Waldwick April 11, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 A new builder will be finishing the development of the former DiPippo Farm on Crescent Avenue in Waldwick. Developer K. Hovnanian is under contract to take over the project from the original developer, Robert Gallo Jr. and complete the 31 remaining units. The sale price per unit is anticipated to be in the high $400,000s, according to Hovnanian Senior Vice President John Fisher. Hovnanian representatives appeared in front of the Waldwick Planning Board last week to seek approval for changes to the original application, including height variances and wider driveways. Hovnanian will complete the unfinished project, which called for seven townhouse buildings of seven or eight units each. Gallo erected only three of the buildings, which include seven affordable housing units credited to the borough’s Mt. Laurel obligation. Hovnanian proposes to eliminate the basement in all four of the new buildings, claiming that the water table at the site is too high to accommodate the development. Construction on the 9.7 acre site is confined to the eastern and western ends, as the center area is classified as wetlands. The new townhouses will be built on the approximately 3acre section at the western end near Pineview Drive and Hovnanian to finish DiPippo Farm development Durante Road. About 30 neighbors of the site attended last week’s meeting to hear the application and question the applicant’s expert witnesses. The proposal calls for the buildings to be on slabs two feet above grade, for a total height at the peak of 38.43 ft. Borough ordinances have a 35-ft. height limit. Board member John Livesey suggested reducing the height of the second level from 9 ft. to 8 ft., but Hohvanian Architect Mark Toconita said 8-foot ceilings are considered substandard for new construction. “We figure what the buyer wants and design to that,” he said. Borough Planner Paul Grygiel suggested that reducing the pitch of the roof and dropping the first floor 3 ft. below grade would bring the building height into compliance. Toconita said the downward slope would make garage access difficult. Each unit would have about 2,500 sq. ft. of living space. The first level would include a two-car garage with a 18 ft. by 21 ft. storage area at the rear which can be converted to a family room. The second level would house the living room, dining room, a half bath and kitchen with access to a 10-ft. by 12 ft. outdoor deck. The master bedroom with walk-in closet and private bath, two additional bedrooms, a laundry room and another full bath would be provided on the top floor. The attic space would provide the pitch for the roof only, with no mechanicals or living space, and (continued on page 23)