Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • March 6, 2013 Mahwah Assisted living facility may get ‘grand entrance’ by Frank J. McMahon The assisted living facility that has been approved for Mahwah’s GI industrial zone may now have a “grand entrance” from Wyckoff Avenue. An application by Brandywine Senior Living at Mahwah, LLC has been presented to the zoning board seeking final site plan approval and a use variance to construct a formal, landscaped grand entrance to the adjacent assisted living facility, which will be located on 4.6 acres on Edison Road. Construction of the facility was approved by the board in 2011. During a recent public meeting of the zoning board, Stephen Sinisi, the attorney for Brandywine, obtained testimony from an architect, a civil engineer, a professional planner, the president/chief executive officer of Brandywine, and the company’s chief corporate officer. According to Kenneth Segarnick, the company’s chief corporate officer, Brandywine has obtained a 125-year lease on the Edison Road property from the owner, Zoccoli Associates, and has now acquired the property on Wyckoff Avenue that formerly was occupied by Commerce Bank (now TD Bank). Sinisi explained that his client intends to demolish the former bank building and remove the asphalt from that lot. George Wilson, the project architect, advised that the plan is to build eight foot high stone walls with pre-cast caps on both sides of a gated entrance to a roadway that would lead to the assisted living facility. Wilson advised that the stone walls on both sides of the entrance would have metal letters on posts to identify the Brandywine Assisted Living at Mahwah location with its address on piers on either side. Signage would be lit from ground level. According to the plans for the entrance, the areas on both sides of that roadway would be landscaped with trees lining its entire length. Both sides of the roadway would also have walkways and paver block areas that would contain benches and tables for the residents of the assisted living facility and members of the public who want to enjoy the park-like environment. For safety reasons, motorists who use the Wyckoff Avenue access would be limited to right turns in and out of the facility. The footprint of the assisted living facility building that was previously approved by the zoning board has not changed, according to Wilson, and that building will still contain 96 units with 69 assisted living units on the first two floors and 27 units on the third floor that will be part of the facility’s memory care unit for Alzheimer patients. The amenities will include a sitting area, a library, a beauty salon, game room, an English pub, a bistro, a theater with stadium seats, a wading pool, and a wellness center. Wilson said the façade has been changed within the footprint and it will have a “stately manor” appearance with a canopy and a porch. There will be two entryways on Edison Road in addition to the main one on Wyckoff Avenue. Matthew Clark, a civil engineer, advised the board that a dumpster will be relocated in response to a request by an adjacent neighbor whose property backs up to the assisted living facility site, and the entire buffer area that extends behind that property will be filled in with arborvitae. He also advised that 58 parking spaces will be provided where 48 are required, and the number of handicapped parking spaces will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition, the emergency generator has been relo- cated to the rear of the building, and that generator will comply with the noise requirements of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Clark also testified that the lighting on the site will be typical pole mounted single head lights that will operate from dusk to dawn subject to the restrictions of the township’s ordinance, and there will be no light spillage on the adjacent properties. Instead of installing sidewalks in front of the building, Brandywine will contribute the cost of installing those sidewalks to the township’s sidewalk bank. Clark said his client has agreed to add a lighted flagpole to the front of the building. Professional Planner Davis Spatz explained why the facility is considered an inherently beneficial use, and said the benefits of the application substantially outweigh any detriments. All the experts testified that the new entrance and the changes to the previously approved building would have no adverse effect on the adjacent or the surrounding properties. Brenda Bacon, the president and chief executive officer of Brandywine, advised the board that her company operates 25 assisted facilities in five different states and this facility will have 75 employees with about 36 on site in the middle of the day along with two nurses and two care managers. She also confirmed that the facility will use its own emergency ambulance service except for 911 emergency calls. The use variance requires five affirmative votes of the board for approval, but only four regular members were present at the last meeting. Therefore, a vote on the approval of the application was carried to the March 6 meeting of the board. Prior to that meeting, the regular members who were not present will listen to a CD recording of the meeting in order to be qualified to vote on March 6.