Development

DETAIL MAN – Engineer Adnan Khan reviews some details of a proposed 3-story, mixed-use building at the October 15 Planning Board meeting. A 3-story, mixed-use building targeted for a Hamilton Street parcel was approved October 15 by the Planning Board. The 4,605-square-foot building will be constructed between North Dover and Baier avenues, across from Sophie’s Bistro restaurant. Currently, the land …

EXPLAINING THE PLAN – Craig Stires, project engineer, told the Planning Board that the developer tried to save as many trees as possible along Atrium Drive. A modified plan to raze an empty office building on Atrium Drive and construct two small warehouses in its place was approved October 15 by the Planning Board. This was the second appearance for …

INDOOR PLAYGROUND APPROVED – Hang Lin, foreground, owner of Bounce Air Adventure Park, tells the Zoning Board of his plans for the new location in Rutgers Plaza. An indoor children’s play park targeted for an empty space at Rutgers Plaza on Easton Avenue was approved September 18 by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Called Bounce Air Adventure Park, the roughly …

PROTESTING THE PRELATES – A group of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA congregants yell at a van carrying two church prelates as it drives away following a Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting on September 18. Chaos erupted after the September 18 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting when members of the Ukrainian community chased two top prelates of the Ukrainian …

EXPLAINING THE PLAN – Engineer Mitchel Ardman reviews the subdivision plan for Temple Beth El at the September 17 Planning Board meeting. A Hamilton Street synagogue received approval on September 17 to cut pieces from two lots to make a third, which would be sold off to a developer for a single-family home. Temple Beth El needs to sell the …

EXPLAINING THE OPTIONS – Darren Mazzei, the Township’s consulting engineer, reviews four options for the construction of Catalpa Park at the September 16 Open Space Advisory Committee meeting. The long-anticipated Catalpa Park is once again the topic of Township conversation, but this time the conversation is focused on finances. The Township Council on September 9 rejected all bids on the …

FUTURE POOL OWNER – Faisal Iqbal prepares to testify before the Zoning Board of Adjustment September 4. A Bennetts Lane couple’s plan to install an in-ground pool, patio and two sheds was approved September 4 by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The couple, Faisal and Rehana Iqbal, needed a variance from the Township’s regulation that only 20 percent of a …

RETURN ENGAGEMENT – Shri Kotdawla, the engineer for NPH Real Estate, explains the changes made to the plan at the September 3 Planning Board meeting. For the second consecutive meeting, a developer who wants to build a mixed-use retail center across from the Somerset Run housing development was told by the Planning Board on September 3 to rethink its plan. …

OBJECTION! – Peter Lanfrit, the attorney for the B9 warehouses developer, objected to the Planning Board hearing comments from the public at the August 6 hearing. A series of 30 court-mandated conditions for the approval of two controversial warehouses near the Canal Walk housing development was adopted by the Planning Board at its August 6 meeting. The conditions will be …

EXPLAINING THE PLAN – Brian Debarbieri, architect for 500 Atrium Drive LLC, talks about construction details of the two planned warehouses. A proposal to raze a vacant office building on Atrium Drive and build in its stead two small warehouses was presented to the Planning Board at its July 16 meeting. The developer, 500 Atrium LLC, wants to build a …