Board Approves Cusumano Addition at 297 Ridgewood Avenue and Outdoor Grill Structure at 69 Woodland Avenue

Glen Ridge's Board of Adjustment approved Vincent and Mary Ellen Cusumano's variance application for a rear addition at 297 Ridgewood Avenue at its November 10, 2016 meeting, following a continued hearing in which Edward Ross of the adjoining 27 Wildwood Terrace raised concerns about the addition's setbacks and visual mass. At Chair Mahoney's request, Ross and the board discussed possible changes to make the plans more acceptable; after a brief recess requested by Ross, he told the board he would trust its judgment on the application. The board approved it unanimously, conditioned on supplementing the existing landscape buffer with evergreen plantings (to be reviewed by the Borough Forester) and requiring any additional lighting to face downward and away from neighboring properties.

The board also approved a variance for Bart DeGregorio and Trisha Krusman of 69 Woodland Avenue to build a masonry outdoor cooking structure -- a 48-inch-tall grill enclosure with a gas line -- in their rear yard. Because the structure would sit within ten feet of the house, it needed a side-yard setback variance, proposing six inches where six feet is normally required; contractor Matthew DeLuca reviewed the gas line's safety features for the board. The application was approved unanimously on the condition the structure be set back at least twelve inches from the eastern property line. The board also adopted its October 13 minutes, with Ms. Berger abstaining, and no members of the public commented on either case.