Hopatcong board delays Georgi lakefront build amid dispute over Riggs Lane access

The Hopatcong Planning Board on Tuesday carried an application from Sandra Georgi to April 15 after neighbors and the Echo Cove Association asked the board to withhold action until deeded access rights along Riggs Lane are resolved.

Georgi asked the board for multiple variances to build a two‑bedroom, two‑story home with a walkout basement, a two‑car garage, and a larger boathouse and docks at 8 Oneida Avenue (Block 31603, Lots 1 and 8). Engineer testimony described a slender, 25,710.4‑square‑foot R‑1 lot with steep topography that slopes down to Lake Hopatcong; the application seeks lot‑depth, front‑yard and rear‑yard relief and significant steep‑slope disturbance relief.

Why it matters: nearby property owners and the Echo Cove Association said their historical deeded rights to a 35‑foot strip and beach that leads to Echo Cove — known locally as Riggs Lane — would be affected. Their attorney asked the board to condition approval on a recorded agreement, saying the owners have accessed the dock and beach area “for the last 60 or 70 years” and that a court order previously divided part of the lane. The board agreed to carry the application 30 days so the parties can attempt to negotiate.

Board and applicant testimony Engineer testimony summarized the site constraints that the applicant says justify C‑1 (hardship) relief: the lot measures about 66 feet across where 100 feet is required, front yard setbacks…