TOWNSHIP OF MONROE

PLANNING BOARD MINUTES

MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING

August 22, 2019

Meeting called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Chairman David Rothman who led the salute to the Flag.

Chairman David Rothman 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 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 4, 2019;                   

Posted on the Monroe Township website; and                                 

Sent to those individuals who have requested personal notice.

MEMBERS PRESENT:     Chairman David Rothman, Mr. Andy Paluri, Mrs. Karen Polidoro, Mr. Louis Caron, Ms. Roslyn Brodsky, Alternate #1 Mr. Norman Olinsky, Alternate #2 Mr. Jay Brown, Councilwoman Elizabeth Schneider and Mayor Gerald Tamburro.  Also present for the Board were Attorney Jerome Convery, Planner Mark Remsa, Engineer Mark Rasimowicz and Director of Planning & Zoning Robert Hudak.

MEMBERS ABSENT:        Vice Chairman Terence Van Dzura and Mr. Wayne Horbatt.

A motion to approve the June 27, 2019 Minutes made by Mr. Andy Paluri and seconded by Ms. Karen Polidoro and passed with Mr. Lou Caron, Mr. Norman Olinsky, Mr. Jay Brown and Mayor Gerald Tamburro abstaining.

PB-1214-19                          El at Monroe, LLC; Request for Amended Preliminary and Amended Final Site Plan with Bulk Variances; Block 54, Lot 3 (Section1, Phase III); Located on Mounts Mill Road and Spotswood Englishtown Road, in the VC-1 (Village Center) Overlay Zone

Application has been withdrawn.

PB-1211-18                          DYNR, LLC; Request for Preliminary and Final Site Plan with Bulk Variances; Block 41, Lot 7; Located on Applegarth Road in the OP (Office Professional) Zone

Represented by Mr. Todd Cohen who stated this application is seeking preliminary and final site plan with variances.  It is an existing home to be converted into a physical therapy office and yoga studio.  The use is permitted within the OP Zone of the township, no use variance is sought.  I have the engineer and architect here to give testimony.  Hours of operation will be Monday thru Friday from 8am until 8pm. 

Mr. Charles Witczak III, applicant’s Engineer, stated the property is located at 336 Applegarth Road.  The property is 29,998 square foot lot approximately .69 acre.  The applicant seeks site plan approval to reconstruct an existing one-story single-family dwelling by enlarging the first-floor footprint and adding a partial second floor for use as a two-story building for physical therapy and yoga studio.  There are several variances requested for lot area, frontage, width, buffer, impervious coverage, parking in front yard and freestanding signs.  We agree to provide two additional handicap parking spaces in the rear parking lot, under the supervision of the Board Engineer while providing a total of at least 24 total parking spaces.  We will also work with the Board Planner to provide additional landscaping.  We will remove any and all sheds presently on the property.

Mr. Alan Zimbler, applicant’s Architect, stated to the North of the site is a wooded area that is part of a lot on which an electrical parts supplier exists.  A park and ride parking lot and a strip mall exist to the east.  South of the site is a house of worship, and to the west is a warehouse/distribution facility.  The site is zoned OP Office Professional.  He described the site and floor plans in detail.  We will work with the Board Engineer to accommodate a handicap ramp providing ingress and egress to the building.  We will submit the revised architectural drawings.

Mr. Mark Rasimowicz, Board Engineer, has no objections subject to applicant’s compliance with report dated July 12, 2019.

Mr. Mark Remsa, Board Planner, has no objections subject to applicant’s compliance with report dated July 21, 2019.

PUBLIC:

Mr. Mark Klein asked how many bathrooms and if there will be individual male/female restrooms.

Mr. Witczak stated there are 2 handicap accessible restrooms on first floor and 2 individual restrooms on second floor.

(Public portion closed.)

Motion to approve Preliminary only with Bulk Variances made by Mr. Jay Brown and seconded by Councilwoman Betty Schneider and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

MEMORIALIZATION

No resolutions to be adopted.

DISCUSSION

Ms. Karen Polidoro stated the Green Fair is September 28, 2019.

A motion to adjourn at 8:25 p.m. made by Mr. Norman Olinsky and seconded by Mr. Andy Paluri and passed unanimously by all members of the Board present.

Respectfully submitted,

LAURA ZALEWSKI

PLANNING BOARD SECRETARY