EIS waiver memo 02252026 4908 0095 34901

February 25, 2026 Ms. Jamilet Baquerizo Vita, Planning Board Secretary West Orange Planning & Development Department 66 Main Street, Room 214 West Orange, NJ 07052 Re: Planning Board Application No. PB-25-11 525 Northfield Avenue West Orange, NJ 07052 Block# 159.04, Lot# 1.01 Dear Ms. Baquerizo Vite: This memo has been prepared to address the Environmental Impact Statement waiver requested for the above-mentioned project. The Township Planner requested a memo from the applicants engineer that other than steep slopes, no additional environmental impacts exist on the site. Below is a description of the property, the proposed development and environmental impact related to our development. The subject property is designated a Lot 1.01 of Block 159.04 on the Township of West Orange Tax Maps. The property consists of 110,205sf. It is located on the northeasterly side of the intersection of Northfield Avenue and Sheridan Avenue. On the east side the project site is the adjoining property owned by the Township of West Orange, which is vacant woodlands. The northern property is bounded by residential properties which fronts on Sheridan Avenue and Masson Place. A segment of Turtle Brook flows east to west and is piped through the subject property. The NJDEP memo previously provided, indicates that the 100-year flood event is contained within the culvert that runs through this property. Therefore, the site is not impacted by the 100-year flood. There is an existing one & one-half (1-1/2)–story frame and brick building located in the southwest corner of the property. This building, originally built in the 1920s as a restaurant, has been changed and altered over the years. It currently is configured as a restaurant and catering/reception hall. Surrounding the building are parking areas. Access to the existing site is from driveways—one each from Northfield Avenue and Sheridan Avenue. Surrounding the site there is a variety of uses. Across Sheridan Avenue is the St. Cloud Elementary School. To the west there is commercial development with offices, retail sales, and restaurants. To the north, there are several single-family homes located within the R-6 residential zone district. The subject property lies within the Township’s B-2 Zone. The terrain on the project site is very variable. The parking areas immediately behind the main building (on the north and east sides) are

ct. The subject property lies within the Township’s B-2 Zone. The terrain on the project site is very variable. The parking areas immediately behind the main building (on the north and east sides) are relatively level in relation to the building. Behind those parking areas the grade slopes steeply upward to the rear property line. The highest elevations on the site occur immediately around the northeasterly property corner at approximately 450 elevation. The lowest elevation is about 380 and occurs in the southwestern corner of the property at the intersection of Northfield Avenue and Sheridan Place. Do to the abrupt elevation changes and the breaks in the slope, it is felt that the portions of the site were excavated decades ago to support the construction of the Essex ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING SPACE PLANNING INTERIOR DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES PRINCIPALS MARVIN JARMEL, IIDA MATTHEW B. JARMEL, AIA, MBA IRWIN H. KIZEL, AIA, PP RICHARD A. JARMEL, PE NJ STATE BOARD OF ARCHITECTS CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION NUMBER 161 NJ STATE BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION NUMBER GA278177 42 Okner Parkway Livingston, NJ 07039 TEL: (973) 994-9669 FAX: (973) 994-4069 www.jarmelkizel.com