Planning Board

MINUTES PLANNING BOARD OF THE BOROUGH OF MADISON REGULAR MEETING APRIL 4, 2012 A regular meeting of the Planning Board of the Borough of Madison was held on the 4th day of April 2012 at 7:30 P.M., in Room #140, Hartley Dodge Memorial, 50 Kings Road, Madison, NJ. The meeting was called to order by Planning Board Chairman, Steve Tombalakian Mr. Tombalakian requested the reading of the Public Meeting Notice. Ms. Boardman read the following statement in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. “Let the minutes reflect that adequate notice of this meeting has been provided in the following manner: At the reorganization meeting of the Board held on January 3, 2012, the Board by Resolution adopted a schedule of meetings. On January 4, 2012, a copy of the schedule of meetings was posted at the bulletin board at the entrance to the Hartley Dodge Memorial, was sent to the Madison Eagle and the Daily Record, and filed with the Borough Clerk all in accordance with the “Open Public Meetings Act”. The following roll call was recorded: Present: Peter Flemming, Sr., Dr. Vincent Esposito, Mayor Conley, Tom Johnson, John Forte, Astri Baillie, Steve Tombalakian, and Mr. Gertler who arrived at 7:45pm Absent: None Excused: Michael Kopas Also Present: Gary Hall, Esq., Substitute Planning Board Attorney Frank Russo, Board Engineer Susan Blickstein, Board Planner Frances Boardman, Board Secretary Approval of Minutes: Copies of the minutes of the March 20, 2012 regular meeting were distributed to all Board members for their review prior to this meeting. Corrections were noted prior to the beginning of the meeting. Motion to approve the minutes as corrected was made by Ms. Baillie, seconded by Mr. Flemming. A voice vote of “Aye” was heard by all eligible Board Members, with Mr. Johnson abstaining. Comments by the Public: Mr. Tombalakian opened the floor to the public for anyone who wished to be heard on any matter not on this evening’s agenda. Seeing no one wishing to be heard, Mr. Tombalakian closed this portion of the hearing. Planning Board April 3, 2012 Resolutions For Memorialization – CASE NO. P 12-003 Minor Subdivision – Lot Line Adjustment Borough of Madison Block: 2803, Lot: 2 10 Maple Avenue Resolution granting the application of the Borough of Madison for the Minor Subdivision on property located at 10 Maple Avenue, Madison commonly known on the Borough of Madison Tax Map as Block 2803, Lot 2. A draft resolution was sent via email for review prior to this evening’s meeting to the Applicant’s Attorney, Mr. Joseph Mezzacca, Esq., the Planning Board Members and its Professionals. Mr. Tombalakian asked if the Board or its Professionals had any further comments or questions concerning the resolution. Hearing none; a motion to approve the Resolution was made by Ms. Baillie, seconded by Mr. Forte; the following roll call was recorded, with Mayor Conley and Dr. Esposito being recused: “Ayes” –Ms. Baillie, Mr. Forte, Mr. Tombalakian and Mr. Flemming “Nays” – None “Abstain” –Mr. Gertler, and Mr. Johnson CASE NO. P 12-004 Amended Preliminary and Final Site Plan 175 Park Avenue, LLC Block: 401, Lot: 2 175 Park Avenue The adoption of this Resolution was carried to the Planning Board hearing of April 17, 2012 NEW BUSINESS – There was no new business to come before the Board this evening. The FTR Gold recording system was shut down due to mechanical difficulty and the Marantz System was used in its place for the remainder of the meeting. Planning Board April 3, 2012 OLD BUSINESS – CASE NO. P 11-005 Preliminary & Final Site Plan with Variances Stangle Group, LLC Block: 1801, Lot: 9 14 Elmer Street This application is a continuation of hearing from February 7, 2012 and March 6, 2012. At the March 6, 2012 hearing, the Board and its Professionals asked for revised plans subsequent to voting. These plans were received and distributed prior to this evening. Mr. DeAngelis began by asking Mr. Andrew Clarke, Engineer to discuss the changes that were made on the site plan. Mr. Clarke stated that the plans were revised to reflect the changes in the architecture, modifications to the building foot print and reduction in driveway width. Mr. Clarke briefly went through Mr. Russo’s memorandum, dated March 28, 2012. The first point touched upon was in regard to contacting the Madison Electric to see if a transformer would be required on site. The Electric Department calculated the size of the transformer required. A single phase transformer will be placed on the site plan, with a possible location on the left side of the drive aisle, with adequate screening. The Superintendent of the Borough Water and Sewer Department was contacted to discuss the size of the existing connections and if they are adequately sized for the proposed development. Calculations will need to be provided to the Superintendent to see what the demand is on the site. However, due to the age of the existing pipe, the revised plans will show a new water and sewer connection. Lighting was discussed, and Mr. Clarke reiterated the fact that at an earlier meeting the applicant had agreed to use LED light fixtures and place the lights on a timer if the Board looked favorably on this application. Items in regard to Storm water management in Mr. Russo’s letter would be agreed upon and placed as a condition in the Resolution. A landscaping plan is now available and will be discussed later this evening by the landscaping architect. Mr. Clarke spoke with Mr. Vogel, Borough Engineer regarding an easement. No easement agreement record was located. Mr. Vogel will be requesting an easement agreement from the applicant and the applicant has agreed to this request. Mr. Russo commented on the culvert located on Elmer Street and the collapse upstream of this property. Construction never went forward with this repair due to trouble with title easements. This collapse upstream has contributed to the local effects of this area. Planning Board April 3, 2012 The applicant is minimizing any excessive contribution to this system that may compromise the capacity of the box. Mr. Tombalakian asked the Board if they had any questions of Mr. Clarke. Ms. Baillie asked if Mr. Russo was comfortable with the answer provided by Mr. Clarke regarding the soil information as noted on the Omland memorandum. Mr. Russo stated that it is better to know before hand because of the systems proposed, but being aware of the soil in the area within close proximity to this application he is comfortable with the response. Mr. DeAngelis again stated that if the Board were to look favorably on this application, the information and any redesign of the storm water management would be included as a condition of the Resolution. Mr. Gertler questioned the location of the transformer, and it being hit by cars backing up. Mr. Clarke stated that this was the least likely location for a car hitting the transformer if the parking lot is properly curbed. Mr. Gertler asked Mr. Clarke if he had considered providing two light poles with a height of 10’ to 12’ on opposite sides as opposed to the one 15’ high pole as depicted on the site plan. A brief discussion followed and Mr. Clarke stated that he will explore this option with the lighting expert. Ms. Blickstein inquired about the fencing on the site. The detail sheet of the site plan shows a proposed 7’, board on board fence. The fence will begin at the front of the building; it is marked on the plan as to where the proposed fence will end and start up again. The neighbor in the rear will be approached to discuss replacement of their fence or movement of their fence closer to the property line so as it is compatible with the development. The fence variance should be clarified on the site plan. Ms. Blickstein asked why the fence was so long. This fence will be a very strong feature and make landscaping difficult. Mr. Clarke stated that the applicant is better suited to make this decision. Mr. DeAngelis stated that his client is amendable to starting the fence at the rear of the building and not exceeding a 6’ height. Mr. Tombalakian asked if there were any further questions from the Board or its Professionals for Mr. Clarke. Mr. De Angelis asked Mr. Clarke to revisit items three and four of Mr. Russo’s memorandum to briefly go over the lighting plan. After some discussion the Board asked Mr. Clarke to work out the LED lighting details with Mr. Russo. Mr. Tombalakian opened the floor to the public for questions of Mr. Clarke. Cherise Lockett, 16 Elmer Street, Madison asked several questions regarding this application. She asked the approximate date of construction. Mr. DeAngelis stated that the project will not be started any sooner than 90 days. Ms. Lockett questioned the possibility of asbestos and lead paint at the site and what precautions would be taken during demolition. Ms. Lockett was informed that a demolition permit would not be provided unless all regulations are met in the building department. Since there is no driveway separation at this time between 14 and 16 Elmer, how is parking going to be provided during construction? Public parking will be used during construction hours. If a service disconnect by the Water and Electric Departments is necessary, will the other property owners be notified? She was assured that they would. Planning Board April 3, 2012 Ms. Lockett questioned the light pole height and the transformer and its effect on the property at 16 Elmer Street. She was told that the light and the transformer are located on the opposite side of the building and will not affect her property. Ms. Lockett questioned the placement of the fence and Ms. Blickstein showed her the proposed site of the fence. Ms. Lockett had no further questions; Mr. Tombalakian asked if there was any other members of the public that had any questions for Mr. Clarke. Seeing none Mr. Tombalakian closed that portion of the hearing. Mr. Rui Amaral, still under oath from the previous hearing began his testimony. Mr. Amaral began by outlining the revisions that were made to the plans referencing his letter dated March 20, 2012. The following exhibits were marked into evidence: Exhibit A-13: Revised elevations Sheet A1 Exhibit A-14: Revised Ground and Second Floor Plans Sheet A2 Exhibit A-15: Revised Third Floor and Roof Plan Sheet A3 All revised plans marked have a revision date of March 20, 2012. The changes have been made from the input given by the Board, a large central dormer at the roof was introduced, and a canopy roof has been placed over the front door. The second and third floors are now flush with the foundation, window locations in the bedroom and living room were revised for a more symmetric and cohesive exterior look. The roof hatch will be accessed by an interior stair. Roof lines were simplified. Mr. Gertler commented that the design is much better. Mr. Tombalakian asked the Board and its Professionals if they had any further questions of Mr. Amaral, seeing none he closed that portion. He then opened the floor to the public, seeing no one coming forward with questions of Mr. Amaral that portion of the hearing was also closed. Mr. DeAngelis called his next witness, Mr. Gregg Spadaro, landscape architect. Mr. Gregg Spadaro, 534 Hort Street, Westfield, NJ was sworn in. Mr. Spadaro began by giving his qualifications to the Board. The Board accepted Mr. Spadaro as an expert witness. The following was marked into evidence: Exhibit A-16: Landscape Plan, revised date of 4/3/2012 A copy of this revised landscaping was presented to the Board members this evening. Mr. Spadaro stated that not much had changed regarding the landscape plan. Mr. Spadaro commented on the December 6, 2011 comment by the Shade Tree Committee addressing the arborvitae and substantial deer damage. He stated that the specific arborvitae to be used is deer resistant. The calculation of 18.4% landscaping of the lot complies with the Borough Ordinance 195-25.4A; however, a waiver is being requested for the internal parking lot landscaping where 10% is required and none is proposed. Planning Board April 3, 2012 Ms. Baillie asked about the perennials being planted in the rear. Is there adequate sun and is there a sprinkler system. Mr. Spadaro stated there is no irrigation planned and the species proposed will be shade tolerant. Mr. Johnson suggested since the fence is going to be started at the beginning of the building the proposed 3” thick crushed stone could be eliminated and sod could be used in its place. Mr. Russo suggested the use of vertical landscaping on the east façade. Mr. Spadaro suggested planting Steve Tolly Evergreens. Mr. Forte also questioned the use of an irrigation system. Landscaping maintenance will be a condition of the resolution. Mr. Tombalakian asked if there were any further questions of the Board or its Professionals, seeing none he closed that portion of the hearing. He opened the floor to the public, seeing no question for Mr. Spadaro he closed that portion of the hearing. Mr. DeAngelis stated that he had no further testimony this evening. The floor was opened for public comment, seeing no one come forward Mr. Tombalakian closed that portion. A summary of the application was provided by Mr. DeAngelis. He stated that ample testimony was given to grant the parking variance needed for this application. That medical office use and restaurant use will be prohibited at this site in the specifications of the resolution. The Board began its deliberation; Mr. Gertler thanked the Architect for listening to the Board and responding in a positive manner. All other Board members echoed the same thoughts. Mr. Tombalakian asked for a motion to approve the Preliminary and Final Site Plan with Variances of the Stangle Group with the conditions as stated this evening. A motion to approve the application was made by Mr. Gertler, seconded by Mayor Conley. The following roll call was recorded: “Ayes” – Mr. Gertler, Mr. Johnson, Mayor Conley, Mr. Flemming, Ms. Baillie and Mr. Tombalakian “Nays” – None “Abstain” – Dr. Esposito and Mr. Forte PLANNING DISCUSSION – A copy the Township of Morris Ordinance 2-12 amending off street parking for particular uses was distributed to all Board Members and Professionals for their review. Ms. Baillie informed the Board and Professionals that she had attended a meeting of the County Department of Transportation. The meeting was attended by representatives from Chatham, Madison and Harding, as well as the Engineer from Morris Township. Ms. Baillie gave a brief synopsis of the meeting details and a brief discussion followed. Planning Board April 3, 2012 CORRESPONDENCE – None at this time Since there was no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Tombalakian asked for a motion to adjourn the regular meeting, motion made by Mr. Gertler at 9:15 P.M.; seconded by Mr. Flemming. A voice vote of “aye” was heard by all members present and carried. Respectfully submitted, Frances Boardman Board Secretary