd floor bedroom.

Board members asked why they needed two offices, Mr. Bazuro said both he and his wife work from home. Board members asked about parking. Mr. Schlicht showed the parking diagram which satisfied the parking requirement.

Public questions:

Steven Bergman, 229 Prospect Street, asked if there would be any excavation. Mr. Schlicht said there would be a crawl space under the addition, not a basement, which would be 17 feet from Mr. Bergman’s property.

Phil Williams, 226 Prospect Street, asked why the application said it was identified as a one-family house on the application. Mr. Schlicht said that was an error on the application which had been addressed in the completeness report.

Public comments:

Phil Williams, 226 Prospect Street, was sworn and said the problems could be solved by making it a single family home. Mr. Whitaker said the house is a legal 2-family.

Mr. Schlicht made closing comments, stating that the applicant wishes to live on one level as they have a child with special needs.

Following Board deliberation, Mr. Bandelt made a motion to approve, Mr. Negrycz seconded, and the application was approved.

MATTHEW & ELANA FEDDOCK – An application to permit the construction of a one story addition, replacement of porch and roof addition which would result in a building height of 31.5 feet, where 30 feet is permitted; front yard setback of 28.1 feet, where 40 feet is required and a side yard setback of 3.7 feet, where 10 feet is required at 162 Hope Street, Block 4007, Lot 17, in an R-2 Zone.

Matthew and Elana Feddock, homeowners, were sworn.

Mr. Feddock testified regarding the zoning table and described what was proposed. Mr. Feddock explained that the height variance is needed to add space in the attic and a dormer is needed to access the third story.

Mr. Barree commented regarding the zoning table and made a correction regarding the accessory structure.

Board members asked why the porch was being replaced and Mr. Feddock said it was in disrepair. Board members asked about the roof height and clarified that it was not a third story. Board members asked if the applicant would stipulate that the porch would never be enclosed in any way and Mr. Feddock agreed. Board members asked about the 2017 resolution, Mr. Feddock said that work was never done.

There were no questions or comments from the public.

Following Board deliberation, Mr. Brown made a motion to approve, Mr. Negrycz seconded, and the application was approved.

Resolution Memorialization –  The following resolutions were memorialized:

-        Miqbel, 665 Terhune Road

-        Herklots, 117 Avondale Road

-        CMD Homes NJ, LLC, 482 Northern Parkway

The meeting was adjourned at 8:39 p.m.

Minutes submitted by:  Jane Wondergem, Board Secretary

Date Approved:           October 24, 2023