2024 09 10_West Orange Planning Report68603611

STONEFIELD stonefieldeng.com 92 Park Avenue, Rutherford, NJ 07070 201.340.4468 t. 201.340.4472 f. September 10, 2024 Township of West Orange West Orange Zoning Board of Adjustment 66 Main Street, West Orange, NJ 07052 RE: Planning Memo Applicant: Wonder Group, Inc. Block 152.01, Lot 1445.01 481 Eagle Rock Avenue West Orange, Essex County, NJ Greetings: Stonefield Engineering & Design, LLC (“Stonefield”) has prepared this Variance Justification Memo to provide details of the proposed use and justification for variance relief pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70. Project Description Wonder Group, Inc. (hereinafter “The Applicant”) proposes to expand the existing outdoor barbeque area of a catering facility located on Block 152.01, Lot 1445.01, also known as 481 Eagle Rock Avenue in West Orange. The subject property is approximately 10.93 AC (476,210 SF) and is located within the B-2 General Business Zone and IHO-1 Inclusionary Housing Overlay. The site is an irregularly shaped interior lot bounded by an undeveloped wooded area to the north, residential development to the west, Eagle Rock Avenue to the south, and the West Orange Plaza commercial building to the east. Under existing conditions, the site is occupied by a 2-story building which previously operated as the Mayfair Farms banquet hall central to the site and an outdoor barbeque area with two (2) outdoor wood-fired meat smokers located beneath a frame canopy in the northeast portion of the site. An existing commercial kitchen is located in the basement of the former banquet hall and is currently utilized for cooking and food preparation for consumption off-site. The applicant utilizes both the indoor commercial kitchen space within the basement of the existing building and the outdoor barbeque area to prepare food for delivery off-site through a catering service. Additionally, the site contains three (3) surface parking areas which provide approximately 228 parking spaces in the southern portion of the site and an asphalt driveway and parking area which provide approximately 50 employee parking spaces in the northeast portion of the site. The northwest corner of the site contains an open landscaped area previously used as a part of the banquet facility. The site is currently accessed via two (2) one-way driveways and one (1) two-way driveway along Eagle Rock Avenue. The surrounding area consists primarily of

ly used as a part of the banquet facility. The site is currently accessed via two (2) one-way driveways and one (1) two-way driveway along Eagle Rock Avenue. The surrounding area consists primarily of commercial and residential development along Eagle Rock Avenue. The project proposes to expand the outdoor barbeque area to provide an additional ten (10) wood-fired meat smokers on-site beneath two (2) additional frame canopies. Additional exterior improvements to the rear of the property include two (2) walk-in coolers and one (1) blast chiller to provide additional food storage on-site, and a carport with ancillary walkways to provide shelter to parked delivery vehicles in support of existing delivery operations. The outdoor smokers are proposed to help support the current barbeque offerings that the applicant provides. The existing 2-story building is to remain and will continue to operate as an indoor food preparation facility. The existing surface parking areas and landscaped area are to remain. Additional site improvements include stormwater management improvements and updated sidewalk infrastructure on-site. Food production is not a permitted use in the B-2 Business District or the IHO-1 Inclusionary Housing Overlay, therefore a “d(1)” use variance is required for the proposed development.