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Board approves Petoskey pool variance after drainage and screening conditions
Summary
Bernards Township Board of Adjustment approved a variance allowing a swimming pool to be located forward of the rear yard line at 16 Saint Nicholas Way after the applicants agreed to seepage pits, perimeter drains and other stormwater safeguards and to implement the environmental commission’s recommendations.
The Bernards Township Board of Adjustment voted to approve a variance that will allow homeowners Ryan and Erica Petoskey to place a swimming pool in a nonconforming location at 16 Saint Nicholas Way.
The decision came after the applicants and their builder‑engineer, Adam Gorga, presented the project and agreed to conditions urged by board professionals and the environmental commission: installation of seepage pits subject to soil testing, a perimeter drain tied into the stormwater design, and best‑management practices for discharging pool water. Board counsel confirmed the applicants’ notice met legal requirements and the board had jurisdiction to hear the application.
Why it matters: Neighbors had raised concerns about stormwater and basement flooding; the applicants’ engineering testimony and the environmental commission’s memo persuaded the board that, with the proposed mitigation, the project would not increase runoff onto adjacent lots. At the hearing the applicant’s representative said the proposed design ‘‘will result in 0 increase in runoff’’ once seepage pits and perimeter drains are installed and tested.
Details of the approval: The board deemed the application complete and asked its attorney to draft a resolution memorializing the approval with the stipulations described by the professionals and in the environmental commission memo dated May 19. The applicants agreed to use a cartridge pool filter and 12‑volt path lighting directed downward; they also committed to preserving screening plantings and to comply with Morris County soils requirements.
Neighbors’ input and board review: A nearby resident asked whether excavation and the pool could increase water flowing toward basements. The applicants and board engineer explained that the stormwater measures and post‑construction grading were designed to prevent additional runoff. One neighbor said the proposal ‘‘should have 0 increase in runoff’’ after the mitigation was explained and accepted that answer at the hearing.
What’s next: The board’s attorney will draft a resolution reflecting the motion to approve and the list of conditions; the resolution will be memorialized in the board’s records.
