##VIDEO ID:NfPL0k2vnKE## call to order the October 21st 2024 regular meeting of the mors township planning board the legal notice required in accordance with the open public meetings act has been satisfied and the statement certified same will be execute please rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance to of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation God call the r Mr here here Mr FL here Mr rabbit here M Murphy here Mr Ben here Mr here Mr yes here Mr yes here Mr here because you were sitting there so [Laughter] quiet okay I guess we can move on to per order or public he we have a public hearing again unusually hoping it sorry it wasn't two weeks ago but I guess got things gotten straight out yes so uh so you want to introduce it to yes Mr CH this is da-4 d24 CHC medicon project owner LLC block 8404 lot 6 one con Road in the o5 zone for S plan applicant proposes the installation of the n Door paper patio and Landscape buffers aing to the existing Hotel okay yeah you'd like me to go ahead Mr chairman okay yeah just a quick point of the notice Mr chairman I did review it I found it to be sufficient both in terms of its content and its timeliness of service um individual notice was sent by certified mail to the parties requiring same on October 9 2024 and the notice was also published in the daily record on October 10 2024 sorry October 10th 2024 both more than 10 days in advance of tonight's hearing um I don't know if you'd like me to swear everybody in now or I could wait till applicants Council makes a opening statement it's up to you Mr chairman I don't know I want SAR minut now sure okay so we got our board professionals and all of your experts you can always raise your right hands for me do you all of you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to provide will be the truth the whole truth nothing about the truth I do all right great all right Mr chairman I think we're good the floor is yours hello first thank you for oh wait a minute I'm sorry believe Mr flowers has to recuse himself from this matter so he will be leaving so now at least there's one member of the public thanks for stopping in no questions from you okay okay well uh thank you first of all for your Indulgence about uh the delay my name is Nick ropi I'm from the law firm of rer Danzig and I'm here tonight representing the applicant CHC Madison project owner LLC before I get into the details uh I just wanted to mention that anytime I have an opport to represent one of the businesses here in town I really am happy to do it and this is a minor application I mean the P patio is less than 1500 square feet but it's important to the business and and I think uh by anything we do here it supports that business to be more successful um so that's just my little uh opening speech the applicant is the owner of the subject property and the operate operator of The Madison Hotel as Sonia said this is an application for amended site plan approval to construct the P patio at the Northeast side of the building in an area that is currently utiliz for parking spaces it's the patio is less than 1500 square feet Barry will talk about the exact dimensions when he speaks but it's in an area further away from Madison Avenue and closer to the uh to the railroad uh eight parking spaces will be eliminated but the site will continue to comply actually exceed with the required number of parking spaces I mean four 130 required uh 480 we have now we will have 472 the patio will be located off of existing meeting space that's why they want in the building uh it is small meeting space event space that is used for corporate meetings and small events birthday parties showers things like that it will be used for seasonal use only very importantly it will have no lights no sound no sound system uh we do not believe any variances are required as part of this application that said there are two existing nonconformities uh that I just want to mention a side yard setback from the building to Madison Avenue is 38 feet 38.3 feet where the ORD ordinance requires 75 there is no change to that setback proposed and the patio as I said will be located on the other side of the building uh the other nonconformity is the impervious coverage existing now is 7 1% where 65% is permitted um that was approved by an earlier resolution by the way all these resolutions also acknowledge the nonconformity about the setback uh you have copies of the resolution in your application package uh with this application we are not increasing the impervious in fact we decrease it slightly to 70% um to the extent the board feels we need a variance we don't think we need it we noticed for it just in case but uh and then also we we asked for a bunch of waivers because of the minor nature of the application having said that we just have really one witness tonight Barry AER he's a landscape architect and then we have the hotel general manager Michael Murray in case the board has any questions of the manager so uh if no objection like to uh well he's already sworn in so Mr yaker would you give the board the benefit of your uh credentials um I've been a licensed landscap sorry I've been licensed in New Jersey since 2003 uh been practicing for over 30 years that's you know a little earlier than when I got my license but um I've testified in many towns Floren Park Bedminster Livingston uh um our siony um we developed this plan I don't know if no let me just so uh and you've been accepted as an expert in front of those boards so I would ask that Mr yaker be accepted as a landscape architect yeah I I'll accept go ahead so why don't you give the board just a a brief overview of the patio the the the materials the landscaping around it Etc yeah the patio itself which um like it was stated you I'm really not good with these let me me I'm usually pretty loud can you pull up one of the pl well we can probably hear you but it's also being recorded that's that's the problem yeah if you want to pull up plan number two uh number L2 yeah that's the landscape plan which basically like was noted uh before um when you come out of the uh meeting rooms it's just a small patio off of that for people that you know just want to get out of the the main room don't want to stand in the parking lot it just gives them a place to be um we're using eight spots uh we are going to surround those spots with u six to seven foot Arbor VY which will block off the parking lot and the road and we'll also block um for any neighbors across the street that could see that far um you know will help you know block anything going on people sitting and talking Mr yaker I'm sorry before you go any further the plans we're looking at these were last revised uh September 5th 24th make sure we're all on the same page yeah okay that's the one okay thank you very much and these were the plans submitted corre so um we're going to give theard a chance go ahead you take a look I prefer ask answering questions else [Applause] okay so basically just a quick look at those plans when you walk out of the the walkway there's a small wall on the left side just to maintain the grade that the existing grade between the patio and the the uh I'm sorry the uh equipment the AC equipment um which is already set to a grade um you're coming out onto concrete paper patio three different size pavers large scale concrete um We are continuing the Belgian block curb along the drive lane of those eight spots and creating a planting bed Where We Are Ringing that area with six to seven foot arborite Evergreen evergreen trees that you know will stay uh green um and we're you know planting various shrubs and perennials just for color in that area but the main thing are those arbid um just to block off the parking lot and and the street and the neighbors there are no lights there are no sound systems this is basically just for people that are in that meeting that just want to get out and maybe go talk on their own or just not hang out in the parking lot I don't know if you have any questions I mean that's I'm I'm going very Conservatory that it was yes no it's a meeting room now excuse me I can't hear you it's not a pool anymore it's a meeting room now it's a Garden Room yes I was just at a party there yeah so this this would be right outside of that just in case you got too hot or you just wanted to go out and be able to hear your your conversation with somebody else just just to clarify a point that you're making that no sound system and no light what about so there's no hardwired sound system that's going to be there and there is no hardwire lighting but what about in the you know in in the event that you know something spills out onto that patio would you have portable lighting or or a portable sound system uh that would be used for um events I'm just curious as of now no it's just a breakout space sir could you just identify yourself I'm sorry I'm Michael M I'm the general manager squeezing next to you uh Michael Murray I'm the general manager at the hotel so as of now we have no plans it's from sunrise to sunset and it's literally just a breakout space okay thank you now would take it as stipulations that there be no permanent U exterior lighting or exterior sound system that's correct okay thank you anyone else question what variety of Arbor V you intend to plant would it be deer resistant yeah the green Giants are the deer resistant and how tall do they get depends on how you prune them I mean they they can get you know 40 feet if you let them but um but they're prunable and oh yeah they're all prunable yeah share them and make them into a hedge okay thank you I'll take that as another stipulation that the uh orb trees will be gear resistant yes okay um so I understand you're going to use it just during daylight hours and right now it's a going to be a breakout space or a space where someone can be meeting Outdoors but uh if you decide that you're going to let's say have it operating during the winter what I'm sorry I didn't hear that oh decide you're going to have operating in the winter time would you come back to the board to request that or how how do that work because I'm thinking I'm thinking it can be probably more successful than you might imagine uh and people will be clamoring I suspect to use that space so I'm just trying to think ahead in terms of are we going to see you several times as you ask for more stuff are you going to have to come back yeah so I think I mean they have told us right now it's just seasonal use okay um daylight hours you know dusk um but uh if there is a demand we'll be back okay all right well he didn't tell me that he didn't tell me can an every one of my clients is and so they're not asking for it now but you know we'll see how it goes and then I guess if it is successful and it may be we'll have to come back and ask for an amended site plan approval of this small patio but that's not their plans right now so they didn't want to get into that okay thank you Mr good question yeah um the the non-conformities one of them with the set back to Madison Avenue yes even though this is far from m is that because of the hotel yes not because of where this is being located within the Hotel this is in the back okay and when you look at you know the conforming with the zoning you have to take the whole building into account right okay and and the non-conformity is the part of the building that faces Madison Avenue and it's been acknowledged in like at least three resolutions that I have in the past as a non-conformity so I assume it goes way back I'm sure it does yeah sure um if you look at sheet L1 it has that on there it'll show you the set yeah okay that's all I have thank you I got the question is really made before Mr Phillips on Mr Slate and that is um I don't understand why we would have the condition of they not in some future moment being sound or light because would that mean if it conformed with our ordinances for sound and light why would they have to come back before the board I just don't know why we jumped for that um Condition it's not one that I see unless it it would require uh some other amended like plan thing I I don't see any purpose in having that I don't want to steal the Thunder Miss but the applicant did did offer that as a stipulation I that's why we were recording it as such but um I guess the board does not have to impose that if it doesn't feel as necessary and and we said there's not going to be any sound or light right um but we we you know whether or not there's a stipulation is up to the board enti by way of example if lighting were proposed that should be something that's on the site plan to make sure it is in conformance with whatever lighting standards for example no spill over onto adjacent property so but to me they're not proposing it it's not part of the site plan approval if they want to amend it in the future I believe it's appropriate for them to come back to the to the board y um on the issue of noise they're not proposing any amplification system or so on if they were then you know they they're they have to meet applicable noise standards and that's an issue that the board you know may raise during the site plan so I think if I'm hearing Mr ropi correctly they are deferring those issues because it's not part of this proposal so they don't have to to address the issues that you know would be addressed normally by this board as part of site plan approval Jim is that fair I agree I may be a little more liberal on the interpretation of that stuff but I I would agree if they um you know we're proposing that we' want to know that if we meet the noise limits at the property line I mean I know that sometimes there are some complaints that um you know if if there's events held in the Serv front you know sometimes kind of loud I know this giv complains I hear them we want to make sure that I've never complained you know conforming to the requirements and and as Paul mentioned if there was lighting that there would be no spill yes well I know you said it's seasonal I mean in that so meaning in warmer weather that's really when it was used but because it's getting warmer and warmer and again I don't have an issue with this but I'm thinking yeah you'd probably have more time that and is it a space where you'd put like you know heaters after a while like if people there wasn't meeting but it was still nice enough or is that just something down the road you'll decide direct towards me as of now we don't have any heaters planned um for the winter we are going to usually not use it because hopefully it does snow even though it is getting warmer but we don't have any plans on putting anything out other than chairs um and possibly a buffet on the side but that's only for warmer weather okay okay I have one question I guess I went through and I did not see any of the plan plantings on the do not plant list I just wanted to confirm that there are none no they're all they're all good to go okay take that as another sitation any other questions for the bo how about question anything from our professionals just a a followup I think it was just represented that there may be some chairs occasionally in a buffet uh but there are no table there's no formal table SE prop that's correct that's all I have I just want to confirm no variances are being saw here correct I take it as a no no okay I just the you know we mentioned the nonconformity SC right yeah we thought Steve Warner might be here and he sorry sorry you got me anything else W yeah I mean that's our application as I said it's a minor in nature but uh believe it or not important to just every little bit of success to the Madison Hotel and another another uh business in town that we'd love to see strive as it seems to be doing now do we have any questions from the public you're a m of the public I guess close that um any comments on the public any comments from the public got to be double share Mr yes that's good point um I entertain I move we approve as submitted second call the r yes Mr yes yes Mr yes Mr yes yes Mr yes thank you thanks again thanks for don't forget get ticket punch on the way out yes of course must have another Pizza wish you much success with the pa okay uh moving on any legislative committee assuming we have no more public no public comments moving back up okay and we don't have to close session so I make a a motion that we adjourn I sit first yes there you I now make a motion that Mr flowers is firmly in Scot oh we get affordable housing numbers yes yes the how are I make a recommendation we do not discuss that this evening that was yesterday they were supposed to come in right yes they are they are out all right for another day just curious can't can't talk to about that too much we'll have another special meeting with the township for another day okay so did we have a second for or after adjournment yes uh