The Clifton Zoning Board of Adjustment on June 4 continued an application from Hookah Paradise USA LLC for a two-story rear addition and a second-floor storage expansion at 1219–1231 Main Ave., postponing a decision to allow the applicant to provide more detailed truck-turning, parking and drainage plans.

The application matters because the proposal would add about 18,900 square feet of second-floor storage above the existing retail/hookah space and extend the building roughly 30 feet to the rear, increasing on-site storage capacity in the Main Avenue Overlay District, where expanded storage uses are restricted by the overlay. Neighbors and board members raised questions about deliveries, vehicle circulation, stormwater runoff and dumpster screening.

Architect Michael Romanek described the project as “strictly for storage” and said the second floor would be accessed by two stairways and a freight elevator from the ground level; he also said the design team reduced proposed second-floor clear height from 20 feet to 16 feet on the planner’s recommendation so the building would comply with the local height limit. Attorney Gary Cohn said the tenant operates retail and online sales and expects larger, less-frequent deliveries once more storage is available. Engineer Thomas Donahue told the board the site plan showed 66 labeled parking spaces that would be reduced to about 60 after required changes; he said the zoning parking calculation requires 48 spaces.

Board members and nearby residents questioned how delivery trucks would enter, turn and exit the rear lot and whether large trucks would block parking aisles or overload the circulation pattern. Resident speakers asked how trash would be handled, whether trailers currently parked at the rear would be removed, and whether the project’s stormwater plan would address past flooding complaints. Donahue said the existing sheet flow would continue to Putnam Place and that four existing spaces encroaching into the Putnam Place right-of-way would be removed and replaced with landscaping; he also said the applicant would provide an enclosed dumpster area.

The board directed the applicant to return with vehicular turning exhibits (showing the largest expected delivery and trash/ emergency vehicles), revised parking counts and circulation diagrams, loading/delivery scheduling details, and clarified stormwater and dumpster screening plans. Planner/board staff asked for improved fenestration shown in revised elevations (the applicant agreed to add windows and revise the canopy as requested). The board also discussed signage relocation and confirmed the applicant reduced the second-floor height to fit the overlay limits.

Citing substantial outstanding engineering and operational questions, Chair Zucchino and other members agreed to adjourn the hearing. The board carried the matter to July 16, 2025, at 7 p.m.; the board noted no new public notice will be mailed and interested parties should attend the July 16 meeting.

If the applicant provides the requested truck-turning diagrams, revised parking layout and stormwater clarifications at the next hearing, the board indicated those materials will be used to reassess whether the project satisfies bulk standards and overlay design criteria.