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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=j_eKEqb4dU0

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Okay. Uh, good evening everyone. Welcome to the Township of Springfield Board of Adjustment meeting for April 21st, 2026. The time is 607. Adequate notice of this meeting has been given in accordance with the Sunshine Law. notice was published on January 1st in the local source, one of the official newspapers

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for the township of Springfield for the year 2026 and posted in the annex building on January 22nd, 2026. Can we please stand to salute the flag? Thank you. May we please have a roll call. >> Mr. Steven Hawkstein >> here.

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>> Mr. Steven Fersbound. >> Mrs. Marlon Apparano. >> Miss Michael Wex Mr. Michael Waxin, I'm sorry. >> Mr. Peter Sheitz, Miss Ana Dodson, Mr. Randy Pearlman,

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Vice Chair Mark Cunningham >> here, >> and Chair Jodie Cohen >> here. >> We have a quum. >> Thank you very much. >> Um, okay. The first order of business is resolutions. We have one resolution on this evening.

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Resolution 2025-1645 South Springfield Avenue, block 1402, lot 6. This was for an extension to file the minor subdivision deed. Has everyone had an opportunity to review the resolution?

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Are there any comments or questions? >> If there are none, is there a motion to approve? >> I'll move. >> Second. >> Mr. Hawkstein, >> yes. >> Mr. Wex, >> yes. >> Mr. Fenbound, >> yes. >> Miss Napano,

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>> uh, Vice Chair Cunningham? >> Yes. >> And Chair Cohen? >> Yes. without my tie because I'm not making any presentation but just want to appear on behalf of the church and say thank you all again for your efforts and I do have a copy of the recorded deed I think we sent it to the assessment

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>> thank you thank you >> thank you very much >> you too thank you >> okay we are going to move on to the applications we have one application this evening which is application 2026-3

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for Tulin Drive, block 3603, lot 12. This is a request for a variance to uh construct a deck at the property. Uh is the applicant here? Hi, how are you? Come on up. Is it just you that's going to speak be

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speaking? Okay, so we're going to swear you in first. >> Please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth? Please keep your voice up into the mic. Give us your full name, spell your last name, and give us your address. Uh,

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>> my name is Vivian Orleans. V I V I A N E O R L E A Ns. My home address is 2 L Drive, Springfield, New Jersey. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Um, would you like us to walk like to walk the board through the request

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that you're making this evening? Um, and the reasons for your request? Yes. Good evening everyone. Thank you so much for your time today. Um I am here requesting a permit for our proposed deck. The requirement is a 30ft rear

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yard setback. We currently sit at 36 ft and we are proposing at 20 ft. Um one of the main reasons for this request is safety. The existing stairs are starting to deteriorate and they are no longer in good condition

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which create a concern for us or anyone that is using them. In addition, this past fall we had beehives inside our wall where the deck is planned. At one point, multiple bees make their way into our homes and we are concerned about the

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possibility of that issue returning if the area is not properly addressed. Beyond safety reasons, this deck would also improve uh how we use our space. We frequently host small gatherings and family events. Many of our love loved ones live in apartment buildings, so our

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home has become a place where everyone comes together comfortably. Um we also make an effort to include our neighbors. We've been living in Springfield for over 12 years. We have a great relationship with our neighbors across the across the street, the Quake family as well as the Toby family who recently

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moved um into the town as well as our um friends down the street. My apologies. Um we currently have a patio that we plan to keep and the addition of the deck will complement the space nicely and create more of a functional, cohesive outdoor area. So overall, this

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request is about improving safety, maintaining our property, and creating a better space for our family, friends, and neighbors while we still being respectful of our surround surroundings. Thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. >> Members of the board, do you have any

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questions for the applicant? >> I do. >> Um, is is there a reason you're keeping the concrete patio if you're putting a deck in? Is it that you're not taking it out? Um, we just think it it will complement everything. We do sit in the back of the patio oftent times. So, it's

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pretty much >> Is the deck high enough off the ground that that you can go underneath the deck? >> No. Well, the deck will be higher than the patio is like on the other side of the backyard. >> Well, the survey that I see shows the concrete patio with the deck over it. Is

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that wrong? >> Yeah, I believe so. It looks like you're putting a deck on. >> The deck won't be going over the patio. >> It won't. >> It'll be right next to the patio, I believe. >> Confusing that.

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>> Oh, okay. >> That's the >> So, yeah. Yeah, the deck will be right next to the patio. It won't necessarily be over. So, it's on the other side of the house, not >> No, not it's on the same side. It's just the patio is on the right side. The deck would be more on the left side, if that

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makes sense. >> Not necessarily. >> So, is it drawn wrong on the survey? Just that's what I'm questioning because it looks like it's right over the reason I ask is we always have a problem with impervious coverage and if you're putting a patio over the deck, I mean a

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deck over the patio, if you take it out, it'll help with water runoff, but that's not the main point. And the other thing I read the engineers comments, you don't want to have any kind of stairway down to the yard on there or because there's no stairway show. >> Um, I don't believe so.

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>> Yes. >> I'm sorry. Say that again. >> I said, do you plan on having a stairway down to the yard because it's not shown? >> Um, I'm going to assume you give me how how can we have uh

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>> Oh, yeah, sure. >> come up and testify that way. It'll be on the record rather than >> of course >> your >> Oh, yes. Yeah. There there will be swear her in. >> Please raise your right hand. You swear or affirm to tell the truth. >> Yes.

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>> Please state your full name and give your home address. >> Thank you. Yes, back to your question. >> So, if you're going to put a stairway, I read the engineers report and there was a comment that if you're going for varant, you can't put the stairway in

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that would encroach on what you're already asking for. So, if you're putting a stairway in um where would it be? Do you have any idea? >> Can I l >> Yeah. And then she'll explain to us,

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right? better for me. Thank you. That's okay. >> Okay. So, the stairs won't be to the right of the deck. It'll be necessarily underneath the deck, closer to the patio, if that makes sense. >> Question is, you don't need a variance

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for that. That will be within the setbacks according to your uh survey. You don't need a variance for the stairway. It's going to you're going to place it where the within the setback. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Okay. Okay. >> That's what the engineers report asking.

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>> Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you for clarifying that. >> And then and then the other question is there's some blue on there. It says that you're you have to put a 4ft high fence as opposed to a six foot high where there's not areas highlighted in blue do not conform to ordinance. Is that is

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that wrong? Well, it's a corner lot, so there's two fronts. I think that's why it has to be four instead of six. But I don't know that. Are you asking to put a six foot fence there? >> No, we already have um the fence set up. We're We're not >> Yeah. >> Oh, it's already existing, Madam Chair.

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They came for a variance >> a long time ago. >> Okay. Yes. >> So, this is a pre-approved. >> That's approved. >> Got it. >> Correct. >> Because it didn't say anything about Okay, makes sense. remember. >> Um, that was my that was my only

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questions that if you're building over the patio really take it out and help with water runoff and then just make sure the stairs are not. >> Okay, got it. Thank you so much. >> Your application refers to a prior variance. Can you give me particulars

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about that? >> We just talked about that. So, that's what we were just talking about when um um there was a fence. It's a corner lot and the six-foot fence in the front yard of the corner lot was approved in 2017.

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>> So that's what the ver >> that was the approval in 2017. That's right. Mhm. >> The answers were contra the well the paperwork was contradictory. >> Got it. >> Was confusing. >> It was confusing. Yes. So that's I think

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right our secretary just confirmed that it was the fence height in 2017. >> That's correct. At the time when Bob reviewed the uh proposed deck, we used that old survey because they didn't have an updated survey. So Bob

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just suggested go with that. I can understand where the confusion was, but that six foot fence at the time in 2017 was approved. deck over the access. >> It's not necessarily over the patio. It

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will be right behind the kitchen and then the patio is to the left of the deck behind the family room. survey. >> I think it was wrongfully drawn because based off looking at the picture, the

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deck should be here where the stairs are >> all the way to the left. >> Means is on the other side of the house and >> No, not necessarily the other Yeah, the the left side of the house. So it should really be. Yeah. >> So it's just drawn. That's why it was confusing. So the >> I'm sorry. Now that makes more sense.

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>> So the deck is on the left side and the patio on the right side. Correct. >> So they're side by side. >> Yes. Correct. >> And then the stairwell will go down towards the concrete patio. >> No, we're we'll be Yeah. Of the deck. Yeah. Yeah. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> The deck stairs will come down to the

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concrete patio. >> Yes. >> So they'll be within the setback. Okay. Can I ask that as a condition if we approve tonight that a new survey or a survey updated drawing showing the

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location of the deck properly >> um is submitted to us for the file? I I I do have a comment then. There is a there is a utility easement that goes through your yard and if you put it 16 ft out on the other side, it looks like

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it's going to go over the utility. >> We do. Hold on. >> There's a there's a utility easement. So, if you took that deck and you slid it over and you were 16 feet out, looks like you'd be building over that easement. No, they talking about you're referring

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to the 10 >> where it says 10 foot you're telling me right away you can't build over that >> I don't here wouldn't that be behind the fence? >> No way.

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There's one right here. >> I don't think so. >> At 16 ft. >> Okay. >> So, it would have to be at 16 ft instead of 20 ft. >> Uh, we don't know actually. >> I don't think we know. I I think what

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what our chairman says is you need you need an accurate survey to be presented to the town to show that you're not going over the right away. >> Okay. >> I I want to be very clear so we can help you. Can she come up for a second with the survey? Can I just show you what

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we're talking about here? Okay. So because there is, if you look at the survey and we're looking at the rear line, there is this 10 foot utility easement here. What we're saying is that if the deck is actually proposed on the

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side over the kitchen staircase, you cannot encroach on this at all. So it looks like it has to end before it. So we don't know what the distance would be here and whether or not that's something that you're actually want to request if you want a deck that size or not. I don't know what you're going to if if

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this is what you're actually proposing. If it's if it's the alternate where you're putting the deck over here and not over the concrete, then we would need a survey to show us what the dimensions are here. And if you're even asking for that,

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>> yeah, they could they could either shorten it or put it at an angle so it doesn't go over the east. >> Okay. >> Those are your two possibilities. What they were just saying was that you could either shorten the deck or as you

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approach that easement, you angle the deck. It will be a little bit wouldn't be a straight line, but an angled line so that you're you get maybe the the the width of the deck, but not so much the depthness of going further into the backyard just along the easement line.

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>> Got it. Okay. >> We don't even know if this is the scale. Maybe that is 16 ft. We don't know. Yeah. >> But if this is 33 and that's 16, it seems like it's going to be way out >> um

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I guess it's Yeah, unfortunately I I I hate to make you come back. But I do think that we'd meet we would be need to see the survey um with the proposed deck

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um at in its location scaled correctly so that we could make a determination. >> Uh >> so >> sounds good. Thank you so much. Um, so well, so with that, do you think that you would be able to get that done for

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us so that you could come back to our next meeting? >> Um, when is the I think so. >> Next month. >> Next. Okay. Yeah. >> May 19th. Okay. So, we're going to we're going to do a motion to uh carry to May

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19th. Is that the correct date for sure? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, is there a motion to carry application 20263 to the May 19th hearing? >> Can I Can I just add something? Can you also show the stairway and your new when you redraw it, can you show where the

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stairs are going to be as well? >> Certainly. >> Is this being built through an uh construction company that has plans >> the uh decking? You I'm assuming you guys You did not do

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it by yourself. >> No, no, no, no. >> Who's doing the who's doing the drawings for the deck? Because we need either you do it or or an architect has to do it. >> Um, we we know the guy's name. I don't really have his information >> in order to have drawings submitted to the town for a permit. It either has to

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be you or an architect who came out. >> Okay. >> Contractor is not allowed to make the drawings. >> Oh, really? Okay. Unless he's a license. >> Okay. So, is a motion? >> We have a motion. >> Moved. >> Thank you. Second. >> I'll second.

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>> Thank you, >> Mr. Fersenbound. >> Mr. Roxin, >> yes. >> Miss Napparano, >> yes. >> Mr. Wex, >> Vice Chair Cunningham, >> yes. >> And Chair Cohen, >> yes. >> Motion pass. >> Is there a question? I was just going to say thank you. I'm sorry. Okay.

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>> So, just let's just let um Mr. Bergen announce for any member of the public that's here. >> Any members of the public who are present for this application, it's being carried to May 19th. There'll be no further notice. You don't have to publish again, okay?

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>> Or or email notices. anyone um is getting noticed tonight that you'll be back on the 19th. >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> Thank you so much. >> Thank you very much. We'll see you then. >> I still have to say. Okay. >> Okay. Is there any further business this

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evening? >> None. Do we have a motion to adjurnn? >> Second. Second. >> All in favor? I. Thank you very much.