Planning Board Approves Revised, Fully Conforming Cummings Subdivision at 437 Ridgewood Avenue Over Continued Neighbor Objections

Michael Cummings returned to the Planning Board on February 11, 2015 with a revised proposal for 437 Ridgewood Avenue: rather than keeping the existing 1949 house, attorney David Owen said the applicant would now demolish it entirely and subdivide the property into two fully conforming lots, 98.7 and 99 feet wide, requiring no variance. Engineer Paul Anderson testified the new plan met all zoning and subdivision requirements.

Seven residents spoke, most repeating concerns from the prior meeting: Patricia Toppings and Amy Atkinson of Ridgewood Avenue argued the subdivision shouldn't be approved before the Historic Preservation Commission rules on the demolition, warning that Planning Board approval first would improperly influence that process; Lynn and Jeffery Kulik of 436 Ridgewood Avenue raised concerns about lot size and project scope; Karen Palm of 430 Ridgewood Avenue asked the board to clarify what withdrawal of the prior application meant and urged stricter zoning; and Michael Bellinger of 438 Ridgewood Avenue and Anthony Perna of 442 Ridgewood Avenue raised a leaking underground oil tank on the property, which the board noted is a Building Department/NJDEP matter outside its jurisdiction. Tricia Flood of 418 Ridgewood Avenue asked how the borough determines which property owners receive notice within 200 feet.

After discussing the sequencing concerns, the board unanimously approved the subdivision, conditioned on Cummings obtaining all required Historic Preservation Commission approvals before any subdivision deed could be recorded -- the board specifically noted it was expressing no opinion on the merits of any demolition application. Separately, Councilwoman Morrow relayed a request from the Mayor and Council for the Planning Board to review the R-1 Zone's subdivision/lot-size standards, which Secretary Zichelli said he would begin analyzing for the next meeting.