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Board approves deck and hot tub variances at 31 Mount Airy Road with screening condition
Summary
Bernards Township ZBA granted five variances for a rear deck and integrated hot tub at 31 Mount Airy Road (Rosa/Gimple), subject to planner/engineer and environmental conditions and a landscaping screening commitment to mitigate proximity to a neighboring lot.
Greg Gimple and his wife, Nicole Rosa, told the board they seek permission to build a 20‑by‑31 foot rear deck with an incorporated 7×7 hot tub at 31 Mount Airy Road. The couple said their lot is constrained by an old house and that their proposal will not increase any existing variances beyond the current nonconforming configuration.
On the record, the applicants confirmed they had a wetlands approval in hand and presented photographs and a survey. Board professionals noted five relief points: front-yard/front-setback measurements (additions measured from an irregular triangular lot), a southerly side-yard setback short by roughly 0.12 feet (proposed 19.88 ft vs. 20 ft required), combined side yard, a hot‑tub setback and the customary pool/hot‑tub-location standard relative to adjacent rear yards.
The board and applicants discussed screening and landscaping; the applicants agreed to make a good-faith effort to provide native-tree screening and downward-directed lighting. The board imposed standard conditions from the planner’s and engineer’s memos (including that the deck be an open design/gap-floor and that any removal of existing patio that reduces lot coverage be reflected in revised plans).
A motion to approve carried on roll call. The attorney was directed to prepare a resolution specifying compliance with the planner’s memo (Schleiz, 07/03/2025), the engineer’s memo (Quinn, 05/30/2025) and the environmental commission’s comments, including a landscaping/screening commitment.
