The meeting began with the nomination and appointment of Barbara Cannon as the new chairperson, after which she promptly took over the proceedings. The board then proceeded to appoint Cannon as the vice chairperson, following a unanimous roll call vote in her favor. The planning board also tackled the appointment of subcommittees, with members expressing their willingness to serve.

One notable issues concerned the waiver request from Kenny Kennedy International Urban Renewal LLC for a major preliminary and final site plan. The applicant’s representative, Merrill Gonner, explained that due to the property being placed in a Redevelopment area, it now conformed with local regulations, thus eliminating the need for variances. However, the application became contentious due to the physical changes made to the property without prior authorization from the board, leading to a violation notice. Specifically, a mezzanine intended for office use was constructed, which was not part of the original plan approved by the zoning board.

The board raised concerns about the unauthorized mezzanine, now being utilized as a conference room, and the lack of full outfitting for office space usage. Questions regarding the mezzanine’s accessibility and capacity were also brought up, prompting the applicant’s agreement to provide further details at a subsequent hearing. Despite these concerns, the board voted to advance the application for additional review and dialogue.

Another topic was the special meeting arranged for February 13th to address the stop work order on a restaurant construction project. The board expressed unanimous support for the meeting, which was suggested to be held virtually via Zoom due to the protracted delay of the project. The applicant also agreed to proceed with the virtual meeting setup.

Furthermore, the board discussed and accepted the resolution for 20-20 23p 341e 34 LLC’s preliminary and final major site plan after some delays. The professionals of the board and the representatives of the applicant reached an agreement, leading to the resolution’s adoption. Additionally, the completeness waiver 01202 4p for Oldbridge Entertainment LLC’s major preliminary and final site plan was presented. The board approved this resolution with a unanimous vote, signaling a positive step for the project to move forward.

An executive session was unexpectedly added to the agenda to discuss settlement negotiations in the ongoing Alfair litigation against the planning board.

The meeting also had a touch of history as Dean Marucci shared memories of a church development project from over four decades ago.