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Neighbors’ stream, green roof and lot coverage weigh in Bernards Township variance approval
Summary
Neeraj and Tanya Chander won board approval to increase lot coverage to 16.55% for a four‑season addition conditioned on a green roof, recorded resolution and engineering oversight; the board required maintenance reporting and said the applicant must comply with professional memos and environmental commission recommendations.
The Bernards Township Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a variance on Jan. 7 to let Neeraj and Tanya Chander increase lot coverage to 16.55% for an addition and four‑season room at their Gold Boulevard property, subject to conditions intended to limit runoff and protect nearby wetlands.
The applicants, who moved into the house in 2019, told the board the existing backyard includes a stream and wetland area that makes the rear space effectively unusable in summer because of insects and standing water. They propose a standalone four‑season room with a flat, green roof intended to capture and reduce runoff. The applicants said they would remove an existing walkway and patio and could retain a small storage shed if necessary to meet a coverage cap.
Board engineering and planning memos raised calculation errors and flagged missing information: precise lot‑coverage numbers, a confirmed riparian buffer line, and DEP and flood‑plain approvals for work near FEMA‑designated areas. The environmental commission recommended best management practices (sediment and erosion controls, native plantings and buffer protection) and asked the applicant to show a confirmed wetlands buffer.
After discussing alternatives — deed restrictions versus annual reporting and engineering oversight — the board conditioned approval on: compliance with the professionals’ memos and the environmental commission recommendations; installation of a green roof sized to offset the additional impervious surface; the applicant’s agreement to record the board resolution with the county clerk; and an obligation to demonstrate annually to the township engineering department that the green roof is functioning and maintained or else provide alternative stormwater mitigation. The township engineering department will have authority to review and set reporting specifics.
Board members emphasized the property’s preexisting lot‑coverage condition and the need for engineering verification of the green‑roof performance. The board voted to grant the relief with those conditions; the application will return to building and engineering review for permitting and confirmation of required buffers and approvals.
The board also deemed one separate Mount Airy application incomplete earlier in the meeting and asked that applicant to return after addressing items in the January completeness memo.
