September 7, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 9 Ordinance will keep restaurants away from residences by Jennifer Crusco A move to keep restaurants away from single family residential zones has received final approval from the Ho-HoKus Council. The ordinance, which had been the subject of several discussions of the council, the planning board, and the Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce, amends the permitted conditional uses allowed by the borough code, so restaurants may not be located on a lot that is contiguous or adjacent to a single family residential zone. The ordinance was drafted by planner Ed Sneickus of Burgis Associates, and was recommended by the borough’s planning board. The proposal has been amended, and reintroduced and approved as Ordinance 993, which is less stringent than the original recommendation. Two conditions that had been included in a previous version of the ordinance have been removed. The deleted items included provisions that a restaurant “be located on a minimum lot area of not less than 10,000 square feet and shall be computed within 110 feet of the front street lot line” and that “a restaurant shall be located on a lot that contains the minimum amount of off-street parking space required by borough requirements.” The newly-approved ordinance also relaxes the previous off-street parking requirements for local restaurants by eliminating ingresses and egresses from space calculations. As a result, fewer parking spaces will be required. “This is another example of the town being proactive to protect the quality of life for residents in the downtown environment,” Ho-Ho-Kus Mayor Thomas Randall said of the ordinance. He had previously stated that the intent of the measure is to keep the traffic, outdoor noise, and activity associated with restaurants away from local homes. As this proposal was being discussed by the council, Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce President Andrew Ripps and Chamber Vice President Steven Sager provided their input. At one point, they urged the council to refrain from rushing into any changes. Since that time, the council withdrew the original version of the ordinance and worked with the planning board to produce a more palatable version of the proposal. “The Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce appreciated the mayor and council listening to and understanding the Chamber’s position prior to acting on this new ordinance. That they took the extra time to review it and were willing to make changes says a lot. Our goal was to have a win- win-win situation for everyone: the borough, local business owners, and residents. We feel this ordinance does just that,” Sager said. Several interested parties attended the May public council session, anticipating a public hearing and possible adoption of the previous iteration of this proposal: Ordinance 987. However, at that time, Mayor Randall announced that the hearing had been postponed to allow the planning board to finish its review of the proposal. The planning board and Ho-Ho-Kus Borough Engineer David Hals subsequently worked on the ordinance, which was reintroduced in the form that has since become borough code. Join the Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce for a weekend of shopping and entertainment on Sept. 9 and 10. Festivities will begin at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9, as the Chamber hosts its Movie and Entertainment Night at the HoHo-Kus Green in downtown Ho-Ho-Kus. The Friday night movie will be the third installation of a popular children’s tale. By popular demand, the band known as Kangaroo Jones Movie under the Stars, Sidewalk Sale set will be back again this year to provide the entertainment. This event will be followed by a Sidewalk Sale on Sept. 10. The Sidewalk Sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the event of rain, the sale will be held on Sept. 17. Area residents are invited to spend the day shopping in Ho-Ho-Kus, as merchants town-wide offer great gifts, sale items, and restaurant specials. A free shopping tote will be available to shoppers. The Ho-Ho-Kus Inn and Tavern will host the first of several special dinners on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. The event will feature M. Chapoutier wines paired with a fourcourse dinner prepared by Executive Chef Bryan Gregg. Considered by many to be the premier winemaker in France, M. Chapoutier’s legendary techniques and history Wine tasting dinner ushers in fall events will be discussed by the inn’s wine director, Robert Lipkin. The dinner, priced at $79 per person, excluding tax and gratuity, is geared to all wine and gourmet food lovers. Meticulously restored and under new ownership since 2009, the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn & Tavern is only restaurant in (continued on page 11)