Bruin family seeks to revive South Street Gardens with coffee shop and 48‑seat event space; hearing carried to Aug. 25

The Morris Township Board of Adjustment on July 28 heard a multi‑witness presentation from the applicants for 383 South Street LLC — the Bruin family — seeking use relief to operate a revived South Street Gardens with a small coffee/refreshment center and a supervised Second‑Floor event space for up to about 48 people. The hearing included operational testimony from family representatives, engineering and architectural evidence, traffic analysis, and several supportive neighborhood comments; the matter was carried to August 25 for completion.

Attorney Larry Kelly opened the applicant’s case, describing the 2.5‑acre site’s history as a garden center and the owner’s roughly $4 million investment to rehabilitate buildings and grounds. Witnesses included operations representatives (Matthew Bruin and Michael Tobia), project engineer Fred Stewart, architect Joseph Solfaro and traffic engineer Craig Peregoy (Dynamic Traffic). The application seeks D‑type use relief (D‑1 and D‑2) for a partially new use — an event space and an integrated refreshment/coffee area adjacent to garden retail — plus limited bulk variances for front yard setbacks, impervious coverage and fence heights where existing conditions predate current ordinances.

Operational testimony: Matthew Bruin and Mr. Tobia said the event space is intended for garden‑focused activities, workshops and modest community events (flower arranging, gardening classes and occasional small private celebrations). The upstairs…