Zoning Board Meeting

WALDWICK ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT FORMAL SESSION May 22, 2024 The Formal Session of the Waldwick Zoning Board of Adjustment was held on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. and was called to order by Chairman, Jesus Mones, who made the announcement of adequate notice of all meetings. ROLL CALL: Mr. Mones present Mr. Nieman present Mr. Walsh present Ms. Luppino present Mr. Wekarski present Mr. Gurian present Mr. Centineo present Mr. Sanzo present Mr. Cericola present Also Present: Cliff Singer, Esq., Board Attorney Joyce Sinclair, Board Secretary GREETINGS TO THE PUBLIC: No one appeared. APROVAL OF MINUTES: A motion was made for the approval of the Minutes of April 24, 2024 by Mr. Sanzo and seconded by Ms. Luppino. A unanimous vote was taken. The Minutes were approved as submitted. RESOLUTIONS: HERNANDEZ 68 W. Saddle River Road 24-E Block 72.02, Lot 3 Ed Sherman, Architect One-Story Rear Addition RESOLUTION SURUJ 53 E. Prospect Street 24-F Block 20, Lot 37 Ed Sherman, Architect 2nd Story Addition RESOLUTION COHEN 12 Campbell Street 24-G Block 72.03, Lot 19 Ed Sherman, Architect 2ND Story addition and covered front porch RESOLUTION 1  GARB 38 Cambra Road 24-H Block 163.02, Lot 7 Bruce Whitaker, Esq. 2nd Story Addition RESOLUTION Motions for approval of the above Resolutions were made and seconded. A vote was taken. The Resolutions were approved. APPLICATIONS: RITCHIE 4 Phelan Court 24-H Block 33.04, Lot 18.02 In ground Pool and Rear Addition NEW APPLICATION Ms. Lupino and Mr. Mones recused themselves from this Application and stepped down from the Board. Michael Ritchie appeared before the Board. Mr. Ritchie and his wife were born and raised in Waldwick. They propose an addition to their home which sits on an angle to the rear. They would like to push the kitchen out six feet even to the rear. There are privacy trees in the back and to the left. They would also like to install an in ground pool. There is a utility easement in the rear of the home. There will be no observable changes to the surroundings. Mary Sgro, Architect, appeared before the Board. She noted the rear yard setback with 29.9’ proposed. Because of the angle of the house only half of the house is affected by the setback. The rear setback and the distance of the pool from the house are the only variances being requested. The filter system will be on the upper right side of the house. The siding and roofing will match the existing. Rita Wolf, 33 Richard Drive, appeared before the Board. She expressed concern with the water and questioned whether the draining of the pool at the end of the season would go into the sewer system. Mr. Richie noted they will be winterizing the pool, not emptying it. Joe Balducci, 6 Phelan Court, appeared before the Board. He noted that when they had explored a pool installation he had been told that 20 ft. would be needed from the sewer easement. They were the first owners of homes on Phelan Court. The water was pitched to their home and they get run off from E. Prospect Street. Mr. Balducci questioned the run off from the patio, soil movement and grading. Mr. Walsh noted that the required distance from the house will be verified with Mr. Mysliwiec. In regards to Mr. Balducci concerns regarding flooding presently in the back, it was noted there is no imperious coverage, they are below the 40% coverage and they are 15ft from the neighbor’s property line; soil movement will be minor. There was no one further in the audience to address this Application. The Board noted this is a good application and that the variances are minor in nature. The Board had no objections. The Board will request comments from Mr. Mysliweic on the distance issue. 2 A motion for approval was made by Mr. Gurian and seconded by Mr. Sanzo with the condition of verification with the Building Inspector as to the drainage easement distance. A unanimous vote was taken. The Application was approved. Ms. Lupino and Mr. Mones returned to the Board. CARTAGENA 17 Dow Avenue 24-I Block 119, Lot 10 Gazebo NEW APPLICATION This Application has been postponed to the next meeting on June 26 due to insufficient time of notice in the newspaper. CORTEZ/BARAHONA 52 Hudson Avenue 24-J Block 47, Lot 44 Ed Sherman, Architect Add-a-level NEW APPLICATION Ed Sherman, Architect, appeared before the Board. This is a Cape Cod style home with a deck on the back of the house. They propose to remove the upper floor and make it a true second floor. It is in an R-2 zone and is an undersized lot. It was noted that Hudson Avenue and E. Prospect Street used to go across the highway. The cul de sac was put in and cut into this property. The shape of the property is the hardship. A front yard setback variance is needed. The coverage is fine, they are not making the home any larger, just going straight up for a second floor. There is presently a tarp on the house as the owner had gone with another architect who had kept it as a dormer, but that is not what they wanted and now they have Mr. Sherman as Architect and would like to go ahead with plans for a full second floor. The home is legally non-compliant and will remain as such. There was no one in the audience to address the Application. The Board was in favor of the application and noted it is clearly a hardship. A motion for approval was made by Mr. Walsh and seconded by Mr. Gurian. A unanimous vote was taken. The Application was approved. WEISS 59 W. Saddle River Road 24-K Block 73.05, Lot 1 Ed Sherman, Architect 2-story Addition/Front Porch/Fence NEW APPLICATION Ed Sherman, Architect, appeared before the Board. He noted that the home is in the R-2 zone and the hardship is the placement of the house with double front yards on W. Saddle River Road and Duncan Street. The new addition will go straight across the back of the house. The rear yard is continuing at 16.5’ which brings them before the Board. The addition will go on top of the deck which will be removed. 3 The Applicant would like to make the home more of a mother daughter so that Mrs. Weiss’s daughter and family can come live with her. There will be a bedroom on the first floor for Mrs. Weiss and an addition to the left for a sitting room and bathroom. The additional bedrooms will be for her daughter and family. The addition will allow the Applicant to stay in her home. They would like to maintain a patio on the right side of the house. A variance is needed for the solid privacy fence on their property. It is 5.6’ off the property line on the right side of the house. There was no one in the audience to address this application. The Board was in favor of the application noting the existing conditions and that the fence lines up with the front of the house. Motion for approval was made by Mr. Walsh and seconded by Mr. Sanzo. A unanimous vote was taken. The Application was approved. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None ADJOURNMENT: A motion was made for adjournment by Mr. Walsh and seconded by Mr. Sanzo at 9:00 p.m. Joyce C. Sinclair, Secretary 4