Planning board approves Springbrook Country Club clubhouse expansion; parking and retaining-wall variances granted

The Morris Township Planning Board approved Springbrook Country Club’s amended preliminary and final major site plan to expand portions of the clubhouse and replace a temporary awning with a permanent covered terrace and expanded lower terrace.

Why this matters: The project includes a modest 1,300-square-foot enclosed addition, expanded covered and open terraces, new stair and ramp circulation for ADA and egress, and a new drywell to handle additional stormwater from about 7,400 square feet of added impervious surface. The project triggers bulk relief because the site’s existing parking shortfall grows under the zoning formula and a proposed retaining wall exceeds the local 4-foot maximum.

What was proposed and approved - Scope: Architect Ian Buckley described a 1,300-square-foot indoor addition (an indoor/outdoor bar) and expanded upper and lower terraces. The lower terrace will be supported by a new retaining wall that reaches a maximum height of about 8.9 feet at its center; much of the wall will be screened by new plantings and boulder-style facing…