Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 30, 2013 Midland Park Medical building proposed for 1 Godwin Avenue An architect’s rendering of the proposed medical building. A new medical building is being proposed for 1 Godwin Avenue in Midland Park. The property is adjacent to the Wendy’s restaurant. Matthew Frasco, a Mahwah developer who purchased the Danbee Investigations building last year, proposes to tear down the existing building down to its foundation and replace it with a new structure of equal size. Frasco said new construction will be more economical and better suited for the proposed use than remodeling the existing masonry block building, which is antiquated and difficult to adapt. Joseph Spellman, a resident of the apartments to the south of the site who said he represented the owners of the 59 adjoining condo units, questioned whether the basement would be used either initially or at a future date. Frasco said the basement would only be used for storage of files and equipment and utilities. Dr. Garrick Cox, an orthopaedic surgeon with offices in Wayne, would be the sole tenant of the new build- ing. Cox proposes to use part of the building for medical offices with five examination rooms, and part for physical therapy. He anticipates a total staff of 11, he said, including up to four surgeons and two therapists. No surgeries would be performed on site, he said. Architect Charles Dietz of East Hanover the proposed building would be a modern facility with numerous win- dows to provide natural light and an open interior. Included in the 29-ft. height at the peak, which is within the 35 ft. maximum height allowed, will be a 4-ft. synthetic stucco band to hide the mechanical units on the flat roof. A canopy will cover the patient entrance, which will be from the parking lot rather than from Cottage Street. Handicapped spaces will be moved to that side of the building as well. Engineer Bruce Rigg said the parking lot will be regraded because it is too steep to meet ADA standards, and the ramp will be built against the building. He said 74 spaces would be provided, which is less than the 115 required by ordinance for a medical use but more than the 71 now in place. He said the town’s streetscape concept would be extended to the Godwin Avenue sidewalk and wrap around to the Cottage Street side. Spellman asked that a buffer zone and guard rail be provided between the condo units’ and the Frasco site’s parking lots and that the dumpster area be relocated away from the apartments. Board members agreed, noting that the board might be willing to grant a greater parking variance to accom- modate buffers against the residential properties and other traffic flow improvements. Dr. Cox said 68 spaces would be the maximum he could foresee using as his practice grows, though he said he only needs 40 spaces for the pro- posed use now. “We want this building to be friendly to the neighbors,” said board member Mark Braunius. The applicant was instructed to reconfigure the site plan to provide for the additional buffers and present it to the board at its November meeting.