November 13, 2024 Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

13 1 as with any wooded property. In fact, there’s no 2 technical access to the property today by road. I 3 would say, just by observation and common sense, the 4 property will have road access and fire hydrants, which 5 it does not today. 6 So, in light of today’s fire emergency 7 scenario that we have statewide, first of all, no one 8 could predict this, no one can design around this. The 9 simple fact is that this property today is fully 10 exposed. Just, again, using a common sense analysis, 11 in the future, the property would have road access and 12 fire hydrants which it does not have today. 13 MS. WHITE: Right. And what you wouldn’t be 14 about to speak to, I’m sure, is the adequacy is what is 15 in the plan relative to those things -- 16 MR. DeFEO: The fire department would have to 17 do that. 18 MS. WHITE: -- so that really is my question 19 -- 20 MR. DeFEO: That would be a fire department 21 question. 22 MS. WHITE: Absolutely. Okay. Thank you so 23 much. 24 MR. RUTHERFORD: Mr. Chairman, may I ask -- 25 THE CHAIRPERSON: Council President 14 1 Rutherford? 2 MR. RUTHERFORD: How many points of ingress 3 and egress are there to this property? 4 THE CHAIRPERSON: At present? 5 MR. RUTHERFORD: Based on the proposed 6 design. 7 MR. DeFEO: I’m only citing based on what I 8 saw on the plans and looking at the maps, there would 9 be three. 10 MR. RUTHERFORD: Is that the Board’s 11 understanding? Mr. Dezilla (phonetic)? Mr. Hess? 12 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: It does show three. 13 They have asked that one not be put in, initially. 14 They wanted to have two and the other one they were 15 asking that that be held in reserve. 16 MR. RUTHERFORD: So, based on -- I just want 17 to be clear -- so, based on the way it’s proposed 18 today, there is one mode of ingress/egress for regular 19 traffic and one in case of emergency. So, there would 20 be two in case of emergency but one on a regular basis, 21 is that -- is my understanding right? 22 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: They have a normal 23 regular access on the southerly side of the site with a 24 second one that’s proposed but they’re asking that that 25 not be installed. And then they have an emergency 15 1 access on the northerly side of the property. 2 MR. RUTHERFORD: And the second one that 3 they’re reserving, is that because of any settlements 4 or other agreements with other townships? 5 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No, not

erly side of the property. 2 MR. RUTHERFORD: And the second one that 3 they’re reserving, is that because of any settlements 4 or other agreements with other townships? 5 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: No, not that I’m aware 6 of. I believe they asked -- they’ve shown it on the 7 plan. They’ve requested that the Board make a waiver 8 to not require it to be put in but that’s a Board 9 decision. 10 MR. RUTHERFORD: So, they are allowed to have 11 two points of ingress/egress without violating any of 12 the agreements they currently have? And one additional 13 -- 14 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We have a zone plan, 15 and it has to go with the zone plan, sir. 16 MS. McGOVERN: I think Mr. Plocker can speak 17 to that. 18 MR. PLOCKER: This is Bryan Plocker, Hutt, 19 Shimanowitz and Plocker, on behalf of the applicant. I 20 think Mr. Hess, your engineer, I think he got it right 21 at the end is that the plan, the site plan as 22 submitted, does propose the access on Kuzik Drive 23 However, we have requested a de minimis exception from 24 RSIS to have Kuzik serve as emergency access only. 25 MR. RUTHERFORD: So, that would be two? 16 1 MR. PLOCKER: What I said is what’s on the 2 plan. 3 MR. RUTHERFORD: Well, I would like to 4 understand. I mean, I need to understand it in 5 layman’s terms. 6 MR. PLOCKER: It would be -- what’s proposed 7 right now, before we get into any exceptions or waivers 8 would be access via Warner Road and Kuzik Drive with 9 emergency access up off of Howell Drive. The 10 application that was before the Board that was applied 11 for and what the Board is going to consider now, seeks 12 a de minimis -- seeks a de minimis exception from RSIS 13 to have the Kuzik Drive access serve as emergency 14 access only. 15 UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: John, thank you. 16 THE CHAIRPERSON: Sir, come up to the mic, 17 say your name. 18 MR. HECK: I’m Werner Heck. I live on 84 19 Davey Drive in the West Essex Highlands. Our condo 20 overlooks the -- where Warner Road ends and the forest 21 begins. I’d like to address Mr. DeFeo’s claim of the 22 forest being unhealthy. To demonstrate that he had 23 compared two photos last time he was here. He said one 24 had a very long range of sight -- 25 THE CHAIRPERSON: Sir, the people in the back