oh nice great hey Denny I'm G to meet you Danny Barra I think it's 7:30 we can begin I'm ready I just think we need Barbara to call to order uh all board members can you please turn on your cameras uh V it's not letting me it's saying I can't start my video because the host has stopped it I concur with that me too me too v v whoever's the host just needs to allow the uh video for the panelist Jacob are you on here start video yeah can can you guys try now because I just did it there we go yep start video is that what we do yeah SP oh I don't oh there I am okay all right I'm uh call to order the uh February 13th meeting of the orridge planning board um you all stand to salute the flag pledge allegiance flag of the United States of America to the repic for which it stands one nation indivisible Justice for All okay we have uh roll call Dan sure Mr lenon here uh Mr hegan don't see him I think he's absent Mr dama here Mr low here Mr Rena do not see him Mr Petty do not see him Miss Mella not see her Mr mcisaac uh here Mr Brennan absent uh Mr Ferrara don't see him and Miss Canon here oh we have another member yes Dan I think Tina just joined us yes sorry about that how do you try from my phone the computer wasn't working thank God because that gives us a quum okay so we're all set okay the agenda for tonight the first item on the agenda is discussion a resolution amending resolution number 21-6 to include block 10254 lot 16 is part of the study area and authorizing the planning board to undertake preliminary investigation to determine whether block 10254 lot 16 qualifies for designation as an area of non condemnation Redevelopment pursuant to njsa 40a colon one L seq um V did you wna comment on that yeah sure V just real quick before you start um Mr Petty just called me he says he could hear us but he can't get in as a panelist you know what I'm going to promote him let me see it is thank you sorry sorry about that I just wanted to make sure that all of our planning members were on recording is he uh has he joined in as someone else because I see a colen and I see a Mac ask him right now Vina he was in as an attendee okay there he is left now I see him there we go I wouldn't want Joe to miss out on all the fun I'm here guys seear me see me yeah okay I'm sorry okay here we go problem no problem so uh good evening board um this is uh a property which all of you are familiar with it is the Cheesequake Farm the the farmers market that is on Route 9 between uh Jake Brown Road and shoe Meister Road and if you may recall when we did the segme Redevelopment study and the Redevelopment plan the area on all three sides of this Farm was included in the study but at that time the uh far uh Farmers Market was owned by the farmer who was not interested in uh selling the piece last year segme has acquired that property and it just makes sense to uh evaluate this property and uh investigate to see if it qualifies for an area investigation study if it does qualify then the next step would be uh me coming and making a presentation to the planning board the planning board then making a recommendation to the council to include it in the area investigation study for segme and subsequent quently updating the Redevelopment plan I think this property is critical to the inclusion of the plan because on all three sides of this property is a commercial uh Zone that was created as part of the seg plan it is the Edo uh Zone that was created which will allow for retail and Commercial uses so if the property qualifies and is included in the plan it would call for sound planning it's on Route 9 so it doesn't make sense to exclude it so this is just the first step the council has requested uh the planning board to authorize me to uh investigate the property to see if it qualifies for redevelopment and it's just one property 10254 lot 16 and uh Madam chair if I can just add to that procedurally wise how it works and how we've done it in the the past is the uh under the Redevelopment law the council uh adopts a resolution requesting that the planning board conduct the prelimary preliminary investigation as to whether or not the property meets one of the criteria the pinning board then would adopt a resolution authorize the the conduct of the um the conducting of the plary investigation which is what the next step that's what's before you this evening uh that's the resolution that's on next on the agenda and then uh V would go through do the investigation there would be a public hearing scheduled with public notice provided and that that that's when Vina would provide her testimony and support of her findings and if the board so finds at that time that it does the property does meet one of the criteria it votes and adopts a resolution recommending that the township Council uh adopt a resolution actually declaring the property need to Redevelopment so our role is to do all of the leg work and look into it while it is the Council who will be the one who actually makes the final determination and the designation okay um so this is just to to um do the study to see if it qualifies as an area of Redevelopment it's not declaring what is going to ultimately be there exactly exactly and that that would come with de Venus study and recommendations or well that come actually what might be there would come further down the road what will happen next is if the board adopts this resolution then Vena will to the study as to whether or not it even meets the criteria then she'll come back to the board just uh with testimony as to whether or not her findings just let's just for the assume assume for purposes that it does meet the criteria then Venus testimony would support that and then the board would then make a recommendation that the council finds that it is an area that needs uh need meets the criteria as an area in need of Redevelopment there still even at that point is not a plan uh for uh what would be developed there it's just making it being eligible for redevelopment and then the board the the township Council or the township Redevelopment agency will negotiate determine what they would like to be there they would um uh introduce an ordinance adopting a Redevelopment plan then that would come back to the board and then we would discuss whether we agree the board agrees with it or has any comments as to that Redevelopment plan that is the part that we'll talk about what would actually be developed there but at this point we're way ahead of that we're just talking about whether or not even meets the criteria so this is just us giving them giving V the approval to look at it yes we haven't decided on what's going there what's not going there who's doing anything it's just take the next step exactly okay does anybody else have any questions or comments in the board Barbara just one second uh Danny please make note that Mr garyan joined at 7:39 yeah thank you barara you can proceed okay so is any anybody else have any comments or [Music] questions okay so you want us to take a vote on this yes the next item on the agenda is the resolution that officially authorizes be to undertake the investigation and that would need a vote a roll call vote from the board okay Mr Silla do we need a motion in a second yes I'll move it I'll second Mr lenning yes Mr D yes Mr low yes Mr Petty yes Miss Mella yes Mr mcac yes uh Mr hopan yes and chairwoman Canon yes okay now the second resolution um on the same subject is authorizing the township planner to undertake preliminary investigation to determine whether block 10254 qualifies for designations an area of need in need of non-c condemnation Redevelopment pursuant to njsa 40a colon 12a 1sq actually Madam chair that's what we just uh voted on oh well I thought we had just okay all right so um the second item we have is the consistency review uh order of orridge order of the township amending chapter 250 of the code of the township of orridge and entitled ODB Township Land Development by amending chapter 250 um of the code of the township of orridge entitled orridge Township Land Development and by amending procedural improvements to expedite the review process that uh happens in the planning office with development applications one of which I've noticed is um we are one of the very few towns in fact in our surrounding towns no no one really follows this procedure we require that the checklist waivers be granted by the board but it's an administrative uh it's a administ ative procedure it is actually waivers from checklist item it's not design waivers that somebody's asking for and we require that an applicant comes in front of the uh planning board or the zoning board with these checkless waivers once the board grants those waivers uh which you have typically seen that I issue a memo with recommendations to you and then you take a vote on it at the hearing I'm trying to eliminate that process uh it's an uh I think a task that an administrative officer which is me can easily handle because it does not give an applicant to free pass it only means that we expedit the process and shorten their weight Time by almost a month because applicants are waiting for a month for the waer hearing and then after the waer hearing they're waiting for months to be heard so this will reduce the wait time by at least a month uh the I think the biggest Advantage uh to us is we are very busy I am already uh booking into June for planning board and same thing with zoning board uh it will just expedite our review time for the applicants the advantage is they will save some money because uh for a waiver hearing we have attorneys and professionals attending it whereas it's a mere recommendation from the township planner so uh that's the only change that is happening in the um uh in that that's that's going to take place in the um ordinance and as it is I review those waivers I make recommendations it will save a lot of time and I think anything to uh review applications faster will always be supported by the master plan and Madam chair if I may just add to that as well just so we talked about this actually I think it's the last um uh waiver hearing before the board is do you know even though uh it would be you know the waivers would then be uh administrated extemely handled for completeness purposes remember that's just for completeness purposes when the application comes to this board and this board determines that it needs let's just say um you know a parking analysis was waved for a particular site because at the time it didn't seem like it might be necessary based on the improvements but when they goes before the board and the public hearing is is going forward and it determines hey we actually need a parking study done for this application the board can still require that as part of the application so just because it's waved for checklist purposes doesn't mean the board can't require it later on as part of its uh review of the app you know in hearing on the application itself so I will also just add that in all the towns that I rep either represent either as a municipal attorney or planning board attorney it does you they all really do this on an administrative basis and doesn't require to go before the board so this is not uncommon to be done that way and I just want to add one more thing too I don't want uh to confuse the board members with what the design vors are versus the checklist uh vavs because this is just from the checklist items that are attached to an application form and I when I presented it to the council I had explained to them right now our checklist has 52 items I think it's the longest checklist I've seen I work with so many towns and I've never seen such a long checklist so the next task uh is to reduce that checklist there's a lot of uh redundancy and uh also the checklist is very hyp specific asking you for a specific scale of drawings and stuff like that so that will be my next um task to clean that up and shorten it and only ask for what is most essential okay thank you I I personally think it makes sense because we usually go by your recommendations anyway from all the waivers um or most certainly most of them and uh it sounds like it could be something that should be handled administratively does anybody else have any comments or I have a question sure yes uh vinaa when it when the application comes before our board uh no matter how many their uh waivers you've reduced uh how will the board know uh ahead of time uh during during our review of the application what waivers have been uh dismissed so a better word so uh so the process I'm going to follow because I'm working on it what I want to do is when I do a completeness review because recently to expedite the the amount of applications I'm getting is overwhelming and um I don't know if you you've heard this before me saying saying this before I'm severely short staffed so what I have been doing is when I receive an application I schedule a meeting like first thing in the morning with the engineer I sit with the checklist I do a teams meeting so that I can share my screen and I keep checking off what is submitted and what they're asking for waivers when I issue a completeness letter I will list and I'm creating a new form where it says that a waiver was approved or it was denied that form will be available and I can circulate that to the board members if they wish to see or it is available in the planning office anytime you ask for it so anything that is waved you will have preview to it you will know and then again you know it doesn't have to be a checklist item it could be like Joe mentioned a parking analysis and the classic example is shops at Oldbridge when shops at Oldbridge came to the board for approval uh there is no requirement for an parking analysis you're only required by checklist to show how many parking spaces are required and how many are provided they don't have to show a shared parking analysis but then at that time we required the applicant to produce a shared parking analysis because that is a new thing so there could be some items that pop up at the meeting that we may ask for or both members may ask for and that the applicant will have to provide okay thank you no problem I have a question yes sure excuse me since um since I'm new to this is there a copy of uh or is there a list of what is on this checklist yeah it is available on the Township's website but I will be happy to send email it to you yeah I would definitely love to see that and I would love to see the other part that we're discussing so I better familiar familiarize myself going forward of what is on there what is not on there if is because I'm a general contractor there's anything that I see that I might think that should be or shouldn't be there that I might be more profession I'll be happy I'll be happy to send I'll be happy to send you the application form and the checklist that goes along and then you can always reach out to me with any questions and also with whatever's on the waiver or what they have to follow if you don't mind I great appreciate thank you very much no problem okay that's good um if anybody else wants that information I'm sure Vina would provide it uh any other questions or comments okay um then we'll um take a vote on that um I'll move it I'll second R call please Cas Mr L you second yes Mr lenning yes Mr agop yes Mr dma yes Mr lower yes Mr Petty yes Miss Mella yes Mr mcisaac yes and Chin Ken yes okay now on to our one and only application um 01 chair one minute I'm sorry to interrup you but we did miss the minutes from January 25th oh I'm sorry okay we need to uh approve the minutes of uh January uh 25th 2024 so is there a motion to approve the minutes I'll move it okay move my Mr lower second I second okay second call please Mr L abstain Mr agan yes Mr dama yes Mr lower yes Mr Petty yes Miss Mella abstain Mr mcac yes and chairwoman Ken yes okay thank you Daniel for reminding us uh okay application 01 d202 NP Oldbridge entertainment LLC Zone Economic Development opportunity block 8003 lot 212-h or11 292 Highway 516 construct Second Story storage area Kenneth Pape is the attorney uh good evening Madam chair excuse me you're here Peter Ken's partner um right and I'm I'm filling in for Ken tonight um thank you good evening everyone and thank you for gathering together for this uh special meeting much appreciate uh on behalf of the applicant um this is the application for orridge entertainment LLC um the property is located on 516 I'm sure the board is very familiar with the property I I always remembered it as uh The Breakfast Club uh and um in 200 19 is uh the planning board granted an approval uh to renovate the structure on the property and create the new restaurant which is subject to the application uh and then of course there was covid and then during the construction process there was an opportunity to create uh an office uh and storage on the upstairs portion of the building within the volume of the building as our architect will describe uh and then the as they were going through their uh inspections with the building department they said ah you can't do this you got to go back to the planning board and uh and tell them what you're doing so uh that was what we did we filed an application at the end of last year uh got through the process uh actually had a lot of the waivers that Vina was talking about earlier we granted uh because it's it's a you know it's the same type of application but we're adding that Second Story uh storage and and office and here we are uh this evening so I have a very short presentation I have two witnesses Ron Sadowski is the applicants engineer and uh Bill Duran is applicant's architect um my plan is to have Mr Sadowski talk to the board a little bit about how the site is essentially remaining the same um and then have Bill uh describe the second floor uh storage so if I could I'll go right to Ron uh and ask that he be sworn place his credentials on the record and then share with you uh the site uh that's before the board this evening uh Mr sidowski would you please raise your right hand do you swear or affirm the testimony you're going to give this evening is the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth unmute uh you're on mute I do okay can you please uh State and spell your name for the record please Ronald J Sadowski s a d o WS Ki thank you you're welcome Ron we need to do this uh for the record can you just indicate to the board that you're licensed engineer in the state of New Jersey and and a little bit about your your background so that the board can accept you as a professional engineer uh yes I am licensed I've been licensed it'll be 30 years in March and uh I was actually the engineer who prepared the original drawings back in 2019 for the pro uh for this project um I am a uh civil engineer uh 1988 graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology received my license in 1994 and as I mentioned I've been practicing for 29 years so Madam chair I would ask if the board would accept Ron as a professional engineer you were also muted Madam chair she is okay I agree we accept your credentials thank you thank you uh Vina Danny how are we doing this can Ron share his screen or do you want to bring something up so that we could look at the plan we have one just one exhibit from him to to show which is the plan that was submitted [Music] um Jacob if you're here can you make Mr sadasi co-host please I can share the screen I have it's there's no change right that's correct um we were looking at drawing two which is the uh the proposed site plan [Music] drawing that is it so Ron if you could just describe for the board what they already you know uh this is a um a site plan that was approved back in 2019 U the improvements to the site have been completed with the exception of landscaping and one light uh pole that was uh the when the um construction was underway was found that one of the light PS was in conflict with the sidewalk so the the uh applicant uh switched the pole mounted fixture to a wall mount with the same wattage same uh light patterns so there has been no change to the uh the lighting on the property the uh there is no Landscaping at this time installed the applicant has hired a landscaper uh who has U come up with a revised Landscaping plan which is part part of this application part of the submission package outside of that there are no changes to the site uh you could see here this area is where the proposed second floor office and storage area is it was previously one that's correct it was previously a uh single story with a very high ceilings Ron just to clarify the there was a pre-exist ing front yard setback for the building could you just put that number on the record and and indicate that it is a pre-existing condition yes it's 10.5 ft it's if you are looking at the drawing it's at the bottom right corner it says 10.5 ft that is the uh Dimension from Oldbridge mwan Road right of way to the corner of the existing building all right the only reason I did that board members is Vina had looked back at some of her prior notes and there was a little bit of a discrepancy about what the number was we talked today and we just wanted to make sure we put it on the record exactly what it is and I think we're all in agreement that that is uh the number um Ron there's an addition of the office which is only to serve this existing business and storage and there's a comment in the report just to confirm that none of the traffic patterns uh change we're not modifying the the restaurant or anything like that so can you just confirm uh for the board that that none of the previous traffic Tes would be affected by this application that is correct the uh the addition of the office which is ancillary to the function of the restaurant and the storage will have no impact on the uh parking counts or the parking requirements on the site all right thank you uh Madam chair I have no further questions for Ronnie available to the board and any of the board's Professionals for any questions they may have okay uh V did you have any questions um not really uh Mr sadasi can you just confirm the square footage of the second floor Edition it's 2535 square feet correct I would ask if we could have uh Mr Doran confirm that since he prepared the architectural plans for that sure because uh I just want to confirm that the architectural and the site plan has the same uh square footage V I'll make sure we ask Bill that question if that's okay with you yeah sure no problem um okay and uh I heard that uh the second floor Edition will be purely for office and storage use um the applicant agrees that should the board act favorably tonight um if the second floor usage has to change you will come back to the board that's an acceptable condition and something I learned this afternoon Fina is also that the second floor is only accessible through the kitchen so it's not really available for the public to get out there anyway if there's any if that's a little further Assurance for the board but if there were any changes we understand that we have to return to the board for that primary because it may impact the parking as well because right now you are uh the required is 62 and is also 62 so um we would want to make sure that uh the applicant is agreed able to return back to the board absolutely understood uh Madam chair I have no further questions okay thank you does anybody from the board have any questions yes not hearing any or seeing any hands when we gonna get this rolling question we're trying Mr paty um all right uh so if I could I'll have Bill turn his camera on and his mic on and ask that he be sworn and place his credentials on the record this is our architect all right just before we do that we do uh need to open it up to public of any public questions of the witness as well oh sure I thought we would do that at the end that's that's fine yeah uh yeah we just usually do it at each witness uh you know at this board sure okay if anybody from the public would like to ask a question or need clarification please call I see no raised hands okay thank you so we'll go on to the next wetness next sorry I just need to find you on my screen I got you uh do you uh raise your hand okay do you swear or affirm the testimony you're going to give this evening is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes can you please State and spell your name William Doran d o r a an thank you I'm B you could just do the same I'm a I'm a registered architect here in the state of New Jersey since 1987 um I've been in front of this board I was the architect on record for the first application for this uh project in 2019 I've been in front of this board and many other boards throughout the state and have been accepted as an expert witness all right we'll accept your thank you thank you Bill like we did with the last one could you ask Vina uh or whoever it is that's controlling it which which are the the plans you'd like to bring up just to identify the the second floor area uh the A2 drawing which shows the second floor and as that's coming up my only question to you is just identify for the board what that layout is and and confirm my statements about its accessibility and the fact that it will only be used for these purposes that that's correct yes the second floor is accessible through the kitchen only um it is for the uh dry storage and office area and a uh staff bathroom so that that will be the only thing that uh this uh areial will be used for and the we're not changing the restaurant that was previously approved by the board the seating capacity anything like that no that's that's correct SE seing capacity stays the same that's really really short but it was really really important so uh Mr Duran is available to the board for any questions that they may have and certainly the public but that's the extent of it okay does anybody from the board have any questions no um I'm just curious you said before this was proposed that it was just a really high ceiling well you know I uh Madame chairman I almost said that but I wanted to keep my mouth shut um so uh it uh there were a couple of statements from different people that this was a second floor addition it it's really not an addition to the building this second floor was captured within the uh volume of The Bu the existing buildings so yeah there there there was such high ceilings that the uh contractor on the job said oh let's capture this space for some extra storage which he did and here we are um but in the end yeah if you were if we were standing outside the building and looking at the building from uh route 56 it wouldn't look any different than it did uh two years ago we it wasn't added on to or anything all the all this I would call it recaptured spaces within the volume that was there originally okay thank you and Peter just to answer uh V's prior question the total square footage for the second floor Oh Oh thanks thank you b 2 2535 is that what it was Vina you're muted yes yes 20 2535 so we have that on record thank you uh Jeff okay anybody from the board have any questions or comments regarding this testimony yes Madam chair I'd like to say that I made a little field trip out there it looks very nice uh but I did see Landscaping that was started look like uh trees and uh that's about it but uh it will did look very nice okay thank you anybody else thank you Mr low question we open it to the public is anybody from the public miss m I'm sorry did you want to say something yeah just quickly so this wasn't part of the initial application was it because like like you said your GC noticed an opportunity after the project had started that's correct and that was driving the oversight okay yes thank you chairman Canon can I ask a question sure so Mr Doran uh I noticed that the height did change from 20.4 to 22 so uh how did that happen I mean I I heard you say that it was part of the the volume was the part of the existing building I would say that that is a matter so it it was hard to measure exactly where the existing building when when uh when we first got involved in this project back in 2019 we measured the building it was really hard to determine exactly where the heights were so uh but just recently we've been able to do that a little easier um and I just wanted to get it exact exactly right so that in case it became an issue uh yes so there's I think there's a discrepancy of a foot and a half from the original drawings to this to these drawings but it it didn't have anything to do with any increased construction it had more to do with the way we were able to measure it sure I I was just curious not that it does not comply with the zones or yeah yeah we're still way under the allowable that is correct yes um Madam chair I have no further questions okay thank you um so open to the public if anyone has any questions or comments regarding this testimony I see no raised hands and uh Madam chair maybe at this point we can also uh just um open it up uh to to save time open up for general public comment on this application as well so if there's um at this point if anyone has any you know General comments or provides testimony on this application they can do so now as well okay Mr sordillo while we wait for that I did notice Mr Brennan had joined in late um can we still allow him to vote on this application yes I did I noticed he actually joined before the application started it was right when we were starting the application he joined in I was going to make a note of that at the end when I made my summary but yes thank you for pointing that out uh Mr G is eligible to vote on this because did was here for the this application okay thank you we have no raised hands okay thank you okay anybody from the board have any questions or comments regarding this application I think I just had one quick one uh on the uh the new the new area there obviously you upgraded the uh sprinkler system up there as well and what like weight limits will be uh impressed on that storage area if you're putting like 900 cases of wine up there that's a little heavy you know things like that yeah uh the second floor was designed for uh commercial use uh so we've we've met the building code for that and and definitely uh the sprinkler system has been extended into that area um and uh that's all going through the which will all be approved by the building department right the uh once we get through this process our next step would be to get building permits uh so uh your building department will look at uh our weight loads our sprinkler system our exiting system all of that actually uh we just finished those drawings today and uh we're trying to get them into the your Township uh uh to get reviewed so it'll all be uh approved through the building department thank thank you you're welcome okay thank you any other comments or questions from the board my my only comment was I think the residents will be happy I know it's the uh Talk of the Town trying to get that open folks that especially live on that side I've got a couple calls I actually got a call last week when is it opening blame it blaming the town so I think it's good that we're getting this going um good luck hopefully everything smooth over now we can can move on and and get that restaurant finally open it's been vacant for so long I think it's about time that we step step up and pop them out yeah and we Valentin it is Valentine's Day tomorrow there you go you can get it open tomorrow God bless you there you go and I was just gonna say we thank you for uh all your help in trying to get us to the Finish Line yep absolutely I think we're all looking forward to it so we want to let everyone know that V has been amazing um Town Council the building department you know you always hear two two three sides of a story um we we're the reason because of the delay and we take full responsibility um everything's in the past we're here we want to open we're excited to open and um next year let's celebrate single day M together sounds good let's put that make sure that now it's on the record he blame himself and I just wanted to comment as a resident of town for many years I remember way way way way back when it was a little goo place and so this is we've all been looking forward to this uh happening and the sooner the better big upgrade right bobber right we promise stages but um the inside's GNA be more gorgeous than the outside Landscaping everything um you know we're already donating to the local you know uh the soccer club and the baseball and the synagogue so we're we're going to be great neighbors we're have a great relationship and uh you know we appreciate your time today and um especially on a snow day and U thank you very much okay we look forward to uh being part of oh sorry that's my dog um somebody's excited does anybody else have any comments your do your dog agrees yeah most the new office oh if I could just just to um um summarize a motion to approve will be granting preliminary and final site plan approval uh for this application the amended application there was just so if the records clear one condition that was agreed upon during the public hearing that the applicant uh or property owner will come back to the board if the CH uh use changes for the second floor so that the board retains jurisdiction in case any change of use to make specifically with regard to concerns of a parking other than that um it'll just follow the standard um conditions of uh complying with the reports of the uh the township and and just our standard conditions of approval okay uh so do we have uh if there's no other comments from the board do we have a motion I'll move it okay okay and second I'll second it second Mr roll call please um Mr L yes Mr agan yes Mr def yes Mr low yes Mr Petty yes Miss Mella yes Mr mcisaac yes Mr Brennan yes and chairman Ken yes okay thank you all very much yes have a good much okay you're very welcome okay and then um I guess we have if there's any General Public comments regarding I guess anything on the meeting or anything yeah anything within the board's jurisdiction rela on a specific application yeah no re s okay then um we'll look to adjourn and are we still doing the um executive session uh no the executive session will be on for uh the next meeting the February 27 second we're going to have the following executive session so no executive session tonight all right good all right do we have a motion to uh unless anybody from the board has any comments or no just just one thing bar Casey great job today with the snow you do thank you plowed in my driveway a little bit but that's okay oh the driveway case you're in trouble take that back I'll uh I'll motion to close the meeting I'll second it before Casey gets in trouble Valentine's Day everyone thank you all thank youy see you in a few weeks okay take care good night everybody good got right