Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ZBA approves 2½-story rear addition at 16 Cranford Ave.; applicant to install on-site infiltration
Summary
The Zoning Board approved a rear addition at 16 Cranford Avenue with a height variance; the board required the applicant to finalize an on-site infiltration stormwater system with the township engineer.
The Cranford Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a variance for a 2½-story rear addition at 16 Cranford Avenue on the condition that the applicant implement an on-site stormwater infiltration system and work with township engineers to finalize details.
Applicant Thomas Connolly, who represents himself, said the rear portion of the 19th-century house contains badly deteriorated living areas, including the kitchen and bathrooms, and that aligning interior floor levels would eliminate a short interior stair run that has produced falls. He told the board the proposed work will increase the rear ridge from approximately 30 feet 4 inches to roughly 34 feet 8 inches to match an existing nonconforming cross gable and that the total rear addition is about 490 square feet.
Township professionals and the historic preservation memo noted the addition is designed to be sympathetic to the home’s Queen Anne-era character. The applicant referenced an 1894 local publication (Souvenir of Cranford) and said he used the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards as guidance for the design.
The board’s engineering review said the addition exceeds 300 square feet of new impervious area, so the applicant must provide a stormwater infiltration system. Connolly and the board agreed the civil engineer will confirm infiltration test pits, and the board conditioned approval on the stormwater system being installed in compliance with township requirements.
The proposed project remains under the zoning district’s impervious limits: testimony showed existing impervious coverage at about 20.75% rising to approximately 25.13% after the addition, below the R-3 maximum of 38%. During deliberations, members cited the project’s preservation-minded design, the modest practical detriments and the new on-site stormwater mitigation as reasons to approve. The board approved the application by unanimous roll-call vote among participating members.
The applicant will finalize construction and infiltration details with the township engineer before the building permit proceeds further.
