2 ZBA Application

playgrounds have athletic fields in conjunction with them, such as O’Connor Park, Degnan Park near the high school, and Stag Field, among others. Thus, the proposed use will not substantially impair the Township's master plan and zoning ordinances. 16. Seton Hall's proposed construction of the athletic facilities will have a de minimus effect on the value of neighboring properties, as the Board accepts the unrebutted testimony of Richard E. Polton taken on May 6, 2010 at page 115. 17. Since at least the late 1800's, when the Subject Property was the site of General McClellan’s summer home, the Subject Property has, in fact, been developed and redeveloped many times over. The prior owners and/or the Olmsteds on their behalf cleared the Subject Property, built houses, tore down houses such as General McClellan's, built gardens and planted numerous non-native trees and shrubs. The testimony clearly demonstrated that the Olmsteds or others introduced many non- native species of trees and plants to the Subject Property. A photograph of the Subject Property (Exhibit A 53) clearly shows darge sections of the northerly portion of the Subject Property with effectively no trees, demonstrating that the trees at that point in time where removed by humans and that there was no growth of trees in those locations. Likewise, testimony about the work of the Olmsteds and the Delanos demonstrate large sections of the Subject Property were cleared to plant non- native species of trees, flowers and shrubs (such as Japanese yews, which are not native to West Orange), clearly changing the 26 -