Zoning board approves subdivision to restore historic lot line at 318 Monroe Street, adds condition

The Boonton Zoning Board of Adjustment on a voice and roll-call vote approved a lot-line subdivision that restores the property line between 318 Monroe Street and an adjacent parcel, returning what the applicant says are two historic lots that had been merged on tax maps.

Applicant attorney Stephen Chevus, representing the property owner, told the board he submitted chain-of-title documents and a 1918 map showing the two lots existed separately and that tax records later combined them. "Somewhere along the line, presumptively, the tax assessor combined the two despite the fact that they don't meet standards associated with such a combination," Chevus said while introducing exhibit A5. The attorney said the application's purpose is "to undo what was done."

The project's surveyor, identified in the testimony as Mr. Zimmer, walked the board through revised lot lines and a zoning table that, the applicant said, increases one lot's area and reduces the other's so the larger lot would be more conforming to bulk standards. Zimmer described specific dimensional calculations and confirmed the subdivision still requires variances for several existing conditions on one or both parcels, including lot area and floor-area-ratio limits.

Board planner (transcript identification: Mr. Sack) reviewed a planning exhibit (A6) and historic maps and concluded that restoring the earlier lot line would resolve a zoning anomaly created by the merger — namely two principal buildings on a single tax lot — and that the subdivision produces "no change in land use" and only modest dimensional variances. He also noted the town master-plan designations and the prevalence of historic, nonconforming lots in the block.

Neighbors who live nearby urged the board to reject the proposal. Michael Davo told the board the subdivision looked like a "cash grab," said both houses are in need of repair and warned that creating a separate lot fronting Kelly Lane would likely produce a small parcel that could not be redeveloped without many variances and further hearings. Melissa Davo said Kelly Lane functions as a private lane and argued that restoring a 1918 lot line ignores contemporary conditions such as parking and access.

After discussion the board voted to approve the subdivision and incorporated a condition proposed during public comment: any future work that would require dimensional variances or other relief must be returned to the board for review rather than being handled administratively. Roll-call votes recorded in the transcript show a majority in favor and one recorded no vote (Mrs. Zamberano opposed). The board did not authorize any immediate change to building footprints; members noted that enlarging or altering structures would trigger separate variance reviews.

The decision restores the historic lot configuration according to the board's approval and attaches a condition aimed at preserving local review of any subsequent redevelopment. The board's resolution is expected to record the technical variances granted and the condition described at the meeting.