TOWNSHIP OF MONROE

ZONING BOARD MINUTES

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING

September 28, 2021

Meeting called to order at 6:30 P.M. by Chairman Vincent LaFata who led the salute to the Flag.

Chairman Vincent LaFata read the Sunshine Law as follows: In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, it is hereby announced and shall be entered into the minutes of this meeting that adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by the following:

Posted on January 1, 2021 on the Bulletin Board of the Office of the Township Clerk, Municipal Complex, 1 Municipal Plaza, and remains on file at that location for public inspection;

Posted on the Bulletin Board of the Office of the Township Clerk;

Posted on the Bulletin Boards within the Municipal Complex;                           

Printed in the Home News Tribune and Cranbury Press on January 1, 2021;           

Posted on the Monroe Township website; and                              

Sent to those individuals who have requested personal notice.

MEMBERS PRESENT:      Chairman Vincent LaFata, Mr. Gary Busman, Mr. Donato Tanzi, Alternate #1 Mr. Richard Lans, Alternate #2 Mr. Arnold Jaffe, Alternate #3 Mr. Nicholas Morolda and Alternate #4 Mr. Manmeet Singh Virdi.  Also present for the Board were Attorney Peter Vignuolo, Planner Mika Apte, Engineer Mark Rasimowicz and Director of Planning & Zoning Mr. Joe Stroin.

MEMBERS ABSENT:        Vice Chairwoman Carol Damiani, Mr. Marino Lupo, Mr. Louis Masters and Ms. Rajani Karuturi.

A motion to approve the August 31, 2021 Minutes made by Mr. Donato Tanzi and seconded by Chairman Vincent LaFata and passed with Mr. Gary Busman abstaining.

BA-5204-21                       CT07 Shard Commercial, LLC and DT07 Shared Commercial, LLC; Request for Preliminary and Final Site Plan; Located on NJSH Route 33 & Joan Warren Way; Block 4.01, Lot 15.01, in the HD / VC-2 Overlay Zone

See attached transcript.

BA-5199-21                       Ryan and Jaimie Silveira; Request for Bulk Variance; Block 108, Lot 4; Located at 9 DiPierro Road, In the R-30 Zone

Represented by Ms. Rosemary Stone-Dougherty who stated she is here tonight on behalf of Ryan & Jamie Silveira of 9 Dipierro Drive known as Block 108 Lot 4 in the R30 Zone.  They are here tonight for a variance request for an accessory structure side yard setback.  They purchased the property in 2018 with the pool house already installed.  It was pre-existing when they purchased the home.  They only found out that the pool house was apparently not property permitted and that’s why it is in the current location it is today.  When her client properly applied for a permit for a shed in February of 2020 and that took them down the road where they are today.

Mr. Fredrick Meola, applicant’s Engineer, described to the board the current conditions of the property as it exists today.  It is an existing single-family home, a circular driveway as well as a side entrance garage driveway that’s interconnected.  Behind the home, you have normal accessory structures for residential homes.  There’s a firepit, there’s an outdoor counter area, there’s an inground pool with a hot tub, there’s a pool house to the rear of that and there are a few sheds on the property, he believes two.  The property also, looking at the plan, all the construction is occurring on the north side of the property because the right side of the property is encumbered by wetlands.  It shows on the final copy of the map from he believes 1992.  Those lines are indicated on this plan correctly from that map. I have been out to the site in person and am familiar with the photographs that were also part of all the board member packets that are submitted as part of the application that area that has the inground pool and the pool house. The building is located .42 feet off the property line and described what the board would see if they were to walk around the rear of the property.  He said the rear is basically surrounded by open space.  The adjacent neighbor, in theory, would be most likely impacted from the pool house is quite a distance away where the dwelling in their area is.  There are trees and so forth in the back.  The property is basically vegetated in the rear with the trees and wild bushes.  The buffer and the vegetation and the location of the adjacent neighbor on the road is his testimony that the location of the pool house would not be a huge detriment where it exists today.  That’s really honestly it.  It’s pretty straight forward application. 

Ms. Rosemary Stone-Dougherty stated she noticed a discrepancy in the lot number that was on the original application.   The original plan said lot 4.  They revised the plans to indicate lot 14. 

Mr. Tanzi asked stated it was mentioned that one neighbor is far away from the back.  The neighbor to the left, the home is closer to the road.  It’s about on the line with the back of the house.  Is there another house closer?   

Mr. Meola stated on The other side of the wetlands, yes.  From their house to their property line there is about 150 feet.  That’s all their property and it’s wetlands.  So that house to the right would be more than 150 feet away.  It’s substantial.  You can’t even see it because of the wetlands and the shrubbery to the rear. 

Mr. Mark Rasimowicz, Board Engineer, has no objections subject to applicant’s compliance with report dated January 6, 2021.

Ms. Mika Apte, Board Planner, has no objections subject to applicant’s compliance with report dated December 6, 2020 from previous Board Planner Mr. Remsa.

Motion to approve made by Mr. Gary Busman and seconded by Mr. Nicholas Morolda and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

MEMORIALIZATION

BA-5170-19             Rich Sciortino (Sciortino’s Barbershop), a motion to approve made by Mr. Richard Lans and seconded by Mr. Arnold Jaffe and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

A motion to enter into executive session made at 8:55 pm by Mr. Gary Busman and seconded by Mr. Arnold Jaffe and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

A motion to enter into back into public meeting made at 9:00 pm by Mr. Donato Tanzi and seconded by Chairman Vincent LaFata and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

A motion to adjourn at 9:05 p.m. made by Mr. Gary Busman and seconded by Mr. Richard Lans and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

Respectfully submitted,

LAURA ZALEWSKI

ZONING BOARD SECRETARY