Planning Board

MINUTES PLANNING BOARD OF THE BOROUGH OF MADISON REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 A regular meeting of the Planning Board of the Borough of Madison was held on the 15th day of September 2020 at 7:30 P.M., via a Zoom electronic meeting. The meeting was called to order by Planning Board Chairman, Mr. Steve Tombalakian. Mr. Tombalakian requested the reading of the Public Meeting Notice. Ms. Blickstein 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 21, 2020, the Board by Resolution adopted a schedule of meetings. On January 22, 2020, a copy of the schedule of meetings will be posted at the bulletin board at the entrance to the Hartley Dodge Memorial, sent to the Madison Eagle and the Daily Record, and filed with the Borough Clerk all in accordance with the “Open Public Meetings Act”. Mr. Vince Loughlin swore in the newest Planning Board member Tom Harris. The Planning Board members introduced themselves to Mr. Harris and welcomed him aboard. The following roll call was recorded: Present: Astri Baillie, Mayor Conley, John Forte, Peter Flemming, Alfredo Garibay, Ann Huber, Tom Harris, George Limbach, and Steve Tombalakian, Excused: None Absent: None Also Present: Vince Loughlin, Planning Board Attorney Susan Blickstein, Board Planner Frank Russo, Board Engineer Frances Boardman, Board Secretary Approval of Minutes: Copies of the minutes of the September 1, 2020 regular meeting were distributed to all Board members for their review prior to this meeting. A motion to approve the minutes as presented was made by Mr. Flemming, seconded by Mr. Garibay. A voice vote of “Aye” was heard by all eligible voting members and recorded. Comments by the Public: Mr. Tombalakian opened the floor to the public for anyone that wished to be heard on any matter not on this evening’s agenda. Seeing none, that portion of the meeting was closed. RESOLUTIONS FOR MEMORIALIZATION – CASE NO. P 20-001 Resolution granting the Preliminary and Final Site Plan with Variances to Betz’s Auto Repairs, LLC, located at 234 Main Street, commonly known on the Borough Tax Map as Block: 2206, Lot: 1 The draft resolution was prepared and sent to the applicant’s attorney, Mr. Nino Coviello, Esq., as well as the Board members and Professionals. Mr. Tombalakian asked the Board if they had any further comments or questions concerning the resolution. Mr. Tombalakian asked for a motion to approve the resolution as presented this evening. A motion to approve was made by Ms. Huber, seconded by Mr. Forte. The following was recorded: “Ayes” – Mayor Conley, Ms. Huber, Mr. Flemming Mr. Forte, Mr. Garibay, Mr. Limbach, and Mr. Tombalakian “Nays” – None “Abstain” – Ms. Baillie NEW BUSINESS – CASE NO. P 20-003 Preliminary & Final Site Plan with Variances Park Valley Madison, LLC 4 Community Place Block: 1501, Lot: 4 Mr. Malman provided a summary of the application. The subject site contains a 2-family home with rear detached garage and a large area used as a parking lot at the corner of Community Place and Cook Avenue. The site encompasses .4 acres and is located in the CBD-2 District. The Applicant proposes to demolish the existing home and detached garage and to construct an apartment building with 819 square feet of ground floor office space. A total of 16 apartments are proposed, including two affordable units, along with amenity/lobby space and 35 parking spaces. Relief includes rear yard setback, parking setback, minimum parking lot landscaping, and light spillage at the property line. Mr. Malman stated that there would be three witnesses testifying this evening. Charles Stewart, 2430 Highway 34, Wall, New Jersey was sworn in. Mr. Stewart provided the Board with his education background and qualifications and accepted as an expert witness. It was stated Mr. Stewart will be testifying as the Professional Engineer on the project. Mr. Stewart began his presentation. The existing and proposed conditions of the site were discussed along with the variances being requested. Eight foot sidewalks are proposed as is 35 parking spaces. Utilities will be connected to Cook Avenue. An underground storm water chamber is proposed. The landscape and lighting plan were shown on screen and discussed. The eight feet sidewalks along Community Place and Cook Avenue were shown as well as the decorative lighting, solid fence, and retaining wall along the rear of the property. Evergreen plantings are proposed as well. Mr. Garibay stated his concern regarding the color temperature of the LED Street lights. Bicycle parking was discussed and it was brought to the attention of the applicant that the designated space shown may not meet the needs of the prospective residents. Mr. Limbach stated that he had a few suggestions on the variety of plantings that were being used in the landscaping plan. The suggestions will be sent to the Board secretary and shared with the applicant. The Shade Tree Management Board memorandum dated June 30, 2020 was discussed. Circulation and parking were the next topic of discussion. Most of the parking spaces are underneath the building but there are several outside of the proposed structure on the left and right side. The parking spaces on the right and the left side of the proposed building will be tandem and assigned to the resident. The need for the two large curb cuts on Community Place were discussed at length. Dr. Blickstein stated that circulation and safety are more important than parking spaces. Mr. Malman stated that the applicant feels that the parking spaces are more important. The applicant was asked to provide the specs on the proposed fence, which will screen the parking area from the adjacent residential property. Mr. Stewart stated that all comments noted in Mr. Russo’s memorandum dated September 14, 2020 would be addressed. Mr. Russo asked if an additional lighting fixture be considered on Community Place. Mr. Russo also stated that the transformer pad should be screened. Lighting was discussed at length and it was determined that an amended lighting plan be provided to the Board and professionals for consideration. Dr. Susan Blickstein’s memorandum dated July 6, 2020 revised on September 10, 2020 was discussed at length. At this point, Mr. Stewart had no further testimony. Mr. Tombalakian asked the Board and Professionals if they had any further questions for Mr. Stewart. Seeing none Mr. Tombalakian opened the meeting to the public for questions for Mr. Stewart. Seeing none, that portion of the meeting was closed. Mr. Avelino Martinez, 190 Avenue L, Newark, New Jersey. Mr. Martinez was sworn in, and provided his educational background and qualifications to the Board. Mr. Martinez was accepted as an expert witness. Marked into evidence at this time was: Exhibit A-1: Color rendering Architectural Proposed Mixed Use Development Plan Prepared by Blackbird Group, undated. Mr. Martinez began his testimony stating that the project depicts a Tudor Revival Style. This type of architectural allows for a variation of color and scale. The façade of the building was discussed; with Mr. Martinez, stating the façade was broken down with a number of different elements, such as color and rooflines. A combination of brick and fiber siding will be used making for a maintenance free building. The exhibit presented only projected the view of the proposed building from Community Place. Mr. Forte stated that he thought that the proposed building was very complimentary design. The fenestration was discussed, along with the balconies shown on the exhibit. Mr. Martinez stated that seven out of the sixteen units will have a balcony. Garage ventilation was discussed. Also discussed was the accent lighting on the building. It was stated that there are no windows on the west side of the building. Mr. Martinez stated that the design team is looking at this issue. Sheets T-1 – A6, having a revision date of August 18, 2020 were used for the rest of Mr. Martinez’s testimony. First floor elevations were screen shared and discussed. It was pointed out that a private hauler will do trash pickup and recycling. The building and garage will both have a sprinkler system installed. It was stated that signage is not being proposed at this time. Mr. Martinez stated that signage can be handled by the future tenant and conform to local ordinance requirements. It was pointed out, that the applicant should provide some detail on signage for the retail/office space. Dr. Blickstein stated that it is important to have some perimeters on the signage discussed now. Mr. Malman confirmed that the signage issue would be addressed offline. The outdoor bicycle rack was discussed, Mr. Tombalakian pointed out that most residents might like to keep their bicycle indoors as opposed to outside. Mr. Martinez showed the Board the basement floor plan showing that the basement’s footprint is basically the equivalent of the lobby and the retail/office space. He confirmed that the storage units vary in size, and that one storage unit will be assigned to every resident. Mr. Garibay suggested the outdoor bicycle rack area be enhanced in some way; perhaps with a decorative roof and lighting. Mr. Martinez stated that he would be happy to look into this option. The second and third floor plans were described next. There will be a total of sixteen units, eight on each floor. There will be fourteen units at market rate while two units will be for COAH obligation. The second floor will have six two-bedroom apartments and two one-bedroom apartments. The third floor will have five two-bedroom apartments, one three-bedroom apartment and two one-bedroom apartments. The square footage of these units was explained, it was also noted that residential floor plans should be made available to the board members and professionals. Mechanicals are shown on the roof and not visible from grade. Mr. Tombalakian asked the Board or its Professionals if they had any further questions for Mr. Martinez, seeing none he opened the meeting to the public concerning any architectural questions for Mr. Martinez. Seeing none, that portion of the meeting was closed. Mr. Tombalakian suggested a five-minute break at this time, in which Mr. Malman stated that he would like to adjourn for the evening and come back to the Planning Board at their October 20, 2020 meeting. Mr. Malman was instructed that any revised plans should be submitted ten days prior to the meeting. Mr. Tombalakian announced that this application would be carried without further notice to the October 20, 2020 virtual Planning Board meeting. OLD BUSINESS – None PLANNING DISCUSSION – None CORRESPONDENCE – None Since there was no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Tombalakian asked for a motion to adjourn the regular meeting at 9:35 pm.; seconded by Mayor Conley. A voice vote of “aye” was heard by all members present and carried. Respectfully submitted, Fran Boardman, Board Secretary