Board hears testimony on Islamic Community Cultural Center plan for 29 age‑restricted apartments on South Beverwyck Road

Parsippany (Troy Hills) — The Parsippany (Troy Hills) Board of Adjustment on April 2 took testimony on an application by the Islamic Community Cultural Center to add a 29‑unit, age‑restricted apartment building behind the existing cultural center at 879 South Beverwyck Road.

The applicant seeks preliminary and final site plan approval with multiple use and bulk variances to construct a two‑story residential building over parking (described in testimony as making it three stories) with 29 one‑bedroom apartments, new parking, and site work in an area constrained by wetlands, a stream and a floodplain. The board heard testimony from the applicant’s engineer and reviewed reports from the board’s planner, the board engineer and the county and fire subcode office.

Why it matters: The proposed building would be sited largely within an existing paved parking area behind the cultural center, adjacent to environmentally regulated land. Neighbors raised questions about stormwater, light trespass, on‑street parking and emergency access. The board directed the applicant to supply revised plans and additional information before the application proceeds to further hearings.

Project summary and testimony Mark Walker, the applicant’s project engineer, told the board the property is identified in the application as Block 7764, Lot 34 on South Beverwyck Road and is developed with a two‑story building currently used as an Islamic community cultural center (previously Temple Beth Am). Walker said the rear of the lot is constrained by freshwater wetlands, a stream and a floodplain and that the buildable area is largely confined to existing paved surfaces near the front of the lot.

Walker said the proposal would place a two‑story apartment structure above parking, yielding a three‑story profile with a roof height the team reported at 40.6 feet (the applicant said this reflects a revision that removed rooftop stair enclosures and a rooftop terrace). The building would contain 29 one‑bedroom, age‑restricted units; the applicant said six units would be set aside as…