Township of Millburn Minutes of the Planning Board April 5, 2017

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1 Township of Millburn Minutes of the Planning Board April 5, 2017 A regular meeting of the Township of Millburn Planning Board was held on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 7:30 PM in Millburn Town Hall. Chairman Kenneth Leiby, opened the meeting by reading section 5 of the Open Public Meetings Act. A roll-call indicated the following members were present: Also present: APPLICATIONS Daniel Baer Elaine Becker Cheryl Burstein Samuel Levy Roger Manshel Matthew O Neill Joseph Steinberg Beth Zall Leslie Lombardy, Vice Chairwoman Kenneth Leiby, Chairman Scott Eveland, Board Attorney Martha Callahan, Assistant Township Engineer Eileen Davitt, Zoning Officer/Board Secretary APPL#17-007, BLEEKER PROPERTIES, LLC, 27 BLEEKER STREET, MILLBURN Thomas Sateary, Attorney for the applicant, stated his appearance. The applicant is seeking site plan approval for a change of use to permit a child care center. The property is located in the CMO zone. Chairman Kenneth Leiby spoke to the applicant s request for checklist waivers. A motion to grant the applicant s request for checklist waivers, with the exception of an EIS, was made by Beth Zall, seconded by Samuel Levy and carried with a unanimous roll-call vote. Christopher Weiss, Vice President of Real Estate and Construction for Lightbridge Academy appeared and was sworn. He gave a brief description of the proposed operation. There will be 9 classrooms with a capacity of 164 children ranging in age from 6 weeks to 6 1

2 years. There will also be an outdoor play area. The typical operating hours are 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM. Drop-off starts at 6:30 AM and usually ends around 9 AM. Pick-up starts around 3:30 PM until the last pick-up at 6:30 PM. This is a Monday through Friday operation and there is no weekend childcare. There is no food preparation on site. All food is brought in from a local food provider. There will be only small box truck deliveries. The center will be licensed by the State of New Jersey once a CO is obtained. In addition, State licensing requires an emergency plan as to how children will be evacuated and where they be staged. Mr. Weiss indicated that they will work with Millburn Fire Department to be sure the proper procedures are in place. The applicant anticipates 28 employees, which includes teachers and administration. Samuel Levy asked what, if any, traffic/parking issues they have at their other facilities. Mr. Weiss indicated that they have not been experiencing any drop-off/pick-up issues. Since the drop-offs and pick-ups are staggered, they have not had any issues. Parents are required to park their vehicle and bring the child into the classroom. The same procedure is followed for pick up in that the parents must park the vehicle and enter the facility to get their child. Joseph Steinberg asked how many parking spaces are on site. Thomas Sateray indicated that there are 148 spaces on site. Elaine Becker asked if there will be bussing. Mr. Weiss stated that they do not offer bussing. Justin Mihalik, Architect for the applicant, appeared and was sworn. His credentials were presented and accepted by the Board. He spoke to PR-1, floor plan of the proposed facility. There are 9 classrooms, 1 of which is always used as an indoor multipurpose room. Mr. Mihalik spoke to PR-2, which depicts the proposed play area and fence details. The playground area will use synthetic turf, which is 100% permeable. There is no signage included with the application. Any proposed signage will be in compliance with the ordinance guidelines. Beth Zall questioned the play space enclosure. Mr. Mihalik stated that the fence encloses the playground. There will be a guard rail or bollards between the fence and the parking area. Entered as A-1A: Existing plot plan Entered as A-1B: Location, plot and grading plan Andrew Wu, P. E., appeared and was sworn. He spoke to exhibit A-1B and provided testimony as to the parking on site. There are 148 parking spaces on site. There will be adequate parking on site for the proposed facility and staff. Jack Qizhan Yao, owner of the property, appeared and was sworn. He owns the property and operates the real estate office on the second floor. Currently, there are only 6 staff members and they regularly use only 6-10 parking spaces for employees and clients. Justin Mihalik spoke to the applicant s request for the submission of an EIS and gave testimony regarding the exterior changes to the building. He stated that they are replacing 2

3 pavement area. They are not changing the characteristics of the outdoor area. He feels there is no adverse effect to the environment. All materials being used are either low or no VOC. Trash will be picked up by a private hauler. Thomas Sateary summarized and asked for the Board s favorable decision for the application. Daniel Baer spoke to the anticipated off-site traffic issues associated with the proposal. He is concerned with the burden this may place on the intersection of Main Street and Bleeker Street. Many of the parents will be dropping off within a 2 hour peak period. He feels the applicant should prepare a traffic study to speak to the potential impacts at the peak periods. Elaine Becker feels the pick up/drop off is staggered and parents have the option to navigate to the Willow Street traffic light. Joseph Steinberg felt the Board should take a vote as to whether they feel a traffic study should be prepared by the applicant. A motion that a traffic study should not be required by the applicant was made by Joseph Steinberg, seconded by Roger Manshel, and carried with the following roll-call vote: Daniel Baer no Cheryl Burstein no Samuel Levy no Beth Zall no Kenneth Leiby yes Upon a motion made by Joseph Steinberg, seconded by Leslie Lombardy, and with a rollcall vote as follows: Daniel Baer no Cheryl Burstein yes Samuel Levy yes Beth Zall yes Kenneth Leiby yes 3

4 Appl#17-007, Bleeker Street Properties, LLC, 27 Bleeker Street, site plan approval with a waiver of EIS was GRANTED. APPL#17-009, PRESIDENT S CLUB BARBERSHOP, LLC, 389-1/2 MILLBURN AVENUE, MILLBURN Stephen Goldberg, Attorney for the applicant, stated his appearance. The applicant is seeking minor site plan approval for a change of use from retail sales to retail service for the operation of a barbershop. A motion to grant the applicant s request for a waiver of checklist requirements, with the exception of EIS and loading space requirement, was made by Elaine Becker, seconded by Leslie Lombardy, and carried with a unanimous roll-call vote. Catherine Lavecchia, co-owner of the barbershop, appeared and was sworn. She indicated that she is a licensed cosmetologist and currently operates a high-end barbershop in a nearby municipality. She would like to provide high-end haircuts and shave cuts as well as facials, manicures and pedicures for men. There is no plan to change the exterior of the building with the exception of the installation of a new awning. There will be small inventory of retail products available for sale, as well. There will be 4 employees on site, initially. Once they are more established, they will have approximately 8 employees. There are 4 parking spots designated for this portion of the building. Trash will be picked up by private hauler. The anticipated hours of operation are 10 AM 8 PM, Monday through Friday and 9 AM -5 PM on Saturday. Kathleen Wroblewski, owner of the property, appeared and was sworn. She gave a brief history of the tenancy of the building. She stated that in the early 2000 s there was a woman s salon on the site. Ms. Wroblewski stated that there are 4 spaces allocated to this tenant. Stephen Goldberg spoke to the department head reports and indicated that the applicant will comply with all recommendations. The applicant is not proposing any exterior alterations to the building. There will be no adverse impacts on the subject property. Upon a motion made by Roger Manshel, seconded by Elaine Becker, and with a roll-call vote as follows: Daniel Baer yes Cheryl Burstein yes Samuel Levy yes Beth Zall yes 4

5 Kenneth Leiby yes Appl#17-009, President s Club Barbershop, 389-1/2 Millburn Avenue, site plan approval with a waiver of EIS was GRANTED. BUSINESS Daniel Baer spoke briefly about the requirement of EIS submissions for applications. He stated that he looked at some surrounding towns and their requirements. He has prepared several recommendations and will provide a copy to Board members. He indicated that he will welcome any comments from Board members. Chairman Kenneth Leiby stated that he would like the Environmental Commission and Township Planner, Paul Phillips, look at the recommendations. He stated that any comments should be forwarded to Eileen Davitt. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn was made by Daniel Baer, seconded by Elaine Becker, and carried with a unanimous voice vote. (9:35 PM) Motion: BZ Second: JS Date adopted: 5/3/17 Eileen Davitt Board Secretary 5