Friday, April 5, 2013
Wednesday testimony before the Zoning Board of Adjustment focused on an 'academic exercise.'
The Zoning Board of Adjustment continued its long consideration of a proposal to build an International Society of Krishna Consciousness temple at Baldwin and Troy roads Wednesday at Town Hall. It was hoped that perhaps the case could move to final summations or perhaps a ZBA vote, but neither occurred. Instead, the case was carried to the board's June 5 session. The case has been deliberated for more than three years. A host of opponents have fought the project, among them owners of historic homes in the area and businesses such as Baldwin Ventures. They say the ISKCON plan would erode their quality of life and bring noise and traffic to an already congested area. But the primary complaint was the focus of Wednesday's proceedings: …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
A quorum of the zoning board was not present for a final vote on contested—and previously rejected—townhouse development proposal, which is expected soon.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment appeared to be nearing a final vote on the formerly rejected, but revised plan to erect a townhouse community at 700 Mountain Way. But the body's Wednesday meeting, which was expected to entertain summations from attorneys working for and against the Edward Mosberg development plan, had to be cut short and moved to May 1 at an earlier time than usual, 7 p.m. The meeting had to be halted due to the lack of the required seven voting members of the ZBA. Lawyers representing the developer and citizens' opposition group Preserve Mountain Way came to an agreement and asked Board Chair Robert Iracane for the matter to be carried to a future meeting. After consulting the zoning board's calendar it was decided that …
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The long-running ZBA deliberation continued as the applicant late in the game asks to amend plan to request another variance.
There still is no resolution in the International Society of Krishna Consciousness' bid to win Zoning Board of Adjustment approval to proceed with its plan to construct a house of worship in the area of Baldwin and Troy roads. The board heard testimony from two witnesses at its Wednesday meeting before deciding to carry the application over to its April 3 meeting. The matter has been deliberated for more than three years. A host of opponents have resisted the erection of a temple, among them owners of historic homes in the area and businesses such as Baldwin Ventures. They say the ISKCON plan would erode their quality of life and bring noise and traffic to an already congested area. Wednesday's session began with a request from Robert …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
ZBA member reminds: 'This builder is not going to go away.'
The effect a new townhouse community could have on the character of the rural residential area encompassing Mountain Way, Rocky Heights and South Powder Mill Road is still being debated at Town Hall. The Parsippany Troy-Hills Zoning Board of Adjustment resumed its long consideration of the proposed 700 Mountain Way townhouse development proposal at its Wednesday night meeting. In this session, attorney Louis Rago, representing residents' opposition group Preserve Mountain Way, was given the floor to begin his case against a revised version of a previously rejected Edward Mosberg affordable housing townhome application was presented for new testimony last week. The board carried the case over after hearing from one witness. Testimony will …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
ZBA rejected controversial development application last summer but agreed to reconsider changes to the plan.
Reconsideration of a revised plan for a proposed townhouse development began before the Parsippany-Troy Hills Zoning Board of Adjustment during its Wednesday night meeting at Town Hall. More than three years ago, the plan known as 700 Mountain Way was initially proposed as a senior affordable housing community, boasting 38 units. The idea attracted the ire of residents in the area including residents of Mountain Way, South Powder Mill Road and Rocky Heights. Eventually, the age requirement was dropped and the number of townhome units cut to 22, but that wasn't enough to convince the Zoning Board, which rejected the plan in summer 2012. Parsippany law firm Garofalo and O'Neill, representing developer Edward Mosberg, requested a re-hearing …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
New townhouse development proposal still a concern, Preserve Mountain Way founder says.
The township Zoning Board of Adjustment takes up a revised version of the previously rejected 700 Mountain Way townhouse proposal at its Wednesday meeting at Town Hall. And opponents to the Edward Mosberg development plan are gearing up to resume their battle against it. The new proposal reduces the number of townhome units from 22, the number stated in the plan rejected by the board, said attorney Robert Garofalo of Garofalo & O'Neill, the law firm representing the developer. "The revised application is for 20 townhomes," Garofalo said. "This avoids any of the critical slope variances that were previously required, and there are no other variances other than the density." In May 2011, professional planner John McDonough testified before …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Attorney accuses board member Saurin Pathak of having a possible conflict.
The Parsippany-Troy Hills Zoning Board of Adjustment met Wednesday night to take up yet again the International Society of Krishna Consciousness' application to construct a temple in the area of Baldwin and Troy roads. Only one witness went under cross-examination before the meeting was adjourned with the years-long hearing on the proposal set to continue at the body's Feb. 6 meeting. The meeting lasted about two hours, much shorter than has been usual in deliberations of the ISKCON application. It likely would have gone longer, but one witness slated to testify had to bow out for the evening due to a family emergency. There was still action, however: Before the case could resume, Board Attorney George Johnson announced that the ZBA had to…
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Controversial project rejected by Zoning Board will be reconsidered; residents opposed vow to fight again.
The Parsippany Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously agreed to reconsider developer Edward Mosberg's plan to build a townhouse community in the Powder Mill area at its Wednesday night meeting at Town Hall. What began as a 38-unit senior community and evolved into an all-ages development of only 22 units over more than four years of deliberation finally went down to defeat June 6 by a vote of 4-3. Attorney Joseph O'Neill, representing Mosberg, appealed to the ZBA to give the project another hearing. O'Neill argued that the site plan for what's called 700 Mountain Way has been revamped. The number of units was cut to 20, which the lawyer said would preclude the need for steep slope variances, which gave some board members pause. He also …
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Zoning Board spent more than three years deliberating development before denying it, but now will hear the case again.
The contentious 700 Mountain Way townhouse community proposed by developer Edward Mosberg was denied by the Parsippany Zoning Board of Adjustment in June after more than three years of consideration has returned. Now, the plan to build a 22-unit townhouse community near a residential section including Mountain Way, Rocky Heights and South Powder Mill Road is coming back before the body. At the Wednesday night ZBA meeting, President Robert Iracane announced that the matter is coming up for a re-hearing on Aug. 15 to consider revised information concerning the project's application. "I guess I am not surprised," said Rick Jilleba, who headed Preserve Mountain Way, a residents' group opposed to the townhouse proposal. "This is a little …
Thursday, June 7, 2012
The board didn't take its president's advice and instead focused on resident concerns.
After about four years of stops and starts, plus hours of testimony and deliberation, the Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 4-3 to deny an application for a controversial townhouse development called 700 Mountain Way. The vote came along at the end of an emotional meeting Wednesday night at Town Hall. Area residents appeared before the board to make passionate last-ditch appeals to the board to reject the development's application. Arnt Thuen of Mountain Way argued that he saw no need for another townhouse development in an area filled with single-family standalone residences. "Given the density of the neighborhood, its zoning and character, adding additional single-for the master plan as it stands," he said. "The master plan applies, it is…
Mike Panico
8:00 pm on Saturday, April 6, 2013
Ed Dantes what's your point? The mayor doesn't appoint anyone to the board of adjustment. It's all council appointments more ›