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Suffern planning board sets public hearing for 156160 Wayne Avenue housing project
Summary
The Suffern Planning Board voted March 19 to hold a public hearing April 23 on a proposed multi-building residential project at 156160 Wayne Avenue after hearing a site and design presentation and questions about parking, ADA access and emergency access.
The Suffern Planning Board voted March 19 to set a public hearing for a proposed residential development at 156160 Wayne Avenue for April 23 at 7 p.m.
The hearing will give residents and agencies a chance to comment on the project, which the applicant’s team described to the board as a multi-building residential complex with a single one-way entrance from Wayne Avenue, surface parking, gated rear access and ADA-accessible building entrances.
At the meeting, the applicant’s presenter gave the board an overview of site circulation and building elevations, saying the design includes a one-way entry from Wayne Avenue, parking and apartment access from each building, a gated rear portion intended to limit access and a separate emergency-vehicle path along the rear of the site. The presenter said the buildings will be raised slightly above grade but will include ADA-accessible entrances and balconies on the rear elevations.
Board members pressed the applicant on how pedestrian walkways adjacent to parking would be distinguished from parking spaces. Planning Board member (unnamed in the transcript) said the current striping looked the same width as a parking space and could fade over time, potentially creating additional parking and blocking access. The project representative replied the walkways could not be raised but could be narrowed and surfaced or colored differently from standard parking to discourage parking there.
The project team also acknowledged they had just received comments from the fire department minutes before the meeting and said they would work to address those comments and other review comments from the planner. Dan Richmond, attorney for the applicant, said the team intended to provide additional detail and answer outstanding questions raised at the prior meeting.
Action and next steps: The board moved and approved a motion to set a public hearing on the project for April 23 at 7 p.m. The meeting record shows the motion carried; individual roll-call tallies were not stated on the record. The applicant indicated updated plans and responses to review comments will be provided to the planner ahead of the hearing.
A public hearing will allow nearby residents, the planning staff and outside agencies to comment before the board issues any determinations on zoning variances or site plan approvals.
