Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Retaining Wall topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves terraced retaining-wall and patio at 46 West River Sticks with erosion controls
Summary
Hopatcong Planning Board approved replacement of existing timber retaining walls and a small patio at a lakefront property, requiring native plantings, erosion control measures and removal of pressure-treated timbers.
The Hopatcong Planning Board approved a plan to replace failing timber and railroad-tie retaining walls with tiered stone/block walls and a modest patio at 46 West River Sticks Road, contingent on erosion control and stabilization measures.
Engineer Jeff Karriaga testified for the applicants Roman and Alex Lohatsky, saying the property is lakefront with existing disturbed areas and unsightly timber walls; the proposal calls for a roughly 12-foot-wide patio and a sequence of retaining walls, each designed to remain at or below 4 feet in height. Karriaga said the design removes existing pressure-treated timbers and replaces them with stone or block to avoid potential chemical leaching.
Board reviewers and staff emphasized that the work would remain within previously disturbed areas, would not increase impervious cover beyond local limits, and that final stabilization and seeding specifications must be provided. The applicant confirmed plans include seed mixes and matting per municipal specifications and that the work is sized to keep total coverage under the municipality’s 25 percent threshold.
Board members asked for a clarifying fence/guardrail detail adjacent to the proposed patio; the applicant said the protective fencing would be adjacent to the patio only. Staff also asked that the applicant comply with the technical review letter from the township’s reviewer (McDonald) and provide any required agency approvals.
The board voted to approve the application; members recorded a roll-call affirmative vote. The approval requires removal of existing treated lumber walls, installation of the proposed tiered walls (maximum 4 feet each), final erosion and sediment controls in place before work starts, and municipal/engineer sign-off on stabilization measures.
