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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=JUD4U8jKBFs

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Okay, good evening. The meeting will please come to order. Adequate notice of this meeting as required by the open public meeting act has been that on January 7th, 2026, a copy of the notice specifying the date, time, and location was posted on the bulletin board outside of Borough Hall,

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given to the clerk administrator, mailed, faxed, or emailed to the Courier News, and placed on the Borough website. These meetings are this meeting is of judicial nature. Only those items on the agenda may be discussed or questions asked. Proper judicial decorum must and

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will be maintained. Next item, roll call, please. >> Chairman Ardadeer. >> Here. >> Ed Allet. >> Here. >> Roberta Karpinets. >> Here. >> Morgan McLaughlin. >> Here. >> Richard O'Neill. >> Here. >> Brian Bidinsky. John Flores.

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>> Here. >> Eric Alvarez. >> Here. >> Stuart Daniels. >> Will someone move that Eric and um I mean um Brian and Stu's absence be recorded as excused? >> I'll move it. >> Good. >> Next item, pledge. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag

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of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay, next item. What do we have? >> Uh next up we have the approval of minutes from June 3rd, 2026.

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>> I'll move them. >> Second. >> Moved and second. Any discussion? Roll call, please. >> Chairman Ardadeer. >> Yes. >> Ed Allet. >> Yes. >> Roberta Karpinets. >> Yes. >> Morgan McLaughlin. >> Yes. >> Richard O'Neill. >> Yes. >> John Flores. >> Yes. >> Eric Alvarez. >> Yes.

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>> Okay, next resolution. >> Uh next we have the 2025-009Z Princeton Canal LLC 69 Weston Avenue block 129 lot 6. >> Someone like to move it? >> I'll move it. >> I'll second.

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>> Second. Any discussion? >> Any questions? I mean I I I know I I I did a final revision this morning. Um and uh I think everything is in shape. I mean certainly it's a lengthy resolution. It

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was a lengthy application and a lot of detail went into it. So, uh want to make sure that everything everybody thought was in there. >> It's been moved, second, no discussion? >> Just wanted to be sure. >> Is yes for denial?

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Yes for approval of the denial. >> Yes for denial. >> Good. >> [clears throat] >> Roll call, please. >> Chairman Arredondo? >> Yes. >> Ed Allet? >> Yes. >> Roberta Carpenito? >> Yes. >> Morgan McLaughlin? >> Yes. >> Richard Neil? >> Yes. >> John Flores? >> Yes.

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>> Eric Alvarez? >> Yes. >> Okay, next item. >> Next up we have hearing 2025-012Z, Nan Realty Holdings LLC, 20 and 30 West End Avenue.

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Block 131, lot 19 and 20. >> Counselor? >> Yes. >> Good evening. >> Good evening. Members of the board, my name is Eileen Brennan. I am with the firm of Prime and Tuval and Saley. I'm here tonight to uh we submitted a letter earlier today

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requesting that this matter be adjourned to be held until September 16th, the hearing on September 16th. Um and so >> I did speak I did speak with your partner um

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uh this afternoon and he I I know the one thing and I mean certainly the it'll be up to the board uh I know that Mr. Tuval had said that he can get essentially get all his players on the field for September 16th. You can

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confirm that? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um I I don't you know it it's a I know this is not the news the client your client may not want to want to hear, but I think we're going to have to ask you

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to re-notice again. Uh I understand that is what it is, but I I I'm Look, it helps your client as much as it helps the board make sure that everything is in order. So, that would be my recommendation. If if What What's

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our schedule for the 16th? Uh Mr. Secretary. >> We're open. >> We're open? >> The date's The date's not taken. So, the the board should incline can certainly hear the matter on September 16th.

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>> Okay. Um Again, it's up to the board. I certainly have I certainly think that it's it's not a not a problem, but I mean I will Uh it will it will be it will be the board's determination, but uh I

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certainly think it's a reasonable request. It's consistent with the last with the with the discussion Mr. Tuval had a had with us at the last meeting on this matter. So, it's this is not a bolt out of the blue. You know, we had discussed at this

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meeting that we would verify and finalize not verify and finalize but finalize a new hearing date. And essentially, that's what they're doing. Uh >> This is This is with notice though, correct? >> Yes, with notice. >> Yes. >> That's the thing.

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That's That's the direction needed from the board. >> Yeah. Yes. >> We're talking something 3 months >> But I would recommend that the board direct that there be that there be notice. >> I would uh ask the board if they would if they want

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them to re-notice. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Rather than a full motion, we we would require it that they re- re-notice. We're talking 3 months out. >> So, let me just check the calendar to make sure we're good.

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>> Now, I I summertime is a terrible time to schedule land use hearing. So, I presume being 2 weeks after Labor Day, by that time everybody's back in school and you know, back home from wherever they are, Europe or whatever. So, do you expect this will be ready?

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>> Absolutely. >> All right. >> Yeah, the uh the date works. It's the It's the third Wednesday, 9/16. There's nothing scheduled. Uh I guess your your schedule's just get the noticing, please. No drama.

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>> Thank you. >> Good night. >> So, we're going to affirm that we're rescheduling this to the 16th. >> Yes, sir. >> September 16th. >> September 16th and and uh there will be new mailed and published notice per the

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municipal land use law for this meeting. But, anyone who anyone else who may be here in connection with the meeting, you are hereby placed on notice as well that there will be another hearing on this on September 16th. You will be receiving written notice. Thank you, counselor.

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>> Next. >> Uh next up we have the discussion for 2025 Zoning Board of Adjustment decisions and appeals. >> I think we briefly touched on this about 2 weeks ago in Mike's report. And I think he said there was nothing really glaring.

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I'm not seeing the the kind of movement we had several a decade ago when we people started abandoning the offices in the POR zone. And we allowed the uh recommended to allow those to be converted to

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residences. >> It continues to be a Mr. Chairman a shotgun thing. If you look at the map, it's never been concentrated in one area. It's all over and the board knows. Uh the POR and a lot, the residential

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zone districts, but they're commercial applications, so they're down as commercial, but uh the distinction's made in the report, and the numbers it's been very consistent um to the board. If you If you look

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going back to '06 the numbers are roughly speaking uh a low is '09, which we didn't have a lot of applications because of the crisis. But bottom line is you're averaging roughly speaking, there's a couple

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hundred percent, but between 69, 70, 75% of the applications are over half are residential. Which has been that way forever, and and I I I think that reflects we have some unique lots in town >> Right.

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>> which are there, and we all know about them. And um some of these lots are so small or that the the existing dwelling is feet off the property line that uh causes some uh board action. >> I had talked to the mayor a couple

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months ago at one of our Thursday meetings, and took a look at that particular was the Davenport Street area, the old uh pottery field. But when we did the uh the application at uh 79 3rd Street, where we uh

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divided the property and made two small lots, Paul Ricky did a really great analysis on the number of small lots in this town that don't meet the R2 uh >> Yeah, it's >> that's something that we as a town have to look at.

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>> And what we are seeing is a lot of reinvestment of residents into their properties, which is a wonderful thing to see. >> [snorts] >> Uh people coming in for additions, remodeling, putting a second floor on, the one on Grove, the one on Bridge.

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And um that's a a really good sign of people reinvesting in the community. >> It affirms the stability of the community. >> Right. So, we are >> [clears throat] >> I guess you could say it's a bad thing, but it's a good thing. The good thing is that you're having a significant reinvestment.

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The bad thing is I I know that particularly Mr. O'Neal has said this some of these applications that he would say shouldn't be in front of the board, which I get. But, we are having significant reinvestment in the borough. >> Yeah, the down I don't know if we're

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having that, but the downside is I think based on our lot sizes and configurations in this town, we add a lot of cost to it to a to a remodeling job or a reconfiguration. >> Got it. >> And most of it's administrative. It's going to before they even had to buy a nail or put a hammer in

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you know, they spent a lot of money and it's here. >> Yeah. I know the majority of the homes in my neighborhood are the lots are are smaller, but right now there's at least a dozen houses being renovated.

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I told my wife we got to do something because everybody around us is is redoing their homes. I mean, they're looking for at $600,000 on 2nd and 3rd Street. And they're getting it.

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So, >> And if you notice almost every one of these applications we approve, so people jump through the hoop, put the fire around it, spend a lot of money, >> Yeah. >> and get what they should get anyway. I just think at some point we've got to really tackle this thing because it's

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I think you and I know for a fact some people just give up. >> Oh, yeah. >> You know, they just might give up. You know, so >> There's There's some of those lots that need to have a close close eye. You don't want them overbuilding on the lot. >> Oh, yeah, absolutely. >> So, I don't know. My My lot is way undersized. I could never build anything on my lot. >> Right. Yeah.

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>> Me too. I know >> But, if your lot's bigger than mine, >> somebody wants to do something to my lot, they would have to come to a board. We would have to get >> [laughter] >> Conflict of interest. You can't get approval. >> What's that? Added guest for denial? >> [laughter] >> Don't even try.

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>> That's a lot of lots in my neighborhood. >> It's true all over town. >> Yeah. >> The older the older our neighborhoods it's a preponderance of the the lots are small >> I got a block and a lot right next to me. >> Oh, [laughter] yeah. >> You're right off the hook.

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>> You wouldn't even be able to vote. >> We have that at the cemetery. Lots are too small. >> Okay, Michael, that's it? >> That's it. >> Anyone want to move to approve Michael's report? All Oh. >> Second. >> Moved, second. All in favor? >> Aye.

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>> Aye. >> Anything else? >> Didn't we have to discuss it? >> Uh just chairman's comments. >> Why did we meet here? >> Glad to [laughter] have you. >> Hey, ordered or I'd rather be anywhere. >> Yeah, I don't want to be one of my own clients.

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>> Right. >> In fact, one of the things we have to really take a look at cemeteries in in Somerville are not in schedule A or schedule B, Michael. >> Right. >> So it's automatically a non-conforming use. >> So I have to type on tombstone when I come here? >> Uh no.

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>> And interesting, the tax assessor has it down as open land. On the classifications. This came up during fair share. >> Yeah, well, we call it I call it cemetery and low-income housing. >> Right. >> We worked so hard, we're not going to

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hear North County tonight. >> No, we're not going to hear North County. >> So, this is just my opinion. I look around, I look at the three things we did tonight. We voted on a couple of denials. We set something for September.

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And we're all here tonight. This is an off night usually, right? I think that we should be a little bit mindful of all of our time that we volunteer for. And now we're getting into summer. This tonight, in my estimation, was a waste

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of time. That we could have done it in 2 weeks from now and called the meeting off, saved the bureau a little bit of money, not that we don't want to pay people. But if we had >> Yeah, are you getting paid for this? >> not have the meeting tonight. >> Mhm. >> So, just

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my my feeling, that's all. >> You know, there's times where we could go remote again. >> Are we Are we doing two double sessions all summer? Two two times a month? >> We're uh we're busy. Uh

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in theory. >> And the queue right now is about four applications. So, every time I say, "Well, we have four, so we would be off the clock come May the day." Every time I say that, I come back with my foot in my mouth, right?

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>> [laughter] >> Um >> PSE&G is still >> Pete, we have PSE&G, the two self-storage, 71. Uh there's another application with this deemed complete, and uh Verizon application, a cell tower that the

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board's already seen as an expansion, is very close to being complete. Complete. So, that is two, three, four, five, there's six applications in the hopper, some. Now, the question is some of the small one, can they be doubled up, which is a

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question to the It's always the chairman's question uh comment on whether we can I Some of it can't, like obviously the self-storage is a huge application. But maybe some of the residentials we could potentially, the board like double them up.

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>> Oh, yeah. >> Um and maybe if that's the case, go back to one meeting if we get the backlog down. >> Well, that was our goal was to get the backlog down, but they keep coming. They keep coming. >> Uh the next

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board meeting is going to be 79 Route 206. >> That's July 1. >> Yes. >> Mhm. >> And they I think they just submitted revised plans or they will be. Uh PSEG, we have to confirm uh Morgan said

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depending on how things played out, don't lock them in because if uh the 2030 would be ready, the comment was they what they've asked for a they to be carried for two or three times, you know, we could they can certainly

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rearrange their schedule. So, we haven't gotten back to them and we have to schedule this 71 so they can notice. Uh So, it's it's If we get through the two self-storage applications, there

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might be an opportunity to go back to one meeting a month. Back to the third Wednesday and and not the first Wednesday. I think we'll know better by next month

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because that's PSEG and 79 uh the self-storage. Those two are the We're down to one big application I'm aware of. Everything else is relatively small. >> Are we on the 1st or the or the 8th of July? Our next meeting. >> First. >> First.

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>> First, okay. >> And that's the 79. That's the self-storage that the direction was they were revising the plans based on the board's comments and the public input on the aesthetics >> When I asked >> storm water management, all that. >> What's that?

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>> On the Route 206. >> Yeah. >> Where they should put both self-storages. >> But I thought they already >> Yeah. >> I don't care what their study says. >> Okay. >> So, Eric, this is a very long-winded answer, but I I get the feeling that you want to go back to one meeting,

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and I think it's possible. I think we should >> We should strive for that. Yeah. >> Right. In July. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> Mike, uh all the boards that you have appear or work for, how many of them take uh time off in the summer?

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>> [laughter] >> And it's something we need to think about. Maybe. Is there any business any other business to come before the board? >> Uh all that's left is adjourn it. >> Motion to adjourn. >> My favorite words.

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>> Goodness gracious. >> I make a motion. >> Second. >> Move and a second. All in favor? >> Aye. >> Aye. >> In the words of the famous uh actor Neil Carriello, let's win.