Friday, March 15, 2013
Residents cheer after unanimous vote defeats application after 9 months of hearings.
After months of meetings, testimony, discussion and study, the Verona Zoning Board unanimously voted to deny a controversial Bloomfield Avenue mixed retail and residential development after a 4½-hour meeting Thursday night. Zoning Board Chairman John Denton told the board there was “no justification to grant a mixed-use variance.” The proposed development, brought forth by Sparta-based developer DMH2 LLC, would have housed one floor of retail stores with two floors of residential apartments. A recently passed Verona Township Council ordinance required any mixed-use development be evenly divided between commercial and residential units. Since the developer’s application called for a building which was split 30 percent retail and 70 percent …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Final decision on a Bloomfield Avenue mixed retail, residential development application may be reached.
The Verona Zoning Board is set to continue hearing an application for a mixed retail and residential development designed for 176 and 200 Bloomfield Avenue at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Victorian farmhouse at 200 Bloomfield Ave., along with an adjacent lot was sold to Sparta-based developer DMH2 LLC, shortly before the death of its owner. The house dates back to the 1890s and would be demolished along with approximately 80 trees in order to make room for a 3½-story building, containing retail stores on the first floor and apartments on the second and third floors, along with two parking lots. Montclair Avenue residents Lars and Kathy Sternas have sought legal representation from attorney John Dusinberre to oppose the development. “I'm …
Residents feel threatened by proposed Bloomfield Avenue development.
Sandy Krouse lives with her husband Bill in the house her grandfather built on Westview Road in 1927. Their house is one of the closest to the proposed retail-residential structure being heard by the Verona Zoning Board. Sandy and Bill have many concerns over the application, chief among them is the fate of their antiques if the developer were to blast rock close to their home.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Mixed-use variance would've housed retail stores, residential units at 176 and 200 Bloomfield Ave.
After months of meetings, testimony, discussion and study, the Verona Zoning Board unanimously voted to deny a controversial Bloomfield Avenue mixed retail and residential development after a 4½ hour meeting Thursday night. Zoning Board Chairman John Denton told the board there was “no justification to grant a mixed-use variance.” The proposed development was supposed to replace a Victorian farmhouse at 200 Bloomfield Ave., along with an adjacent lot that was sold to Sparta-based developer DMH2 LLC, shortly before the death of its owner. The house dates back to the 1890s and would be demolished along with approximately 80 trees in order to make room for a 3½-story building, containing retail stores on the first floor and apartments on the …
Mary Purcell of Westview Road in Verona voices her concerns over a proposed Bloomfield Ave. development.
Mary Purcell is the closest resident to a proposed three-story structure slated for 176 and 200 Bloomfield Ave. She has attended every Verona Zoning Board meeting since the application went before the Board in June 2012. Now that the hearings are nearing the end, Mary is concerned over the fate of her house.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Panel will continue developer's Bloomfield Avenue application at March meeting.
After months of zoning board meetings and discussions on a controversial Bloomfield Avenue development, Verona residents were disappointed once again Thursday night when the board adjourned without inching closer to a decision. The board heard testimony for more than three hours before deciding to continue the application at the March 14 meeting. Thursday night's meeting was attended by 25 residents, while close to 100 people attended to give testimony just two nights prior. Residents who had expected the board to reach a decision by the end of the meeting were visibly annoyed at the adjournment. “If it were about community, it would have been over a long time ago,” said resident Terry Moore. “It's all just legalese.” Residents described …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Verona residents speak about why they attended a Verona Zoning Board meeting to oppose a mixed retail-residential property.
Neighbors Mary Purcell and Terry Moore, both of Westview Road in Verona, discuss a proposed Bloomfield Avenue development with one floor of retail space and two floors of apartments. The Verona Zoning Board of Adjustment has been holding hearings with developer DMH2 LLC since June of 2012. “This project will take years and my home is only 24 inches from their property,” Purcell told the board. “There will be truckloads right outside my window dumping dirt and loose rocks with dirt strewn about my house.”
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
More than 30 people testify before the Verona Zoning Board of Adjustment against a mixed retail and residential property designed for Bloomfield Avenue.
Verona residents have waited patiently since June for their say on a developer’s proposal for a three-story retail and residential property with two parking lots designed for 176 and 200 Bloomfield Ave. Monday night, residents got their first chance to step up to the microphone and speak out about the proposal at a hearing with developer DMH2 LLC before the Verona Zoning Board of Adjustment. Residents filled nearly every chair and an overflow crowd filled the hallway of the Verona Community Center ballroom Monday night. Of the nearly 60 people who attended the meeting, more than 30 residents approached the board to provide testimony. “This project will take years and my home is only 24 inches from their property,” said Mary Purcell, the …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Verona Zoning Board of Adjustment will reconvene on Thursday, February 14 to continue a hearing on a mixed retail and residential property designed for 176 and 200 Bloomfield Ave.
Verona residents, who were expecting a decision from the Verona Zoning Board of Adjustment regarding a mixed retail and residential property for Bloomfield Ave., will have to wait a bit longer. It seemed a decision might finally be reached Thursday night, but because of personal reasons, the developer's attorney Alan Trembulak was unable to attend the meeting. The Board will continue the hearing during a special meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 11. The next regularly scheduled meeting fell on Valentines Day and may have ticked off a few spouse's and significant others while also causing potential problems for residents who wished to testify. Verona residents have shown opposition to the application since the beginning, …
Tim Camuti
10:51 am on Friday, March 15, 2013
A victory for the residents of Verona. And proof that getting involved makes a difference. I believe the board responded to the presence of so many community members attending the meeting. You will certainly see me at these meetings going forward. If DMH2 is considering all options, I hope they will contemplate renovating the house and property, selling it for a profit as a private residence. … more ›