Township of Washington Zoning Board reorganizes; appoints officers, consultants and tables checklist revisions

The Township of Washington Zoning Board of Adjustment held its annual reorganization meeting on Jan. 13, 2026, electing Fred Getz as chair and Michael O'Grata as vice chairman and approving a slate of professional appointments and procedural resolutions for 2026.

The board voted to appoint the attorney listed in the packet under Resolution ZBA26-01 (listed in the packet as Gary g Antonio), Boswell Engineering’s John Yekimick as the zoning board engineer (Resolution ZB26-02), Joe Burgess of Burgess Associates Inc. as the planning consultant (Resolution ZBA26-03), and to appoint Grace Kalish as the zoning board secretary for 2026 (Resolution ZBA26-04). Roll-call votes recorded approval for each resolution.

The board also approved its 2026 meeting calendar (Resolution ZBA26-05), accepted the 2025 annual report for transmittal to the planning board and governing body (Resolution 26-06), and agreed to recommended changes to ZBA escrow and fee structure for forwarding to the governing body (Resolution ZB26-07). The board extended livestream and YouTube storage of meetings for 2026 under Resolution ZB26-08, keeping the arrangement in place "until such time that we rescind," in the chair’s words.

Members raised a brief rate discrepancy during the attorney appointment discussion: a board member said the packet described a compensation line as "$300 per meeting with a $1.50 per [item] from escrow funds," while the attorney’s submitted form showed "$3.50;" the chair confirmed the town-approved figure is $300 per meeting. The board directed staff to reflect the approved terms in the contract packet.

A major portion of the meeting was spent on the zoning-board checklist. Several members said the packet checklist is too long and contains many items appropriate to the planning board rather than the zoning board. Members proposed producing separate, shorter checklists tailored to the most common application types (a short checklist for c variances, a more detailed checklist for d/use variances, and a site-plan checklist for commercial or complex applications). The board asked members to review existing documents with the secretary and tabled a formal revision for the next meeting.

The board received multiple site-compliance updates. Concerning 91 Manhattan, the zoning officer reported a site visit had occurred but a formal decision is pending and that the township engineer advised the curb depth and construction likely fall to the applicant to correct. The zoning officer said staff will request additional escrow and photographic evidence and may recommend enforcement, including fines, if deficiencies are not remedied.

On the Apple Montessori site, the zoning officer reported a breakaway chain at the Linwood Avenue emergency exit was found partially down. The officer told the board he emailed Apple Montessori asking them to reinstall the chain and to finish remaining punch-list items; he said the township is holding approximately $22,500 in bond funds to secure final closeout.

Members also discussed a property on Jefferson Street (address given in the meeting as 662) where excavation reportedly began before permits were issued. The zoning officer recommended the construction official be asked to issue a stop-work order; members discussed enforcement steps and whether the new owner must return to the board if proposed changes to the approved application occur.

The meeting included routine items (approval of the Dec. 16, 2025 minutes) and a brief public-comment period in which no members of the public addressed non-agenda items. The board adjourned after confirming administrative follow-ups and scheduling the checklist review for the next meeting.

What’s next: the board will circulate proposed checklist revisions and requested supporting materials with the next meeting packet; staff will provide updates on the 91 Manhattan and Jefferson sites and on Apple Montessori’s corrective actions.