Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • December 19, 2012 Franklin Lakes Planners approve new Resident wins full bank at shopping center scholarship to Syracuse by Frank J. McMahon A new bank is coming the Urban Farms Shopping Center in Franklin Lakes. The borough’s planning board has approved JP Morgan Chase Bank’s application to build a one-story building with a two lane drive-through on the site of the vacant Exxon gas station in the Urban Farms Shopping Center on Franklin Lake Road. The property on which the bank will be located is the 10.3-acre parcel located on Franklin Lake Road. The site is part of the Urban Farms Shopping Center, which also contains an office building and the former Exxon station. The existing service station building will be demolished and replaced with a 3,419 square foot bank. The bank building will be located in the northwest corner of the former gas station property with drive-through lanes on the western edge of the site. Access to the bank will be provided from a two-way driveway on Franklin Lake Road and by a connection to the existing parking lot associated with the shopping center. The board approved variances for signage on the site and to provide queuing space for five cars in the drive-through lanes instead of the 10 required by the borough code. Variances were also granted to allow the parking spaces to be nine by 18 feet as opposed to the 10 by 20 feet required by the borough code, and for parking up to the street line. Both of these variances had been granted by the board in a previous application. The board’s approval contains several conditions, including one that there will be no signage on the rear of the bank building, and another that the lighting in the signage on the bank will be turned off at 10 p.m. or whenever the shopping center closes. Attorney Gregory Meese told the board the site plan had been revised to address some of the concerns expressed by the planners at a previous meeting. Mark Gimigliano, a professional engineer, advised that the revised plan shows an added parking space for the pumping station located on the site, a new lighting plan, a fire lane with striping, and a curb ramp that was requested by the Bergen County Planning and Development Department. The curb ramp will be installed by the owner of the shopping center. He also pointed out that the pumping station building has been reduced in size to provide space for the new drive-through aisle. Another professional engineer, Robert Streker, described the interior of the bank building, which will have a front door facing Franklin Lake Road; a 24-hour ATM inside a vestibule; waiting and check writing areas; teller lines, including one that is barrier-free; and two self-service banking (continued on page 25) In the New Year, Michelle Van Dyke of Franklin Lakes will graduate early from Eastern Christian High School in North Haledon and almost immediately begin her studies at Syracuse University. Van Dyke has received a full scholarship to Syracuse thanks to her stellar contributions to the ECHS volleyball team. “I didn’t play volleyball until high school,” Van Dyke said, explaining that she had originally wanted to play basketball. The school, however, encouraged her to try a new sport – and she soon earned a spot in the team as a middle blocker. This young athlete’s efforts on the volleyball team have garnered her recognition well beyond her high school community. In 2011, Van Dyke was named First Team All League and Second Team All County. This year, she earned Second Team All League and Second Team All County honors. In addition to volleyball, Van Dyke played basketball for Eastern Christian, and, in her freshman year, ran track. Recently, scouts from Syracuse Univer- sity asked to see Van Dyke play. Clearly impressed with what they saw, the scouts offered her a full scholarship to play volleyball for the famed university. Asked about her plans for the future, Van Dyke explained that she developed a love of fashion from her mother and has decided to enroll in the university’s fashion design program. Michelle Van Dyke