November 6, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Glen Rock McMansion ordinance postponed by council by John Koster The Glen Rock Borough Council had a costumed party treat at the Oct. 30 meeting, but there was no “trick” about the postponed vote on the McMansion ordinance. The council members and Borough Administrator Lenora Benjamin showed up in costume for the public meeting with Mayor John van Keuren impersonating Dumbledore, the head wizard of the “Harry Potter” books. Councilman Carmine Nogara wore an “Igor” mask and Benjamin was a lucky black cat, complete with whiskers and tail. The council had intended to adopt the McMansion ordinance, which proposes limits to the square footage of new houses in both residential districts of Glen Rock. The ordinance, developed after long talks at the planning board stage, addresses residents’ aesthetic concerns about overly large houses in what some deem inappropriate styles for Glen Rock. At the last minute, the council discovered that the members needed more input from the Glen Rock Plan- ning Board before they could adopt the ordinance in good conscience or unchallenged legality, so the adoption hear- ing was shifted -- not once, but twice. Mayor van Keuren introduced a motion to carry the public hearing from Oct. 30 to a date he originally read as Nov. 5, which was shortly amended to Nov. 27 and then finally to Nov. 25, the date the council ultimately approved. The ordinance would restrict new houses or expansions in the A-1 residential zone to a maximum of 5,500 square feet, with the actual permitted size of new houses to be determined by the lot space within 175 feet of the property line. Houses in the A-2 zone, the majority of Glen Rock’s residential lots, would be restricted to a maximum of 4,400 square feet with the actual sizes subject to the land within 140 feet of the front property line. Jim Seaton, a resident who often speaks at council meet- ings, asked Mayor van Keuren about specifics of the A-1 and A-2 zones. “A-1 is an area bordered by Dunham [(Place]. Lowell [Road]. Lincoln Avenue and McKinley Place,” the mayor said. “A-2 is everything else.” In other business, Councilwoman Pam Biggs noted that on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., the Glen Rock Chamber of Commerce and the council will jointly sponsor a “Winter Wonderland” get-together on the borough hall property with hot chocolate, a tentative visit from Frosty (continued on page 20)