Zoning board continues hearing on Islamic center expansion after residents and experts press questions about parking lifts, safety and well‑head rules

The Parsippany‑Troy Hills Zoning Board continued a hearing on May 12 on the Islamic Community Cultural Center’s application for a three‑story addition and a plan to add 22 vehicle stacker lifts intended to increase parking capacity.

Applicant representatives and the lift installer, Joseph N. Lividini Jr., showed a manufacturer video and described Benpac brand stacker lifts as “electric over hydraulic,” with automatic safety locks and a typical raise time of about 45 seconds. Lividini said each unit uses about 12 quarts of transmission fluid and that optional drip pans exist but were not shown on the plans. “They lock as they go up every 4 in with a double lock. So even if the power fails or the cable snaps, the lift cannot come down,” Lividini testified.

Residents and board members pressed the applicant on multiple practical and regulatory issues. Neighbors and board members questioned whether the physical dimensions of the lifts (the manufacturer’s overall width cited in testimony was about 110.25 inches) fit the parking stalls shown on sheet A10 of the plans (listed on the plan as roughly 8'‑4½" wide out‑to‑out). Several speakers said that discrepancy — if not resolved —…