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Board approves bulk‑variance for D'Agostino home at 425 5th Street after revised plans and DEP testimony
Summary
The Beach Haven Land Use Board approved a bulk‑variance request for 425 5th Street after the applicant submitted revised plans accounting for wetlands and DEP conditions; the board accepted revisions to cantilevered decks, confirmed building height and required deed modifications related to flood hazards.
The Beach Haven Land Use Board on a continuation of a September hearing approved a bulk‑variance for 425 5th Street that allows a reduced front yard setback and the continued placement of a proposed front porch and associated parking configuration.
Attorney James Raven, representing applicants Mark and Allison D'Agostino, told the board the revised architectural and engineering plans correct earlier coverage calculations to account for wetlands and lower the previously reported lot and impervious coverage figures. "On the revised plans…we have an existing lot coverage of 13.6% and the proposed lot coverage is 15.8%," Raven said, adding those figures are still well under the 35% building coverage and 60% impervious limits noted in the code.
Architect Amanda Sapp of J. Madden Architects described changes to the plans, including reducing a north‑side cantilever from a 4‑foot overhang to a 1‑foot overhang and shrinking a west‑side cantilever to 6 by 12 feet. "The front porch really has not changed from the original design," Sapp said, adding the revisions responded to board questions while keeping the porch layout the applicants prefer for accessibility and function.
Environmental consultant Junetta Dix of ACT Engineers testified that the proposed design complies with the prior NJDEP CAFRA approvals and described the department's practice of requiring a recorded deed modification to disclose flood inundation risks and prohibit habitable space below specified elevations. "The development as we're proposing it here…does not offend any of the prior DEP approvals," Dix said, and she noted the CAPRA permit approval and any deed modifications would remain conditions of a final approval.
Neighbor Katie Cosgrove, who lives at 423 5th Street, told the board she supports the application and said she had no concerns about the change of the front door location. Several board members also praised the applicants' stewardship of a wetlands‑adjacent lot.
The board moved to approve the application after members confirmed that final as‑built elevations and required DEP and building permits would be reflected on permit sets and in the resolution. The motion carried and the chair congratulated the applicants. The board recorded the approval and moved to the next agenda item.
