Midland Park October 17, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 9 Salon may be demolished before construction begins The free-standing building at 199 Franklin Avenue in Midland Park now housing a beauty salon may be demolished after all. Property owner Mark Infante, of Baseline Associates, and the building’s tenant, Robert Bakalian, may be reaching agreement on relocating the business so the 1800s structure can be torn down as part of the property’s redevelopment, according to Infante’s attorney, Jay Atkins. If not, the attorney told the Midland Park Board of Adjustment, the building will be torn down at the end of Bakalian’s lease in 2015. Enginneer Andrew Missey continued his testimony on the Baseline application in front of the board last week, reiterating that proposed drainage improvements would eliminate uncontrolled water runoff on the property, particularly from the site that previously housed the Valley National Bank. Three retention tanks will be installed throughout the site, replacing existing drywells that handled runoff from previous greenhouses on the premises. “They are designed conservatively for the 100-year storm,” he said. “The water will not go off site.” Baseline proposes to build two nearly identical commercial buildings with apartments on the second floor, each building about 60 ft. in length. The two adjoining lots would be merged into one, and the previous bank building still on the property would be torn down. A single family home and two greenhouses previously on the site were demolished a few years ago. The building proposed for the easterly side of the property is 15 ft. from the property line, where 38 ft. are required by ordinance. Board member James DeLuca suggested that the building be shifted slightly and that a buffer proposed against the commercial parking lot be added instead to the setback against the adjoining residence. This would also save 10 40-ft. pine trees planned to be removed. Baseline’s property is zoned for commercial use but abuts the single- family residential zone. Board members questioned the 9-ft. height of a proposed retaining wall at the rear of the nearly one-acre property. The back will be filled to accommodate the parking lot because the property slopes down nearly 20 feet from Franklin Avenue back to Godwin Avenue. Missey said reducing the height of the wall will require moving the parking to the rear of the property, which will increase the distance to the buildings. “Parking where it’s needed is preferable given the elongated nature of the property,” the engineer said. He pointed out that the nearest residence to the wall is 253 feet away on Vreeland Avenue. Missey’s testimony and resident questioning will continue at a special meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. LAN Associates Engineering, Planning, Architecture, Surveying, Inc. in Midland Park recently announced that MatthewFink of Waldwick has joined the firm as a staff architect, and Kyle Blanco of Mahwah has been named a staff engineer. Fink, a recent graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, earned his bachelor’s degree from a five-year NAAB accredited program. Prior to joining LAN Associates full-time, Fink interned for the firm for the past three summers. (continued on page 10) LAN Associates welcomes two