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Board approves variances for 21 Pitney Court after engineer describes drainage fixes, applicant agrees to small design pullback
Summary
Bernards Township Zoning Board approved variances for an addition and relocated pool at 21 Pitney Court (ZB25008) after hearing engineer testimony on drainage improvements and agreeing a modest reduction in proposed floor area to reduce massing; approval is subject to compliance with planner/engineer and environmental memos and revised plans.
The Bernards Township Zoning Board of Adjustment voted to grant variances for an addition and a relocated swimming pool at 21 Pitney Court after reviewing engineering plans and negotiated revisions.
Applicant counsel presented revised plans and the board heard engineering testimony from Robert M. Cunningham, a licensed professional engineer, who described a drainage plan that ties new inlets and a 12-inch pipe back to the municipal storm drain and removes about 480 square feet of impervious driveway apron. Cunningham said the proposal relocates the pool and the filter connection will be tied into the storm drain so pool pump-down would not be discharged to neighboring yards.
Board members focused on three variances: block coverage (the application proposed roughly 23.06%), maximum floor area (the ordinance limit cited was 3,300 square feet and the project’s calculated floor area prior to revision was higher), and a pool-location variance because the proposed pool would not be behind adjacent dwellings. The applicant agreed on the record to a design step-back — pulling the ground-level addition 2 feet and the second floor 4 feet in one direction — to remove roughly 150 square feet from the gross addition. That change reduced the calculated lot coverage to about 22.88% on the board’s revised tally.
Board planner and other professionals confirmed that the revised exhibit (A‑5, revised May 19) and engineering memos addressed the majority of technical comments. The board placed approval conditions on the record: compliance with the board planner’s memo, the board engineer’s memo, the environmental commission review, submission of final, scaled drawings that reflect the step-back and landscape/screening plans, and soil conservation district approvals and erosion-control measures prior to building permits.
A motion to approve the application as revised passed on a roll call vote. The board directed the attorney to prepare a resolution reflecting the conditions and the plan revisions.
The board’s decision follows testimony from a neighbor who had previously raised drainage concerns and told the panel those concerns had been addressed by the revised plans. The approval leaves the applicant to submit final drawings and required agency approvals before permits are issued.
