Zoning Board of adjustment meeting will please come to order adequate notice this meeting was provided in the following ways notice published in the curry news notice posted on the Bolton board in the M Municipal Building notice made available to the Township Clerk notice sent to the curry news and the Star Ledger will the clerk please call the rooll Mr Weissman here Mr Haka oh he's not here sorry Mr Mondo here Mr Ellie here chairman kahill here will everyone please stand for the s to the flag flag to the flag United States of America one nation under God indivisible Li liberty and justice for all Mr canel do we have any changes to the agenda today we have many changes to the agenda today please go slow my friend Hopson 2602 Wade street that will be postponed to December 14th the applicant must notice Alan Cruz Maple Avenue postponed until December 14th the applicant must notice Oar not postponed to December 14 2003 23 they must notice the towns has Beverly postponed until December 14 2023 no further notice Ian party 609 runan Avenue postponed until December 14th they must notice the property owners on the property list lnr properties 60 Normandy Drive postponed until December 14th no further notice those are all the changes I have this evening okay um Laura I'm gonna need you to babysit me through this one because I did not get a chance to mark off like two or three of these so I'll start with the first one which is number 5 23- zb- 90v Sheila Hopson that's adjourned geez I'm so sorry sir I think I think number eight is our thank you so much I did not download the update that you send me laa my apologies uh number eight which is 23- zb- 99v Marza khed B is Marza khed B present B yeah I'm here I need to swear you in could you raise your right hand you swear that the testimony you're about to give should be the truth yeah your name and address please m b 99 Highland Avenue PC New Jersey thank you Mr beg could you explain to the board what you'd like to do here I'm applying for a variance to put a fence and uh my property see my property is at the corner lot it's uh Highland Avenue and Deerfield Avenue and on the side I uh I was asking where I can put defense by leaving six feet of uh of the street Mr chairman Mr hendin has a report I think Mr Chadwick is gonna go over yeah Mr Chad could you address some issues here sir yes uh the report was prepared by Mr hinterstein it's dated November 1st and there are a comment with the guards of the fence the front setback is required to be 35 ft and a solid six foot high fence is not permitted in that location uh he and I both recommend that the uh applicant be given some relief uh and move the fence 15 ft from the property line which is less than half the setback if you've had a chance to look at the street it's all open in the front yard areas and to have a fence out at the street level would be a a significant change to that road roadway landscape so I recommend to the applicant uh you'd have to move the fence back an additional uh 9 feet you're proposing six we're suggesting 15 and in addition I have a note on your plan that you've agreed to move the shed to conform with these setback requirements is that correct is that correct sir yes I'm I'm agreeing to uh move shed uh but I was requesting if I can get uh uh instead of 15 off the street if I can get 10 ft at least we're recommending less than half the requirement I think that's a significant compromise and I don't want to adjust that it's not a bad deal sir yeah compared to what compared to what it could it could be uh applied it's actually quite a good deal a good compromise I should say I think if you agree to it we can move forward and and probably approve this application sir yeah I mean maybe probably I'll react to the same thing uh is there a any room to get at least you know to 10 ft instead of 15 you start at 35 ft and you you move into your variance sign you're getting a significant variance 10 feet does not do it I Su I suggest you take the uh uh proposal from the chairman the way the board's going to lean on this one sir I think it's a good deal good compromise and I would take it if I were you if not we can put it to vote now and I don't uh from the uh my opinion I don't think it'd be approved okay so what if I don't take this now what do I have to do up if you don't take the offer from the board the board will vote on your application and your current application proposes a six- foot setback instead of a 35 foot setback the board never gives that much relief they will give some relief but not that much yeah uh well even I thought and I was actually going with 35 only but later on on my same street I I had seen two houses which had uh you know six foot of uh fence on the Deerfield Avenue on the same street where I live so by seeing that I thought okay I might have to you know apply for variance and that's where I put an application for variance we don't know if those fences were put up with approvals or with permits so we don't know if they're legal I see all right so yeah then I'll I'll agree with this I'll go ahead with 15 okay thank you sir any other board members have any questions for this application or comments hearing none I'm going to open it to the public anyone in the public have any comments or questions about this application Buckley no one chairman Okay g to close the public portion and I will make a motion to approve this application with Mr Chadwick's and Mr H's recommendations thank you please call Mr Weissman yes Mr Mondo yes Mr Elli yes chairman kill yes your application as amended has been approved we will memorialize it in a written document at our next meeting and we'll send that document to you you'll need that for your permits thank you so much have a good night sir thank okay I'm I'm walking through muddy waters here number nine yes number nine okay uh L read this to me because I don't have the after the ZB I don't have it oh yeah because you don't have the updated one right I know I forgot to download I apologize oh you know I know I know you hate it when the champ does this 23 ZB 998 v g i is present okay you're muted I need to swear you in yes I'm here could you raise your right hand you swear that the testimony you're about to give should be the truth yes I do your name and address please gatri nayi 23 redbed Road thank you could you explain to the board what you'd like to do here so I have a deck that my dad put in um and um I am requesting to keep the deck uh it's 18 by 18 in size um I am removing um the railing and the roof over it and the deck is six feet off the ground six inches I'm sorry six inches I'm sorry Mr Chad we would you please uh uh both Henry and I agree this is more like a patio than a a deck because it's almost at ground level removing all the other uh implements so we basically think that you would prove it subject to removal of the railings the roof that's hiding and leave it as a patio in uh in the place where it now exists other than that there's no other recommendation okay thank you Mr chadwood can you address paragraph two with regard to the fence so that fence is not our fence it's the owner behind us um and he already moved his fence 7 ft inside so the fence does not exist anymore there thank you okay any other members of the board have any questions for this application any comments no GNA open it to the public anyone on the public have any comments or questions for this application no one chairman okay hearing now I'm going to close the public portion and I'd make a motion to approve this application make have a second yes Steve I second it please call roll Mr wman yes Mr Mondo yes Mr Elli yes and chairman Kaho yes your application's been approved we'll memorialize it in a written document and send that document to you thank you thank you good night man thank you let's move on to item number 14 23- zb- 6465 vb- USA Inc do did U Mr Patel appear no okay we do not have a quorum for that application yet uh it's a use variance uh we need five members present to start the application uh I recommend that uh maybe we should do the resolutions resolutions and try and reach Mr Patel again to see if he's going to appear I AG thank you Mr Canal okay the first resolution Walter Hernandez and tarsilla Lopez which you voted to approve Mr mid yes Mr yes chairman kahill yes next is s Lilia this applicant decided to withdraw the application during the public hearing Mr Mondo yes Mr Ali yes chairman kahill yes next is John Mano which you voted to approve Mr Mondo yes Mr Ali yes chairman Cahill yes next is Mohammad elashi this was an application for front setback which you voted to approve Mr Mond yes Mr Ali yes chairman kahill yes and last is equity land uh this was from a month ago uh we had some delay regarding the language in the resolution but it's now set to go Mr Mondo yes Mr Ali yes chairman Cahill yes uh those are all the resolutions I have this evening uh perhaps we can wait till we hear from M Buckley to see if Mr Patel is going to be able to join us I just spoke to him Steve wisman I just spoke to Cales he's joining us now thank you okay appreciate that no I don't see he's coming now I mean my client yeah rajie is supposed to be there um oh well he he's on as an attendee he didn't use the link so I will that's a raes need what was the name I'm sorry there's a bunch of people on here uh r a j i v sha yes all right I will make him a panelist yeah I think now he's on yeah I got him I just sent him in thank you very much La you're welcome is there anybody else because there's a whole bunch of people are you missing anyone else while we're waiting no they just may want to attend and view that's all oh yeah I mean I didn't ask him all to be here so all right thank you okay okay we're almost there thank you for your patience everyone thank you thank you Laura else number bless you for what's up what happened he's he's LinkedIn I'm putting you on speak cpes but say it again what's happening oh like that's say I I I I think I'm going at a public one that's why Laura can you help him I don't see him at all is he under a different name c she logged in under a different name sir no no hold on I I go to the uh I go to that public notice one I click the link yeah but if you click the link are you on your phone or your computer I'm on my phone it says an email address is I'm just printing typing again yeah uh Mr Canal I don't know I I sent them the link I could resend it I don't know what else to do uh maybe you should try resending it can can you resend me one more time please yes they're doing that we're going to do it now Cales yeah but I have to open the whole thing again so give me a second we we got time do we no Kidd well we we finished those first two applications in 15 minutes so that's true we'll give you thats zoning board all right I just resent him the link let's give him a couple of minutes to set it up Y and then what I'm going to do what I miss [Music] I sent the to him two different ways chairman so one of them should okay we we'll give it time day he's almost here he comes yeah hi hey sorry no I have to change my device so that's fine okay important things you're on okay um let start let's proceed Mr Stall oh yes I'm sorry all Jim stall St AHL firm is Boris golden Foley venol ohim and stall in North PR of New Jersey I've had the pleasure of being before you previously uh Laura and Jim Laura or Jim do we have jurisdiction have we had the good yes I reviewed the notice it is adequate we have Juris dition to proceed thank you very much Jim all right I'm going to I have a reputation which I hope to keep tonight of being efficient yet quickly quick in order to get my application through for the convenience to the board uh this is an application I must admit I'm rather privileged to be working on and it's a it's a Hindu temple at the former flower shop at the scurve on meter's Lane I'm sure all of you who've lived in piscato remember the curve and remember the uh flower shop uh I uh I have about five witnesses but they will they will move quickly uh this project is a a result of a Township and applicant Partnership if you will uh not financially but we spent a lot of time with your professionals and our professionals and modified and revised the proposal two times to reduce the size uh that everyone was concerned about uh we think uh so do the professionals but they can speak for themselves uh feel that is a very good fit and when you see the elevations I mean it is an absolutely beautiful facility uh that I think you all be proud to to be a part of assuming we obtain the approvals of course uh my first I have I'll give you my Witnesses I have aie Shaw who is a volunteer but principal of the international organization of Temple I then have the preeminent engineer Chris CLE from meno engineering uh who will do the engineering testimony I then have Nar Harari an architect specializing in temples uh I then have uh the other preeminent that I use Mr J Troutman with regard to traffic and finally coming up the backside will be Ed coing the professional planner who will tie it all in a nice knot we think we comply we think we uh should get this approval for the reasons that Ed will give you we do not think we're making any impediments to traffic based upon what I'm going to elicit from Rajiv there is an issue that uh Chris will deal with later with regard to an additional 25 spaces which we I think we're going to look for um a waiver from but Bank them in the event we need them in the future so we don't have to come back again but I think Chris will very uh adequately describe that uh Rajiv would you please raise your right hand and do you like to be affirmed or swear uh affirmed okay I'm sorry he he broke up I didn't hear his answer affirm okay sir do you affirm that the testimony you're about to give should be the truth yes sir your name and address please Rajiv sha 2831 Missouri City Texas 77459 thank you slow down you have to slow down a little bit your first name is Rajiv RG I your last name is sha is that correct yes that is correct okay yes that is correct uh and you are associated with an organization called a voo please tell the board what voo stands for and please for my benefit because I'm not going to pronounce it as spell the V we're having techn wab Youth Organization it's a can you hear me yeah but you do break up so just check it out okay I represent WB Youth Organization also known as V it's an international organization uh providing facilities across the uh Globe for the betterment of the youth and the Hinduism and you uh how many do you have worldwide we have got we are in 15 countries and currently we got over 80 centers across the globe and you have selected on behalf of the voo the B scataway location is that correct that is correct and you believe that there is there is a need for it in this community and immediately adjoining communities is that correct that is correct oh yeah we're not reaching out for for people in outer counties but really the the Central Jersey Piscataway area is that correct that is correct yes Jim now I'm gonna try and until Mr canel tells me I'm doing too much leading uh I'm gonna try and help you out here uh we have a structure which is going to be the temple is that correct that is correct yes and how many deities are there uh there is going to be seven deities in there each one of them are different forms of Krishna all right and with regard to those seven uh periodically their ornaments and their clothing is changed depending on the holiday is that correct well Jim it will be changed on daily basis the ornament and the uh dresses and everything that changes on daily basis depending it's based on the practices that we follow and there's going to be food that is prepared for these deities is that correct that is correct yeah so our priest will be preparing the food that will be served on daily basis and that is from a kitchen in the temple is that correct yes that is correct yes and there will be two priests um and in the in your uh uh religion you're they are allowed to marry the lower priests if you will but so you may have two you will have two priests on site possibly with a wife is that correct that is correct yes and there are two apartments we've knocked off excuse the phrase we've eliminated one so there'll be two apartments with two bedrooms each is that correct that is correct yes bathrooms but no kitchen is that correct yes there'll be using the primary kitchen that they have to prepare the food okay and the the role of these priests to take care of the deities uh on a daily basis is that correct that is correct yes all right now the um Mr uh uh javeri will tell us about the floor plan but in terms of this operation uh you and the other devotees will come into the temple area and you go in a semi circle uh viewing area to pray to the deities is that correct that is correct correct yeah we go and do the services from there now with regard to that I'm going to get to the services and these numbers are approximate but I'm trying to use the larger numbers so everyone understands now there are services on Saturday and Sunday is that correct that is correct yes and that can be anywhere from 30 to 50 people over a six or seven hour period is that correct that is correct yes you will have approximately six services so you could have zero one well you'll always have the priest but you may have one to six or seven participants each of the hours over a six or seven hours is that correct that is correct yes now at the same time that we are doing the temple prayers uh in the assembly in the big area you also are going to have a small school being operated in the social hall is that correct that is correct yes and the maximum again and and I'm using larger numbers than Mr coing may have had anywhere from 30 to 60 people uh will be in the educational area but these 60 people are consistent with the other 50 that are at the service so there could be uh a hundred over the course of a day six hours but the parents may be at service the kids may be in a religious uh uh education area or the parents and the children could be together so it's not as if there's a double up am I being accurate yes you have been very accurate Jim during the week you expect anywhere from 15 to 30 I think I said this already on a weekday basis Monday through Friday spread over a day correct that is correct yes now you also intend to use a social hall from time to time not for Gigantic parties or anything but for smaller social events and following Services you may have Refreshments in the social area is that correct that is correct yes but these are the same people who would have gone to the services and now move into the social room to social to talk and uh maybe discuss certain religious topics am I correct that is correct and you also intend to use to the extent uh it works for you um Community purposes whether it's going to be uh vaccinations if it's a program or uh yoga uh you're not going to use this for profit but you're going to use it for community outreach and to assist the community to the extent they they need your help is that correct that is correct yeah and we'll be doing something for Stress Management and avoiding some depressions and other kind of things as well to help the community that we can be better like meditation Etc and primarily you're interested in in capturing the youth uh of the community is that correct that is correct yes now to help the next I'm doing okay so far right right now we have four high holidays a year uh those are in different months because of the calendar that your organiz that the church follows is that correct there's yeah we use different calendar so which does not align with the Western and it's usually a quarterly um four times a year is that correct that is correct yes now I uh the amount of devotees that come to the um High holidays could be as many as two to 300 people is that correct that is correct now that sounds like a lot of people and it is if you're going to pack them in in an hour but those two to 300 people will be spread over Services over a 6 to8 hour period is that correct that is correct yes and and this is the condition that we H and in between each service each 45 minute service there will be another 30 minute uh open Period where you're going to have your volunteers uh control traffic so after 45 minutes let's say 1:15 the service is over um your volunteers will go out to make sure that cars safely leave and new cars safely enter also if there's any traffic issue as indicated by the Piscataway Police Department uh we agree to hire uh any necessary uh police department personnel for those holidays to control any traffic is that correct that is correct yes now in your experience you really this has worked out for you has it not yes that so currently we have got like four other locations like this in USA and all of them has been working pretty well especially from the traffic as well as the people FL perspective right now I'm going to one of the conditions we have and I have to tell the board I'm pretty proud it was my idea in a different town and a different town accepted this a different type of uh Temple uh it what's going to happen is when you have the High holidays you will control how many people are in each uh service is that correct yes and you and someone's gonna say well how do you do that and how do you do that is they will have to sign up on the website and they will get a timed ticket and that is when they are going to go to that service is that correct that is correct yes we are using an special application so that people can register and we give them the timings when which service that they need WR and you believe that this will satisfy uh any uh I'll call it any crunch that may occur from too many people coming is that correct that's true right yes now I'm going to give you uh to the extent I forgot anything uh there is a the cooking there is a cooking kitchen for the priests and the deities and then there is a Hot Table in the Social Hall a warming table is that correct yes there'll be warming table because we'll be serving the food to the volunteers as well as the participants from time to time all right so it's not a full kitchen it's really warming tables it's just you don't intend to cook there if you were going to do any cooking or food handling you understand that the organization will have to obtain the necessary food handlers licenses from either Piscataway or I believe it's really the county of middle sex you understand that yes I understand that now with regard to there is no call to worship I'm sure the board understands a call to worship we have no no we have no um forgive me no horns Sirens or sounds that emanate outside to that would uh affect the public indicating worship times is that correct that is correct yes so we we just we don't have it uh the as Mr uh uh our architect may say we have certain I'm going to call them spiritual or religious additions to the building uh which there's a discussion whether they are height or not but that is part of what you have there is that correct that is correct yes now one last question and then I'll ask you you have anything else the priests that live on site now I don't know whether you're familiar with how some other religions work that being uh in the Catholic Faith you know having a rectory nearby the church uh and the Jewish faith having a parsonage uh and the Protestant also having some type of a uh a house provided to the minister is it essential that the two priests live on premises yes it is essential and it must have requirement for us because it's just like I'm using a simple analogy that when doctor goes for the surgery they need to be prepared just before they go to the operations theater similarly when they're serving the diet uh our priest needs to be uh go through a special process and hence they need to be on site in the same building right now I'm going to ask a question which uh well it's a it's a necessary question under no circumstances you understand is anyone to use those two apartments except for the priest you understand that yes yeah and no one is you under no circumstances do you lease or allow anyone other than the priests to reside in those apartments that is absolutely correct and we won't be doing it anyway um is there anything I have omitted from my extraction of information from you no I think you've done everything that we discussed has been covered only the only the board can say that not you okay uh Mr chairman uh subject to questions I give Mr sha to you thank you appreciate that any members of the board have any questions for Mr sha Mr stall you can proceed with your next I have one two questions please Mr chck sorry the the festivals four times a year would you notify the police department in advance so it doesn't all of a sudden is's a you know a traffic jam then the cops have to run up there that's just don't know how how safe it would be to have parishioners out in meta Lane directing driver no no I will answer John because I know that absolutely in fact I'm sorry I didn't think of that first but we will notify the police department uh quarterly we'll give them the dates that we're gonna have just so it's not surprised that's all right they may have to stop a football game just for this celebration that's a joke what's the other thing um oh the there's no call to worship but is there any outside um parade or anything that takes place outside or is everything in the building everything inside the building we don't do anything outside of the building well I just want to clarify that Rajiv there is that courtyard outside is there a time period when people may sit out there that's yeah means they they might be coming through there as a small possession but they won't be making any sound during that time it's just basically they're just coming and uh doing you know coming in together from there okay and won't be making any louder no noises each word of these temples has its own character and sometimes there is outside events and sometimes or not you do not we do not uh do you have weddings there uh no we are not planning to have weddings there uh no weddings funerals in Community Hall we might uh allow somebody to come out and do wedding but again it will be internal won't be outside okay thank you John any other member of the board have any questions the number of parking SPAC is going to be done by Mr uh John I'll have to leave that for Chris okay Chris and Jay Troutman have the couchs yes okay okay great okay Mr St call you next please thank you very much uh Chris S Chris I'm here please raise your right Mr stall that's Mr canel's job to do that he'll he'll raise his hand do you swear that testimony you're about to give should be the truth is your volume on Chris yeah I can't hear Mr zect Chris fix your it's better go ahead can you hear me now yes Jim can you hear him now yes I can hear him now okay thank sorry about that uh Chris uh uh you were engaged by the applicant uh your firm for uh site engineering is that correct that's correct are you please give the board the benefit of your education and uh uh licensing uh yes my name is Christopher SLE last name is s is and Sam Z and zebra a a y I currently work at menow Engineering Associates located at 261 Cleveland Avenue in h Park New Jersey I received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 2008 and I've been a licensed professional engineer in the state of New Jersey since 2013 I've testified I be qualifi Mr qualifications we're good Chris please Pro Mr Weissman has his hand up I don't know whether that's a mistake or I just wanted Laura to know all right Chris H you know how I like to do it I'd like to do the following I'd like you to present to the board a the existing conditions what it is today B what the proposal is for the development and see if the chairman agrees we can then respond to staff comments or do that later okay sure sounds good um now I have prepared two exhibits actually three exhibits for you this evening uh is it okay if I share my screen yes yeah please do can everyone see the exhibit on my screen yes it's it's up there okay so first exhibit is uh titled 464 meter's Lane existing conditions exhibit dated 119 2023 uh this exhibit I can Mark into evidence as A1 A1 thank you and this is an exhibit depicting uh with an aerial background depicting the site and the surrounding areas it shows the existing conditions and it has the property boundary uh highlighted and the second exhibit which I'll mark As A2 is entitled 464 metler Lane overall plan exhibit also dated 11923 and this is a colorized rendering of the submitted overall plan with zoning Landscaping turned on and over top of that same aerial background and the third exhibit which I'll introduce uh if we get to it but it shows where the land l parking uh will will be introduced uh but the to go through the uh site description the property is designated is a rectangularly shaped lot designated as block 971 Lots 28.01.2013 Lane which is a County Road also known as County Route 609 the address is 464 metler Lane which is on the south side of metler Lane 300 feet from the intersection with Sutton's Lane and overall the property is approximately 5.6 acres and is located entirely within the r-20 residential Zone uh surrounding the property you'll see that we have single family residential pretty much on all sides of of the property with only metler Lan Frontage and some wooded area to north northwest of the property under existing conditions let me let me ask you two question Chris let me ask you two questions before I forget nor in the northern Corner the northeastern Corner that was a house that boo acquired in order to square off the property isn't that correct correct and that was because there could have been issues with regard to driveway aets Etc and it made sense to acquire the property correct yeah and one last question before I forget I had uh indicated in my introduction working with the township we reduced the uh uh the footprint of the buildings about 24% is that correct yes that's correct because we we we wanted them we wanted to respond to the Township's concern on size okay go right ahead now okay thank you okay so uh the site is C currently uh developed it's occupied by two single family dwellings uh as well as a former retail building or uh metler florist and all located along the front Frontage along that L Lane there's currently three curb Cuts there's one to the northernmost dwelling and then two to the meish Florest and the second dwelling has uh driveway has access off that uh that parking area for the Florest uh the remainder of lot is mostly open space in Wood woods with a small stone or gravel uh parking area and then there's two areas of wetlands one at the center of the site you'll see which is an isolated Wetland with a buffer and then there's a second Wetland that runs along the southern property line it's a uh there's an existing ditch there has a wetland buff and 50ft repairing buffer so although the site is 5.6 Acres the environmentally restrictive areas reduces the site developable area to about 4.2 Acres from that 5.6 now what we are proposing for the site moving to exhibit A2 uh the applican C taking approval to demolish all of the existing buildings and features on site outside of that environmentally restrictive area uh in order to construct two new buildings and Associated parking now the site will function as religious facility as previously discussed by the client the front building is a thre story uh 10,460 foot footprint located about the midpoint of the site and it meets all the required setbacks for front yard side yard and rear yard the first floor of the building will contain an exhibition Hall and classrooms and will go through uh the buildings a little bit more but I just want to give a little bit of rundown uh the second floor will be the prayer Hall and the third floor will be where the living quarters are the two uh apartments with two bedrooms each for the priests uh this building is where um a few of our variances are uh focused and created so the the use of this site uh for religious purposes for worship and Sunday School type use is a conditional use and permitted uh the fact that there are living quarters for the priests for religious purposes creates the use variants that we're seeking tonight uh the uh the fact that there is uh this is a worship Hall also allows for a maximum of five acres for the site and since we are at 5.6 Acres variance is required but again as I described due to these environmental uh enir Mally restrictive areas you'll see we really kept disturbance out of a large swap of the Southern portion of the site and reduced the developable area to 4.2 Acres uh where again the site permits a maximum of five acres and one uh one more variance focused on this front building is for a building height where Maxum of 35 ft is permitted 38 ft is uh requested and again I'll let the architect discuss this a little bit more but um as Mr stall stated we did reduce the uh the overall building Footprints of both buildings by about 24% um but but the height is is certainly required uh and again partially for religious purposes now the second building is a twostory 6570 foot multi-purpose building that's ancillary to the uh to the place of worship or or the temple uh it's set directly behind the front building and the two buildings are connected by about a 5,000 square foot uh paver patio between the two buildings now the two uh and again this this rebuilding meets all required setbacks as well the two buildings Total Building uh Total Building coverage is 7% of the site where 20% is permitted so we're well with under the permit building coverage and again we worked with the township to uh you know make sure that everyone's happy with the uh proposal and we reduce the building square footage by quite a bit even though as you can see we're well under uh the committed building coverage uh access to the site is by way of a right in right out driveway we Consolidated with three curb Cuts along long met is lay down into one uh so the entrance to the site leads to a front parking area there's also uh 24t wide Drive aisles around both sides of the building that lead to parking on the sides of the building and also to the rear of the building uh there's a total of 168 parking spaces proposed where 240 parking spaces are required uh this of course is a a variance is required for this parking and we do have our traffic engineer we'll touch on that a little bit more but really we have a shared parking condition here um the two buildings work you know they're ancillary to to each other we're not going to have one fun at the front building and a whole separate function at the rear building so if you look at the uh parking requirements for each building the front religious facility requires 125 spaces and the rear facility requires 115 spaces but really they're working together and so that that total I believe is is Consolidated and uh due to the fact that we have multiple uh worship times throughout the day um we're really reducing the max the maximum use of the site at any one given time so we feel that there there's more than enough parking on site but there was a comment from our planner or from the townships planner in to introducing landbank parking in order to possibly you know address the parking situation should uh an issue arise in the future and so I did lay out uh where we would propose uh 20 you know about 20 2 to 30 additional spaces along the northeast driveway you can see we kept parking out of uh this area even though it's it's obvious that we could uh add more parking and that's due to a 50 foot parking setback from adjacent Residential Properties so you'll see on uh this additional exhibit I I created what would uh where this additional parking would be located this is a copy of the overall plan that was submitted but it has uh modification to it to show these additional parking spaces now I showed 30 spaces here but um of course we may have landscape Islands or or may want to reduce the limits of the parking so I'd say 25 to 30 spaces could be added to the to this aisle and at worst uh i' say the the parking setback would be 31 1.5 ft from the adjacent residential property where 50 feet is required so um should the township uh like us to land bank these parking spaces we would require a parking setback variance for these additional spaces of that 312 ft where 50 ft is required um now moving on to uh so the spaces are all 9 by8 which is meets Township requirements and drive ISS are 25 foot wide also meet cont requirements we did make a modification uh based on Fire official comments uh the Fire official wanted 25 foot interior uh radii which we accommodated and uh wanted us to we previously had a oneway drive VI and angled parking we widened out the drive a to accommodate the fire official's comments and provided 90 degree parking here so we did we did some additional impervious coverage which was offset by reducing the building um but uh Field disc actually works better with with flow throughout the site and meets all Township requirements uh we'll be providing EV parking spaces as required by the state statute and seven handicap spaces uh are provided at the North uh north east corner of the uh front worship building to provide accessibility uh to these religious facilities uh by way of sidewalk that interconnect around uh around the two buildings and we also provided sidewalk along the metlers lane Frontage along its entirety um which again is is going to be under County review can I ask a quick question Chris um how many EV uh stations are you providing I I believe it's it's 4% when you get over 150 spaces so we'll meet the statute but it's 4% of 168 so it's it'll be seven uh EV spaces okay thank you please proceed the recommendation they're operable when you open the facility is that your intent um we have not discussed that I believe we're only required make ready by the staff stat but if uh the town would statute some would have to be operable too I suggest you just do put him in and have them work but what is the request joh what's the request from the board to have the EV stations up up and working for the opening of the center well I think that I don't you think that's a problem Chris no no not at all it's not really the whether it's make ready or it's operational we have to run the Electric conduit to the space it's really just installing I think we prefer that I appreci you can accommodate that that' be great thank you please proceed thank you thanks Chris there is a dumpster enclosure provided along the northern Drive aisle right about the midpoint and adjacent to the exting buildings that will be enclosed and landscaped uh for screening purposes and again due to the environmental constraints and some of the the grade change along the site we're providing a retaining wall along the southwestern portion of the uh parking area and this is where uh one of our variant is required for uh the fence the safety fence that sits the top of the retaining wall since the retaining wall this tallest point is about 9 ft and there's a 4ot high fence on top of that uh the fence is considered to be 13t high where 6 feet is permitted within a residential Zone uh and again that's really driven by the fact that we have this environmental constraint along the the property where we're trying to provide as many parking spaces as we can um while also you know reducing any environmental uh impact and I think that hit all of the uh proposed Chris sister to the board understands one more is a a monument sign yes well before you do the monument sign we have obtained a a uh a sore easement from a neighbor is that correct yes that's correct if Mr canel wants to see a copy I can get it to him but we we have access to sanitary correct correct yes and I'll touch on that about to get to the storm watering utilities but the sanitary easement you'll see runs off the rear of the property through the adjacent lot and Connect into the existing sanitary sewer system within wickley Avenue um but uh just to touch on the monument sign we're proposing a monument sign it meets all the required setbacks the setback is 25 ft and maximum of 32 sare ft and uh there was request to to submit a detail I believe uh we we have a an exhibit or we'll submit a copy of what the sign will look like um to the zoning board for the for the permit but I believe we have a similar one used that facility that we'll be providing is that sign lit um yeah I believe there's going to be uplighting either up up lighting or or the sign will be back L we we have not not not in not in journal lighting okay so so uplet we we can accommodate whichever the township prefers but up uplet would be fine the sign is just a standard sign it's not digital or or moving I should say static um moving on to some of the more technical items the storm water management uh since this is a major development due to the amount of disturbance and increased impervious coverage we are required to address storm water management which we are uh handling Thea conventional storm water management system of catch basins and underground pipe uh as well as porest pavement uh due to the new uh green infrastructure requirements Forest pavement is being provided it provides water quality and the uh Stone bed beneath the forest pavement provides quantity reductions uh in a uh an environmentally friendly Manner and meets all green infrastructure uh requirements where will meet Township requirements and we're also um discharging within the Wetland buffer area which requires a d permit um and we're filling the isolated Wetlands so not only will Township reviewing the storm water management but the D will be reviewing the storm water management along with the wetlands permits uh so we'll get a thorough review of the design but I'm I'm confident it meets all uh requirements of the municipality County solar Roan d uh to handle storm water and using green infrastructure and maintaining the existing drainage pattern which is from meter's Lane towards the rear of the property uh towards the the ditch along the southern portion of the property and that's where our discharge point is to continue uh to maintain that existing drainage pattern uh the sewer connection we discussed through the via the easement off the back of the property and uh gas electric water is all to be uh serviced from uh the existing infrastructure within Met's Lane uh the appin is proposing a substantial amount of landscaping inorder to provide some screening as as well as beautify the site uh there's a heavy buffer a double row of Evergreens along the northern P portion of the site Northern property line uh and along Met's Lane uh there's a double row of Evergreens along the uh Southwest property line and then we're utilizing the existing uh trees and uh environmental area to provide some some screening to the South you can see off the property line to the Southwest there's there's some existing Woods uh that exist there today as well overall we're providing 58 shade trees 142 Evergreens uh 31 flowering trees 429 shrubs and 511 ground cover dispersed throughout the site as well as uh internally and along the the buildings um we have a request to provide some additional Foundation plantings which we are happy to do uh and we can we can do so to satisfy the C professionals uh And in regards to lighting finally uh we're designing the Scythe to be safe and adequate utilizing LED light fixtures we have 13 pull mounted fixtures mounted at 18 and a half ft high with an average of 1.39 foot candles a minimum of 04 foot candles in the drive aisles and parking areas and average to minimum uniformity ratio of 3.48 to one uh and again that that meets all Township requirements uh to provide safe and adequate lighting and we have no spillage off into the adjacent Residential Properties and the only uh slight spillage is to light the intersection of the site with meter's Lane uh which is really a safety concern and is uh recommended really to to provide a safe entrance for uh for everyone and that that really summarizes my test want any questions uh Chris in the northern um back of the uh property you said that you're putting in a whole bunch of Evergreens and I see that um do you know what size they're going to be planted at and what's uh they'll they'll grow to any idea uh I can I can take a look real quick if you bear with me let me take a look at my just wonder what the height would be at maturity to buffer it with the neighbors Mr kale they're basically no way Spruce and the um what is it they no green Giants in there I forget what it is they're all going to go up 30 40 feet oh okay then then Chris consider my question answer yeah if the board approves this application what I suggest um Mr stall is that there is a number of recommendations in Mr henin's report dated November 3rd 2023 relevant to landscaping and a couple other improvements on the property have you reviewed those and can you agree I was going to get to comments I'm sorry want a time please I know I seld and disagree with Mr hinterstein I was goingon to ask Chris if he can just indicate that all engineering uh comments and staff reports can be complied with do we have any issues Chris yes no we we don't have any issues um I think there was a few comments that required some additional testimony which I believe I have touched on yes you did unless I missed anything thank you the answer is yes CH okay the dedication of on meta Lane that's really County jurisdiction but are you willing to do that what that's subject at the county I know if they say so do it item 12 is County jurisdiction and you would like that not included Chris your call yeah I think an e if we were going to say yes right now I would say an easement would be better so as not to impact you know uh coverages and and setbacks okay all right um but again I think the county is pretty thorough with with the review right away okay the only last item I didn't maybe you did say it do you have a lights out provision on this plan we generally ask when the you know the temple is not occupied on service hours whatever most of the par parking lot lights would be out other than the intersection you described as drive way you describe we have no objection to that and we have all of our lights on a timer so whatever the uh requirement is we can all right John what would that time be 10 p.m 11 why I don't would be 10 would be fine unless during the holidays it's still being used you know for for some late Services okay my report is dated November 6 and Chris addressed most of the items that were of an engineering nature so won't drag this out any longer okay we can move forward comments any other any other board members have any questions or comments Mr Su I think we're good Mr St you can move forward yes sir now where are you oh Mr s take your thank you all right no I'm here all right Mr canelia here he is if you raise your right hand do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give should be the truth I do thank you please state your name spelling your last name sure my first name is Nal NE h l last name is z j h a v e r i and what are uh what are you engaged as I'm an architect I'm a licensed professional in state of New Jersey and a couple of other states how long in New Jersey uh 13 years and it's still valid in full force that is correct sir have you appeared before this board before no but other boards in New Jersey absolutely mral fine Mr Saul we can move forward thank you all right nil now you you're my friend and I respect you but don't take a lot of time on this okay I know you're proud of your work but I just appreciates that ahead of time by the way no he's very good but I know the hell I I want you to describe a elevations with material the floor plans you don't have to go through each element because I think uh Rajiv did so just you know I want the board to know what's going on but we want to uh uh respect her time okay go to it AB absolutely uh may I share my screen please yeah yes please do thank you okay I guess you can see my screen okay um first off I have uh this sheet number Z1 dated 1020 2023 and its first floor plan what we have is two buildings uh on the right side is the first floor of the main temple building and to the left is just the uh portion of the second ancillary building uh you would enter from the right side here uh on the first level you go to the for you go towards the I mean this is normally everybody will have to do it they go they take off their shoes uh clean up their feet uh or wash their hands come inside this Lobby go upstairs through elevator or you would take the stairs to go to the second floor uh um that's primarily the main function uh of the lobby and the for area if there is an exhibition of educational religious uh purposes in this exhibition Hall they would proceed to the exhibition Hall uh and uh walk around and get out uh to the back on the first floor we have uh four classrooms distributed along the entire back along with the uh you know the man and woman or boys and girls uh bathrooms so so that they don't have to cross the exhibition Hall all the way to the other side of the front and then you can get out from the back door go towards the courtyard and stay for a minute stop for a second the the indication patio play area I mean that is not for a child care that's just an outdoor area where some of the youngsters can be when the parents are at Services is that correct that is correct all right go ahead thanks for clarification uh and then you could go to the ancillary building uh so that's how they are connected through this patio uh open patio I'd like to say that um when you get up to the second floor through the elevator and staircase I'm going to go to the second sheet that's the second floor it's called Z2 again dated 10:22 uh it is a second floor that's where we have the main worship hall now the worship Hall has about 20 foot ceiling um I'll get to that why I mentioned that and uh the primarily you could come up the stairs the Monumental stairs on either side they're open stairs you can come up to the covered entry porch area and you can enter the lobby or you come through the elevators W stairs come through the lobby into the prayer hall because you've already taken off your shoes downstairs for the most part um you'd be in the prayer Hall area that's uh an altar is something and all the space place behind the altar is completely restricted just for the priest nobody else can go there uh again this is very different than most of the other Hindu temples uh we have this seven deities Al together the five being the gods shrines and the high priest area and the other side we have the offering room so that's how they consider the seven um you know deities there behind the altar area again it's primarily restricted area through this staircase from upstairs the uh priests are going to come down they would come down here and then that that's where they have uh various rooms here mainly for storage and kitchen area you may uh wonder why we have three different kitchens uh again this is uh the way everything works that one one part of the one type of the food cannot really touch the other type meaning the wet food the dry food and the daily food everything has to be separated that's why we have these three different kitchens and then you have all these different storages that we have for ornamentations and decorations and things along that line now the priest has to come and they will take the shower every time that they are worshiping or they are preparing things for God uh so they have to take come here take shower and then go inside the alter area only the high priest whenever they come in they have the access to the back again they also have to he will also have to take shower and go in the back so very very restricted area nobody goes there there's two staircases on either end stus 2 and stus three on the other side it would be used by the priest uh and in case of emergency it would be used from the third level now you can go up to the third level through elevat and stairs when I call third level and I mentioned 20 foot ceiling height also that ceiling height uh allows us to have some sort of a mezanine area but since because technically speaking it exceeds the building um code uh requirement we had to call it a third floor otherwise it's merely a mezanine because of how it's tucked in within the overall two-story space so you have all this open area in the middle you have a VI viewing area a small viewing area and then you have a smaller Corridor on either side what we call pilgrimage Corridor again they have restriction they cannot go behind here for the most part because it's a priest area and then lot of the ceremonial storages that we going to need uh we had to take it from the second floor and put it up here uh so we have two apartments for the priest uh we do not have any Kitchen in there again they have to cook downstairs only use that food only whatever they're offering to the Gods uh we also have a high priest resting room whenever he comes here uh once or twice a year whenever he decides to come here that's where he's going to rest uh and public can have access to him from this Corridor um with appointments Mo mainly uh as far as the second building is concerned hopefully this is explanatory by now I'm going to go to the second building ancillary building we call it dining hall sorry I'm moving too much a dining hall multi-purpose Hall uh that's where again all these uh social activities are going to occur for the most part we do have a kitchen that's a warming kitchen the fruit is brought here and then we're going to warm it up and serve um um again we have this uh excess necessary bathrooms and you know women and men's bathroom you can go again this one this Hall has a Monumental about 20 ft ceiling height similar thing that we have done here just above the kitchen area and the bathrooms we have Pari second floor only which has the administration office uh another offices and some storage area that they're going to require uh vessels and things along that line if they need uh to put it up there on the second level uh I'm going to go to the oh first of all I I guess the first building temple building is about 25,800 Square ft uh in total for all the floors and the second building is about 8,000 squ ft the ancillary building I'm going to go to the building elevations what we have is monolithic building uh monolithic color more or less throughout it's going to be more more or less a beige sort of stone uh or stone looking stacco we still have to figure it out what kind of material that we're going to have at the end of the day but it's going to be the Earth Tone and most most of the things are going to be only one color not multiple colors or not very vibrant colors or anything like that there is a lot of indianization that we had to do here some of these some of these Spears that you see here they are more or less required we have seven of them mainly because it represents the seven uh seven uh uh the the dees that we have inside so it presents that and that's why we had to have those seven uh you know Spears up top the height of the building is to the roof is 38 ft and all the way on the top of the sphere the the highest tallest sphere we have have is about 46 ft um you have the corridor all around with again uh the more like a traditional Indian architecture is what we try to present here most of the time you don't see all around but that's what we trying to present uh here so that it it does feel like very authentic uh still grounded Not Too Tall not too big but that's what we feel that this represents under the front same thing happens all around so all the other sites also similar color similar material uh except for two materials most likely we will not have any other materials we may uh have the what they call it uh fiberglass um decorations so a lot of these decorations or the roofs and all that could be made out of fiberglass uh that we have used on other temples in the area and outside of New Jersey as well so we feel confident about that uh how they're going to look and how they're going to fit in again it's uh same thing on the other side so pretty much the building is mirrored and identical on both sides this is the rear of the building where the first floor is tucked in and the second floor and third floor are uh overhanging uh the second uh you know the portion of the first floor here this is the courtyard side I'm going to go to the second building it's uh it is not as eminent as the the front building uh because first of all it hides behind completely hides behind the first building and uh it's we didn't make it too elaborate as the first building because it's just an ancillary building and it supports uh the activities that's going on on the first building on the temple building uh these are all the other sites similar materials all around uh so no no no variations in that even if it's hiding behind uh lots of windows again you know we try to put lot of natural lights and all that um that's what we have uh Jim is it okay if I go to the renderings real quick yes I know I took a long time thank you Mr stall again sorry about that so this you can see the overview of the you know the the bir ey view of the building how they sit on the property and how they look again the colors you can see and the materials more or less you can see what we try to achieve here okay looks good thank you thank you sir any members of the board have any questions or comments one quick question Mr chairman please John are the sugars going to have light in them or are they going to be dark I'm sorry uh no no they're going to be dark okay yeah we won't have lights above those are those are the projections above the deities that's correct okay okay thank you Mr chair with any other members no Mr stall put on your next witness okay where's where's my preeminent traffic engineer thank you oh he's got his hand up already can you hear me yep could you raise your right hand you swear the testimony you're about to give should be the truth yes I do your name and address please uh J trout MCD and Ray Associates 105 Elm Street Westfield New Jersey thank you hi Jay you are what you are a traffic engineer is that correct yes licensed professional engineer specializing in traffic um appeared before this board recently actually great yes your credentials are fine you can proceed Mr St go ahead M Jay just you know the drill give us your analysis uh and uh take care of this board yes I'm going going basically working from the outside in we have a simple right in right out access to the county road um so high control of turning movements no difficulties involving left turns or anything like that uh because of that right in right out we only really have to have gaps to get right turns out onto that two-lane section of metlers um we did what I'll call a worst case peak hour analysis we took the the Saturday traffic volumes which is the highest day use day for this facility and we we assumed actually more of a church type event where everybody comes into a service and that everybody leaves a lot different than what actually happens but it it's a worst case traffic event and we came up with a good grade on the level of service at level of service B in the Saturday peak hour and again um operationally I think this works in our favor from a traffic standpoint just because of the the the flat traffic pattern of having six different Services you can attend to see the gods so all the people are spread throughout the day instead of focusing on one event um in terms of parking uh I think the parking Supply is generous you could actually with 168 spaces at three people per car you could actually get 500 people on this site if that ever happened those are not the numbers that you heard earlier that's a way higher number than what they would expect even on their largest Festival day um the website scheduling for those larger more intense days um is an important condition just again to keep the loading flat and and those turnover times in between as well are very important uh in terms of getting that parking lot empty before the next event comes with all of that in place uh we could anticipate smooth traffic operation in terms of the parking variance um T typically at religious facilities while the buildings may have a lot of different spaces um the spaces are never used simultaneously for big events and what I mean by that is the the worship space may be active and then the same people are going to go to the exhibition Hall and the same people are going to go to the classrooms and the same people are going to go to the dining hall so it's really just all the same people moving around to the different uses depending on what's on the schedule so that you really don't need to park uh a slite like this for for simultaneous groups in each space I believe the the parking variants can be justified um the amount of parking can handle uh the what I think would be the largest event here and just as a as a safety precaution I would endorse the banked parking spaces in in case the township were to see something that they didn't like in terms of parking they could always uh they could always go to those Bank spaces and require those to be constructed I think that's all I have well I just want to clarify the we're looking for a variance for the 25 spaces but we would Bank them in the event the township required them that I just want to clarify that yes we banked parking meaning it's it's it doesn't you don't construct the spaces but you reserve it if the township were to to require them to be constructed they would only be constructed under that scenario okay any members of the board Mr CH you have any questions or comments Jim can the screen that showed the 25 spaces was not part of the submission we should make that an exhibit yeah I believe Mr Zay said he was going to mark it as A3 but I don't think we did I will Mark that as A3 thank you that yeah Craig had Chris had put that up yes and any other members of the board have any questions I agree with Jay's testimony I think the 25 spaces probably will not be needed uh given the numbers that they talk about but you never know in terms of the congregation it might grow all right hi M Mr coing Edward coing Mr coing are you present yes I am could you raise your right hand SAR affirm that testimony you're about to give should be the truth yes I do thank you all right I'd give a quick overview of your life's experience okay well I'm uh graduate of Ruckers University in 1974 I've been been licensed as a planner since 1984 um I've appeared in before boards throughout this the state of New Jersey um I have I appeared once in Piscataway more than a few years ago at the planning board but I have appeared L more locally at new Bruns in New Brunswick and Franklin Township um uh I've uh I I believe Mr coing can be aced as an expert yes I believe as well Mr St please proceed all right Mr coing uh please uh you were engaged to do a professional planning testimony with regard to the required variances let's hear you okay and I'll try not to be too redundant because a lot of this has been covered by the other professionals but uh I do want to point out this is an R20 Zone that that's primarily designed for single family homes on 20,000 squ foot Lots the proposed use of a house of worship Temple Church whatever we want to refer to it as is a permitted conditional use uh we will need a couple of variances from the the conditions um the proof for D3 conditional use variants are uh really centered upon a proof that the deviations from the criteria will not diminish the property suitability for the conditional use and that's what we're going to be discussing uh we do meet most of the conditions or standards for the uh for this use U however we do exed the maximum permitted lot area which is 5 Acres as the engineer mentioned we're 5.6 Acres I think that um we the property though we have to rec consider that the it is impacted by the wetlands and the buffers and so the resulting um usable or functional area is more like 4.2 acres and this is within the permitted lot area and as such I think that the proposed project is consistent with the intent of The Zone plan and the intent of that particular regulation and the granting of the variant uh would not uh have any detrimental impact on that intent of the Zone plan nor would it have any substantial detriment to the general welfare and public goods in fact I think the additional lot area does allow for um a functional lot area uh and still allow for the wetlands and buffer areas to be protected so I think that again the conditional use and variance in this regard can be uh can be granted um the uh other condition has to do with u uh a building containing a hospital church or other place of worship Sunday school or church school shall not be used for any other use um and in my own personal my professional opinion I think that the temple actually does um uh meet meet that criteria uh I know there's some some question about some of the other ancillary uses that are within the temple um but I would uh I would say that these functions um are really ancillary accessory and essential to the function of of the temple so that uh I think we do fall within what the definition of a of a church is or Temple this this regard is a is a building or structure or groups of buildings and structures or structures that by design and construction are primarily intended for conducting organized religious services and that's what the the temple is any of those other functions whether it be the church office meeting rooms the the uh priest residence for instance or other preparation areas are all accessory uh and subordinate to uh and customarily incidental to the church or Temple use U having a a residence as part of a church is really rather common whether you call it a parsonage uh a parish house rectory a residential component as part of a church is very common so I think that this is really accessory to customary and incidental um however um if your if the variance is is required um I see that I I don't believe that that would uh result in any substantial detriment um the um the the the residents the offering offering areas and all those other sort of U functions are all within the church with uh within the temple are all essential to the function of the temple and I don't think that they really result in any detriment to the intent of the Zone plan again and I also think that the uh the inclusion of those uses uh would have any detrimental um impact on the general welfare of Public public good again they're all within in the the building they don't they they are not Standalone uses they're not Standalone residences so I think that the impact would be rather slight if any at all um and in fact this use is inherently beneficial so I think you have to look at that from uh any impact on the general welfare or the public good um that same sort of discussion about the accessory versus principal uses I think plays into the parking variant um there is a parking requirement found in the conditional use requirements and that is simply one space or for each three seats uh or 72 inches of seating space within the uh house of worship so that would be 125 parking spaces and we have 168 parking spaces so there's no variance from the conditional use standard uh and I think that that's written that way because there's a recognition that these are accessory functions um and that as the uh traffic engineer pointed out these uses don't compete don't compete with each other they share the the uh the parking essentially so that um you know so I don't think that there'd be any detriment by granting the variants to the um Department requirement that is that is found in section 24 72.2 which is in the General in this in the uh I think it's the site plan ordinance it's not part of the conditional use standards um there is a provision in that portion of the ordinance that talks about the parking requirement for each use shall be computed separately and then then added together to compute the total number of required parking spaces and I think for as a professional planner that that that requirement is really more aimed at where you have a combination of principal uses where each use is going to have its own requirements and its own parking demand in this case there really is only one principal use the temple uh and the other uses again are ancillary uh and they they're intended to function together to complement each other and they don't really have a a an increased say parking demand for each use they share that demand um so I think that um by granting this various there would be no substantial detriment to the intent of the requirement the parking requirement and it would be no substantial detriment to the public good or general welfare because although we don't meet the full level of 240 parking spaces if you did it as a combined requirement we do exceed the 125 Spaces by an additional 43 parking spaces and that that certainly should be enough to to accommodate uh any any parking demands or or impacts um and then also as was described we can create a a banked area for additional 25 parking spaces should uh a demand uh you know be created at some point in time the last variance uh that I will be addressing has to do with the building height um this this variance also is not related to conditional use standards it's a bulk standard applicable to the R20 Zone and uh as I was saying the principle use within the R20 zone or for single family homes so this height requirement is really more applicable to a single family home uh clearly a church or a temple is going to be larger than a single family home those type of structures serve a special type of need a special type of purpose they're a Gathering Place um they have they have a certain large larg ger size inherent to just the that type of that type of use um still even though this is larger U the building itself is only three feet taller than what the permitted 35 foot height per single family home would be uh and when you add the ornamentation it does reach 46 feet uh but this is not any different than the height differential that you would typically expect say from a steeple on a church or a minet on a mosque or any other type of religious ornamentation on any place of worship so I I think I believe that this variance can be granted because the added height uh of the building and and the rooftop ornamentation are really inherent to the use of the building as a house of worship um I don't see that'll be that this will result in any detriment to the intent of the R20 Zone which is really geared to the height of a single family home uh and likewise there'd be no substantial detriment to the public good or general welfare uh the building is sented in the property it's set back 100 over 100 feet from either side and set back 200 feet from the 250 feet from the rear so I think there would be very little impact on on surrounding property so there's no substantial detriment to the public good or general welfare uh and given again apparently beneficial nature of the proposed development I think this variance can also be granted and that concludes my testimony thank you any members of the board have any questions or comments Mr Chapman tab sorry I'm done Sean I I have a question sure are there any uh plans for solar panels particularly on the roof yeah we we hav't haven't planned for it yet but there was a discussion about it to make it uh energy efficient as much as possible um because of the building codes that we have it does make it pretty close to energy efficient but we can certainly consider that thing okay thank you any other comments or questions okay uh Mr stall I was going to suggest that we carry this so I could produce a full to you sometime in December yeah the only thing I had Mr K was can we close I'm Really Gonna Mr can is gonna have to answer I mean I was hoping we could go to the public close it close the presentation and then the only thing that occurs in December would be a decision my concern with that is if the members who listen to the tapes or read the transcripts have questions of your professionals then we're going to have to bring your professionals back and reopen the public again you're right I defer to Mr Canal that he's correct um okay um I think M has is it a virtual meeting yes it is all right so they could be available we can work something out yes so are we going to car this to December 14th 2023 with no further notice that would be my request okay anybody in the public uh the board only has five members this evening the applicant is entitled to seven members when a vote is taken on a use variance like this the applicant has elected to carry this matter to December 14th uh with no further notice the only notice you're receiving is my announcement here tonight with the hope that seven members are eligible to vote at the December meeting uh the members who are missing tonight may ask questions at the conclusion of that uh any member of the public that wishes to speak for or against this application will have an opportunity to do so uh and then the board would vote on the matter thank you Mr canel V I just want to tell I'll speak with the uh vao Team it's not my intention to have everybody at that next meeting I we're going to work something out um to be efficient so uh on the 14th hope I would we'll see what happens in the 14th well Mr sa I could speak to the two other members that are missing and find out if they have any questions once they've listen to the transcripts and um if they had any particular questions for your planner for your engineer architect I would um I'd let Mr canel know ahe of time Mr Kel I was going to ask that but I thought it was presump ous of me to suggest that so I kept my big shut a presumptuous lawyer no I know a couple but I'm not gonna mention her name not on one hand um well anyway have a great night and we'll see you on the 14th right have a great Thanksgiving everyone much let's move on to item number 15 the discussion of the adoption of 202 zoning board the calendar I have no issues of any to see s a copy of it all in favor of the calendar say I I hi I all oppos okay let's move on to item number 17 the adoption of minutes from the regular meeting of October 26 2023 all in favor say I I all oppos make a move to adjourn once again everyone thank you for your volunteering I have a great Thanksgiving and we'll see you back here second week of December thank you good night everyone thank you for coming everyone yes --------- I'd like to call a council meeting to order Advocate notice of this meeting has been provided as required under chapter 231 pl1 1975 specifying the time date location login and dial information and to the extent known the agenda by posting a copy of the notice on a municipal building municipal court and two Municipal Library bulletin boards Municipal website providing a copy to the official newspapers of the township and by following a copy in the office of the Township Clerk in accordance with the certific if ation by the clerk which be entered into the minutes in order to ensure a clear recording of the meeting can be made and that all parties are heard in an organized fashion all members of the public that are partitioning remotely will be muted during the meeting the township will provide for public comment periods for both remote and in-person attendees if a member of the public wishes to speak during any public comment portion for remote attendees please raise your hand this can be done either through Zoom app or by pressing star n on your phone when it is your turn to speak you will receive a prompt to request to unmute please click on the prompt press star six on your phone to unmute and begin making your comments all members of the public will have three minutes to speak and should ask any and all questions that they may have during that period at the conclusion of your three minutes remote attendees will be muted again inperson attendees will also receive three minutes to ask any and all questions and may then take a seat at which time the council or Administration will respond as necessary should you have any further comments or questions at township council is always available by email and phone and you can always call the mayor's office during normal operating hours each member of the public shall only have one opportunity to speak during each public portion as the technology does not allow us to know if there are multiple calls on any individual phone line or login user account we ask that if you wish to speak that you log in or dial in separately so that we can recognize you as a separate individual the C you please take the role councilwoman kahill councilwoman carmichel here councilman espanosa here councilwoman Lombardi here councilman Rouse councilman Shaw here council president Ern here please stand for the flag salute I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all comments from Administration and Council be goinging adjournment of any matters on the agenda not at this time okay item number six open to the public comments regarding item number 13 conscent and the items for mode attendees if you wish to speak at this time please raise your hand either on Zoom app or by phone by pressing star 9 when it's your turn to speak you will receive or hear a request to unmute yourself please click the prompt or press star six on your phone to unmute yourself at that time please state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments the council Administration will'll respond if necessary after you have completed any comments or questions council president I'm asking the first remote attendee to unmute themsel hi uh my name is Brian rag 1247 Brookside Road I had questions on uh AA what corrective action plan is this and then also on the um I lost which number it was but referring a couple lots for redevelopment has that been have you considered uh going through the New Jersey Green Acres plan to preserve that open space instead of redeveloping it that was it thanks yeah the corrective well the first one I'll take the corrective action plan the corrective action plan is for the 2022 audit um and this in in our case there are no corrective actions needed so our corrective action plan essentially is none um but we still have to approve uh a resolution confirming that and then in terms of the the Redevelopment they're private properties the commercial properties um you know there's only so many funds there have to be taxpayer funds I'm sure the mayor would you know will state is that there's there's probably significant taxpayer funds Green Acres doesn't give you 100% of the funds so I think part of the problem there's a misconception out there with the progressives that they want to buy up every commercial property and take it all off the tax rolls and have high taxes in this town I I philosophically disagree with that notion by the way we have 28 Municipal parks in this town and on top of the county and on top of the uh Rucker preserve council president there are no other individuals to remotely with their hand raised I'm going to close the remote portion for imperson attendees if you wish to speak at this time please come to the Post state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments you may then take a seat after completion of your comments or questions and the council Administration will respond if necessary this is for convention agenda item number 13 my name is gas EOS I live at 58 Curtis let go of the button now is this a control mechanism here I'm all the button down hello um the first item is H it talks about oil erosion are you going to do with all that soil collected in all our storm drains when was the last time you clean them out um May if I may um counselor this is he's asking H this is return of a a bond those storm drains are falling apart Javin which is a single family there's Engineers walking around repairing some of them and they don't look across the street to see this has nothing what other damage is there that's not a consent it is it's part of the sh the other thing is the Veterans does that mean that 100% disabled veteran will collect 52 years of refund taxes how much refund do I get with 100% disability for the last 52 years I think that hi PR Patel 29 Road I just have a few questions lately I'm just seeing line items and I'm sure it would have been there which includes not to exceed um so the question that I have is usually any project that gets started they would start with some estimation that this is the real cost um with State kind of putting a structure together which just is not to exceed this if there is a deficit or Surplus like how would the public know what is the real cost EXC excuse this is item number item number 13 consent agenda items only is it regarding one of the consent agenda items it is uh okay so number refer to that so we know what you're what you're referring to thank you so much it's number a not to exceed 70,000 then you have Shi not to exceed 126,000 um then you have employee assistance not to exceed which is e number m not to exceed 20,000 uh not to exceed again s not to exceed 195,000 so in a sense you're putting a cap but the but the general public doesn't even know what the real cost is um so I don't know how this budgeting process works because in standard project management it starts with an estimate and somebody provides that estimate and based on that um either the new loans are created or new structures are created so I don't know how this Finance works thank you so that's that's exactly how it works so we got these prices state law requires us to write it up that way not to exceed that amount so you could look at the quotes and that's what the quotes are or the bids and then if it goes up or down it's dealt with afterwards when a Project's closed out with the change we so sometimes you'll see a change order voted on sometimes it drops the cost of the project and sometimes it increases the cost of the project and that's that's all follow State purchasing law does this include separate line items for material and labor in Act hours yes it's bid out when they when people bid it they bid individual line items so road project for instance may have 500 line items materials whatever they're biding out goes into a separate line item I have to see details of this where could I find it yeah you know you know the process for Oprah very well you know it so you can OA thank you I'm going to close the imperson portion item number seven ordinance on a second reading Clon and blakeland Avenue Redevelopment plan this is also open to the public resolution adopting ordinance Mr Cedar would you please read the ordinance be it resolved by the township Council of PCAT Township New Jersey that an ordinance entitled an ordinance adopting a Redevelopment plan for Block 3401 Lots 12.02 4 3.01 47.0 1 block 3402 lot 13 block 3403 Lots 1.01 2.01 5.01 and 72.0 and block 34.0 I'm sorry block 344 lots 29.01.2012 point0 59.0 62.0 66.0 and 71.0 and also includ including portions of the claen street Brook Avenue and Field Avenue rights of Way claen Street and bakeland Avenue as shown on the tax map of the township of pasaway was introduced on the 3D day of October 2023 and had passed the first reading and was published on the 8th day of October 20123 now therefore be it resolved that the offer said ordinance having had a second reading on November 9th 2023 be adopted past and after passage be published together with a notice of the date of Passenger approval in the official newspaper be a further result that this ordinance shall be assigned number 20232 okay this is open to the public for remote attendees if you wish to speak at this time please raise your hand either on Zoom app or by phone by pressing star n when it's your turn to speak you receive or hear a request to unmute yourself please click the prompt or press star six on your phone to unmute yourself at that time please state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments the council or Administration will respond if necessary after you have completed any comments or question questions council president there are no remote attendees with their hand rais regarding this agenda item I'm going to close remot potion for inperson attendees if you wish to speak at this time please come to the podium state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments you may take a seat after completion of your comments or questions and the council Administration will respond if necessary this is for the ordinance on our second reading item number seven I see none I'm going to close the iners portion do I have a motion motion do I have a second second C you please take the call councilwoman carmichel yes councilman Espinosa yes councilwoman Lombardi yes councilman Shaw yes Council president NN yes item passes on a second reading item number eight ordinance on a second reading authorizing 88 Centennial Avenue amended Redevelopment plan this is also open to the public resolution adopting Ence Mr Cedar would you please read the ordinance be resolved by the township Council of Piscataway Township New Jersey that an ordinance entitled an ordinance amending ordinance adopted July 21st 2020 approving amended Redevelopment plan for 88 Centennial Avenue block 6703 Lot 8 as shown on the tax map of the township of Piscataway was introduced on the 3rd day of October 2023 and had passed the first reading and was published on the 8th day of October 2023 now therefore be it resolved that the offers at ordinance having had a second reading on November 9th 2023 be adopted pass and after passage be published together with a notice of the date of Passage or approval in the official newspaper be a further resolve that this ordinance shall be assigned number ATT if you wish to speak at this time please raise your hand either on Zoom app or by pressing star n when it's your turn to speak you receive or hear or request to unmute yourself please click the prompt or press star six on your phone to unmute yourself at that time please state your name your and your address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments the council Administration will respond if necessary after you have completed any comments or questions council president there are no remote attendees with their handris regarding this agenda item I'm going to close the remote potion for in-person attendees if you wish to speak at this time please come to the podium state your name and address and those you have three minutes in which to make your comments you may take a seat after completion of your comments or questions and the council Administration will respond if necessary this is for item number eight going to close the iners portion do I have a motion motion I have a second SI you please take the RO councilwoman Carmichael yes councilman Espinosa yes councilwoman Lombardi yes councilman Shaw yes council president Ern yes item passes on a second reading item number nine first reading amending and supplementing chapter 7 traffic section 40 control for the movement and parking of traffic on public and private property to assist title 39 jurisdiction on 100 Springfield Avenue it's of resolution adopting ordinance Mr C did you please read the ordinance be resolved by the township Council of piscatway Township New Jersey that an ordinance entitled ordinance to amend and supplement the revised General ordinances of the township of Piscataway County of middlex state of New Jersey amending chapter 7 traffic section 40 control for the movement and the parking of traffic on public and private property to assert title 39 jurisdiction on 100 Springfield Avenue B and is hereby adopted on the first reading that it be published in the official newspaper and that a second reading of public hearing be held at 7:30 p.m. prevailing time at the pasca municipal building 455 hose Lane pasaway New Jersey as well as by remote meeting format on the 28th day of November 2023 be a further resolve that a copy of this ordinance shall be made I'm sorry posted in at least two public places within the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the Township Clerk for any interested member of the public do I have a motion motion I have a second second C please take the role councilwoman Carmichael yes councilman espanosa yes councilwoman Lombardi yes councilman Shaw yes council president Ern yes item passes on the first reading item number 10 ordinance on the first reading amended chapter 21 zoning resolution adopting ordinance Mr Cedar you please read the ordinance be it resolved by the township Council of Piscataway Township New Jersey that an ordinance entitled ordinance supplementing chapter 21 zoning of the revised General ordinances of the township of piscatway County of middlex state of New Jersey be and is hereby adopted on the first reading that it be published in the official newspaper and that a second reading a public hearing be held at 7:30 p.m. prevailing time at the Piscataway Municipal Building 455 hos Lane pasaway New Jersey as well as by remote meeting format on the 19th day of December 2023 be a further resolve that a copy of this ordinance shall be posted in at least two public places within the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the Township Clerk for any interested member of the public thank you Mr Ceder do I have a motion motion Dennis I have a second second m c did you please take the role councilwoman carmichel yes councilman espanosa yes councilwoman Lombardi yes councilman Shaw yes council president Eran yes item passes on the first reading item number 11 fully funded sewer ordinance first first reading 2,500,000 various improvements is a resolution adopting ordinance Mr Cedar would you please read the ordinance be resolve by the township Council of Piscataway Township New Jersey that an ordinance entitled ordinance appropriating $2,500,000 from the SE utility budget capital outlay for various SE utility improvements in and by the township of piscatway in the county of middlex New Jersey being is hereby adopted on the first reading that it be published in the official newspaper and that a second re reading and public hearing be held at 7:30 p.m. prevailing time at the piscatway municipal building 455 hosan Piscataway New Jersey as well as by remote meeting format on the 5th day of December 2023 be a further resolve that a copy of this ordinance shall be posted in at least two public places within the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the Township Clerk for any interested member of the public thank you Mr seeded do I have a motion mot Michael G Lombardi the cedure pleas all councilwoman carmichel yes councilman espanosa yes councilwoman Lombardi yes councilman Shaw yes council president ER yes item passes on a first reading item number 12 bot ordinance on the first reading 4, 220,000 4, 900,000 various Capital Improvements this a resolution adopting ordinance Mr s please read the ordinance be it resolved by the township Council of Piscataway Township New Jersey that an ordinance entitled Bond ordinance providing for various Capital Improvements in and by the township of piscatway in the county of middlex New Jersey appropriating 4 m220 th000 therefore and authorizing the issuance of $4 m9000 bonds or notes of the township to finance part of the cost thereof be is hereby adopted on the first reading that it be published in the official newspaper and that a second reading in public hearing be held at 7:30 p.m. prevailing time at the Piscataway Municipal Building 455 hosan pasc Way New Jersey as well as by remote meeting format on the 5th day of December 2023 be it further resolved that a copy of this ordinance shall be posted in at least two public places within the township prior to the day of the second reading and final passage and a copy of this ordinance shall be made available at the office of the Township Clerk for any interested member of the public thank you Mr Ceder do I have a motion motion carel I have a second second see did you please take the role councilwoman carmichel yes councilman espanosa yes councilwoman Lombardi yes councilman Shaw councilman Shaw yes council president Erin yes item passes on the first reading item number 13 consent agenda item for efficiency items have been Consolidated consent agenda to be voted on together the materials of these items have been distributed to the council in advance of the meeting at this time are there any items that the council would like removed from the consent agenda item to be discussed or voted on separately no not at this time do I have a motion motion have a second second C to please take the RO councilwoman carmichel yes councilman Espinosa yes councilwoman Lombardy yes councilman Shaw yes council president eron yes item passes item number 14 discussion on best practices checklist any discussion it was sent out to all the council members and submitted to the state as required and we did very well on it had mostly yeses or not notal uh if I may the ironic part the state government doesn't abide by none of these either which is ironic okay item number 15 announcements and comments from officials councilman Michael yes thank you president um I was just reflecting that uh two days ago was my one-year anniversary of being uh elected as the W 3 Council woman here and uh just became a little overwhelmed just thinking about it the years gone by I've learned a lot met a lot of constituents and uh the mayor's got me involved on several wonderful projects in the town and I'm just I'm happy about the work that we've done in the past year and I can't wait to see what we're going to do for the next 12 months thank you thank you Sharon councilman esposa no comment sweet thank you leardi on behalf of the mayor and Council Al I'd like to offer um to all our Asian Indian Community Happy Diwali and um also we had uh one of our past uh police Chiefs pass away Kevin Harris so our condolences go out to the Harris family for the loss of um our um former police chief Kevin Harris thank you Michelle councilman shaww thank you m lari and all South Asian friends and family Happy Diwali and happy New Year thank you thank you counc and I have no comment at this time item number 16 this is Missour timy I just want to remind everybody it's veterans day on Saturday we we had a very successful Veterans Day luncheon at the senior center honoring the Vets there so it was great to see a lot of the Vets out there thank you mayor C attorne no comments thank you okay item number 16 agenda session for November 21st 2023 resolution authorizing budget transfers resolution authorizing Award of bids two 2 uh 224 and 22 2025 screen printing embroidering clothing promotional products Commercial Printing and signage do designing resolution authorizing award bid 2024 2025 screen printing embroidering clothing promotional products Commercial Printing and signage concept printing company uh resolution authorizing acceptance of project and release of retainage 2020 Ro Pro program for Curves sidewalks and Ada ramps discover Construction LLC resolution authorizing accept of project and release of retainage 2021 Road program for curb sidewalks Ada ramps Andover Construction LLC resolution authorizing return of escrow block 11205 lot 12.01 397 399 Park Avenue 22 ZB 06v resolution authorizing share of services contract with middle sex County of Public Health Services January 2024 through December 31st 2025 through 2024 46626 5.37 and 2025 47 5,590 68 uh motion to accept report of clerk's account October 2023 motion to accept the report of division of Revenue October 2023 and receive an enter into minutes dispence of the month of October 2023 item number 17 open to the public for remote attendees if you wish to speak at this time please raise your hand either on Zoom app or by phone by pressing star9 when is your turn to speak you receive or hear or request to unmute yourself please click the prompt or press star six on your phone to unmute yourself at that time please state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments the council Administration will respond if necess necessary if you have completed any comments or questions council president I'm asking the first remote attendee to unmute themsel hello Brian rack again 1247 Brookside Road still um I just wanted to correct something from before I was asking about uh item let's see which one was it it was item M on the uh consent agenda which is a Redevelopment plan for two lots that are currently uh zoned to senior citizen housing and are currently Fields with trees and stuff so I'm not talking about any of the warehouse properties that were on the uh that were not under the content agenda my other question is how have you been doing on dealing with the com controllers report where piscatway was one of nine towns that was did not have plans to prevent improper sick Lea payouts I saw that article about it was 928 so it's been over a month now has anything been changed there that was it so um that that article is is very disingenuous and that the township you over a year ago the com controller put out an article or a statement to to these towns basically saying we were in violation we had responded accordingly saying that we were in compliance that we had taken action um we had a um the state the controller's office did not respond to our letter and then this year then they came back to us and and put out this article said that we weren't in compliance we have taken the position that we are in compliance we have um taken the necessary action we were never in violation um and you know this is a I'm not sure what the agenda of the com controller is at this point but um we as the township are in complete compliance with the law and we never heard back from him after we submitted our last letters a few weeks ago council president there are no other remote attendees with their hand raised for this agenda item I'm going to close REM more potion for inperson attendees if you wish to speak at this time please come to the podium state your name and address and know that you have three minutes in which to make your comments you may take a seat after completion of your comments or questions and the council Administration will respond if necessary Justice that definition Escapes Me Do you think any administrative official could give me a definition or it's Property Maintenance and its console the police you think I can get a definition from our chief of police where is he how come none of them people are here they can't get a definition from our prosecutor how about our Injustice of the peace lost lost but Skyway is hurting and you don't know it you don't even visit your districts you don't see what's going on block to block you don't see how many potholes you ran over not you not the police Justice the definition escapes me big time where is justice here hi pra pel 29 redbit Road Council I come um to you today regarding just a general comment that I have and which I felt I feel lately that the laws that are being passed um specifically administrative laws with mandate it's injecting negative cost into household many many fronts um what is happening now is with mandates and insurance what's U it's not benefiting it is not benefiting household um even in landlord tenant case it's not benefiting landlord it's not benefiting tenant but it's benefiting insurance companies and then they are writing laws which they can escape against so if you read their underwriting laws today what they write in their brochures they're running away from their obligations so if you giving them rights in their own contract the way they are ready written today by the law lawers is they can easily Escape without just running away from their obligation another thing that I'm observing lately um now is what's happening is when I used to go into the court and I don't know if this has been happening all over but this has happened in piscar where if you guys are standing up against that flag and saying you are abiding by that constitution in in court system of piscar the Mr hobi and judge clearly asked pretty much everybody are they waving their constitutional right if the law of the land indicates that you are abide by the Constitution the justice system today represented by a judge is informing every constituent who is appearing to the court uh it's kind of a coion that you are waving your constitutional right they shouldn't be asking that question and and any defender or plaintiff shouldn't be waving any constitutional right what's happening with this is by waving their constitutional right they're extorting more fees which is again distorting more budgets it's creating another additional administrative positions and I personally that is inflating welfare it's creating bogus administrative code and also code enforcement position that's not helping in just recent court enforcement case uh housing and rent control on chapter 16 I went to the court and I did not get any satisfactory answer from Hobby um and again like when we go to the court they tell you the laws that husband and wife cannot represent their own case I mean is this how we are going to build a justice system today where a husband and wife who are filing joint turn and a code enforcement comes on wife name that they can't represent this this is this is becoming a mockery of justice system today which is being practiced and I don't know if it's a Statewide problem or it's a Township problem but lately to be frankly telling you the truth I'm losing faith in justice system today with all the administrative mandates that you're passing that's not helping me my family or it's not even helping any tenants for any Capital improvement work that I have to do I'm getting Short change for the laws that are passed and if you are want the money then give me the power that I I can summon you to fix those things when problems are there Council I'd ask you to refrain to make any comments this is a a current ongoing uh litigation believe it's a existing court case over in Municipal Court the existing Municipal Court case see more I want to close iners portion uh if I may council president uh there was just a comment a few minutes ago about po just as reiterate uh the general public knows that if there's a pothole please pick up the phone and call Department of Public Works they they've been filling potholes you know since since the pav since the pav since the paving crew is finished for the year sir stop being rude please sir I'm trying to give the information out that you're asking so maybe you'll listen and you'll understand the process so now that they're finished Paving for the year the Department of Public Works they have the Hot Patch machine out there so they're fixing potholes that have been put in by the police department and other members of the G general public out there so unless we know about it you know or see it that you can't get it filled and they are filling the potholes thank you mayor do I have a motion to adjourn do I have a motion to adjourn motion to return I have a second second all in favor meeting adjourned