The Villadom Times Weekly Newspaper Online-Sept 15, 2010 Issue

Franklin Lakes September 15, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 7 Millbrook Estates seeks permission to re-grade lot by Frank J. McMahon The developer of Millbrook Estates, an eight-lot subdivision of a 10-acre property on Birch Road, has applied to the Franklin Lakes Planning Board for approval to re-grade portions of this site -- especially one of the lots for which site plan approval is being sought. The board granted its original approval for this subdivision in December 2007. Matthew Cavaliere, the attorney for the purchaser of one of the lots, previously explained that his client’s property is steeply sloped and may need a substantial height variance because the borough requires that the height of a house be measured from the lowest original grade. The board suggested he bring plans to re-grade the property back to the board for review. A soil moving permit for the re-grading of the lot has been requested and includes some steep slope areas that were not included in the board’s original approval of the subdivision. The lot contains 81,575 square feet, which is more than double the required lot area of 40,000 square feet. The applicant is proposing a home with a 5,738 square foot footprint with an attached garage, walkout basement, rear multilevel terrace, side yard patio, and access walkways and steps. There would be a single access driveway from the Mill Brook Lane cul-de-sac with a circular access within the front yard continuing to the garage access area. The lot would have a new 1,300 square foot septic disposal system with two 1,000 gallon septic tanks and one 1,500 gallon dosing tank, 10 970 gallon seepage pits with connection piping from the home and driveway, retaining walls at a maximum height of four feet, and a freeform shaped pool with a partial patio surround. According to Planning Boar Engineer James Kelly, variances are required because there will be disturbance within no-disturbance areas and steep slope areas which will exceed the maximum allowable within all slope categories. If approved by the planning board, 11 trees would be removed, three of which are located outside the permissible removal areas. If these trees are removed, 20 shade trees would have to be planted on the lot based on the diameters of the trees to be removed. Kelly reported to the board that the estimated soil movement quantities for this lot are estimated at 5,195 cubic yards of fill and 1,073 cubic yards of excavation. The existing property slopes downward from the culde-sac, but the proposed grading plan would reverse the front yard slope, thereby setting the house with its first floor two feet above the cul-de-sac elevation. That would require 16 feet of fill. The two-tier retaining wall in the front yard would be four feet in height, but a four foot wall is considered a structure and, because this wall would be located in the front yard setback, a variance is required. The variances granted with the original approval of this subdivision allow disturbance within a 20-foot buffer zone and steep slope disturbance on all but one of the lots to avoid multiple retaining walls. But the board expressed the belief when granting the approval that the effects of the variances were mitigated by the substantial landscaping the applicant included in the plans. The public hearing on this subdivision extended through 14 board meetings, which began in October 2006. During that time, there were extensive debates and plan changes as a result of the possible impact of the subdivision on a neighbor’s property, the compliance of the plan with the borough’s storm water management plan, the ability of the borough’s volunteer fire department to fight fires on the site, and the existence of nitrates in the ground that could affect the drinking water in the area. The property that was subdivided had previously been a commercial horse farm with two residences located on the site. 4 Out of 5 Ain’t Bad! One of my SAT Verbal-Writing tutorial students got into four out of five colleges he applied to…including his target school. College counseling too… �� Bright, Spacious 2BR available immediately �� NOW RENTING Bergen Backyard Sheds – Playhouses - Cabanas LLC �� 201-488-5085 201-445-1343 • $60 per hour. �� • Solid Wood • Built On Site �� 201-819-4562 KEANE FIT & WELLNESS �� 9-8-10 joan/janine �� BergenBackyard2x2(9-8-10) 2 x 2” �� Rev1 �� Sheila Keane �� • EDUCATED - MA in exercise science • CERTIFIED - ACSM, NASM, Post Rehab Specialist, MAT Specialist • EXPERIENCED - 15 years one-to-one personal training �� 201-341-0183 • CALL NOW Fitness, Weight Loss, Bariatrics, Geriatrics & Parkinson’s Programs ��