Supporting Documentation · Oct 10, 2024
Statement of Principal Points on Letter head
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Show all pagesareas previously used as a part of the banquet facility, accounting for the outdoor amenities. In total, approximately 39.1% of the lot is impervious. (Figure 3 – Aerial) Zoning Regulations and Request for Interpretation Section 25-7.1, Zoning District Regulations, of the Township’s Land Use Regulations establishes the general regulations for each zoning district as it relates to permitted uses, accessory uses, conditional uses and bulk regulations. Part A, Attachment 2, outlines all the permitted uses in each of the Township’s Zone Districts. The uses generally permitted in the B-2 district are focused on small-scale retail and personal service locations, offices and office buildings, as well as restaurants and bars. Mayfair Farms, the previous principal occupant and operator of the property, managed what can best be described as a ‘banquet and conference center’ as defined by the Land Use Regulations. The property was used as such for decades. In 2021, Remarkable Foods Kitchens, LLC, d/b/a Wonder, obtained approval to renovate a portion of the basement of the existing structure to build out a new commercial kitchen and to complete minor exterior improvements to the rear of the property. These improvements included to placement of three (3) polar kings (refrigerated containers), two (2) rotisserie style smokers, and a carport for shelter with ancillary walkways. The approval was granted as an extension of the existing Mayfair Farms operation. In 2022, Mayfair Farms ceased operations as a banquet hall. In February 2024, Wonder Group, Inc., the parent company of Remarkable Foods Hospitality, LLC, applied to the West Orange Planning Board seeking Minor Site Plan approval to expand its current operation to up to twelve (12) individual rotisserie style smokers with the appropriate exterior improvements to facilitate said operation. The proposed improvements include the placement of up to two (2) new exterior cold storage containers, an expansion of an existing concrete pad to provide space for up to six (6) smokers, as well as a second concrete pad to hold an additional six (6) smokers. The existing pad would be covered by an expansion of an existing carport and the proposed new concrete pad would be covered by a new open carport. It is the position of the Applicant that the approval(s) granted by the municipality remain in-force and the applicant’s right to
the proposed new concrete pad would be covered by a new open carport. It is the position of the Applicant that the approval(s) granted by the municipality remain in-force and the applicant’s right to operate in compliance with the ordinance remains unchanged. The Applicant is requesting that the Zoning Board of Adjustment provide an interpretation of §25-7.1-Zoning District Regulations. The principal question the Applicant is seeking to have clarified by the Board is whether the Applicant’s use, previously approved by the Zoning Officer, continues to be a legally existing non-conforming use. As noted, Wonder had been approved to operate a small catering use in the basement and the rear of the Property. As Wonder has continued to grow, the need to expand production capacity of the catering operation has become a priority. Wonder is ultimately seeking approval to continue the existing operation and to expand to up to twelve (12) smokers, on an as needed basis. In the event that the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s interpretation of the zoning ordinance results in a determination that the use is not permitted or that the site plan component of the application
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- Sep 29, 2026
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