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Planning Board approves minor site plan for Livingston Avenue pediatric office with elevator and seven parking spaces
Summary
The New Brunswick Planning Board approved a minor site plan April 13 for Sun Investors LLC at 149 Livingston Ave to add an elevator entry to meet ADA access and create seven rear parking spaces for a proposed pediatric office, granting two design waivers and a package of standard conditions.
The New Brunswick Planning Board voted April 13 to approve a minor site plan for Sun Investors LLC at 149 Livingston Avenue that will convert an existing office into a pediatric practice, add an elevator entry to resolve a grade change and create seven parking spaces at the rear of the property.
Attorney Matt Flynn presented the application and called engineer and planner Frank Anticel to testify. Anticel said the team considered a ramp to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act but chose an elevator lift because "the elevated lift would be a much better way of accomplishing it and allow us to provide the additional parking on site," and because a compliant ramp would have required several switchbacks and removed an entire row of parking.
Anticel described two design waivers requested by the applicant. Because the lot is a 40‑foot‑wide corner parcel, the team seeks relief to install a 20‑foot driveway where the ordinance base width would effectively require a narrower drive for non‑corner lots; the second waiver reduces the required 24‑foot drive aisle to 20 feet. Anticel noted the proposed 20‑foot drive aisle is within the Institute of Transportation Engineers' recommended minimums and said the small size and expected low turnover at the site make the narrower aisle acceptable.
Architect Mark Yarington described the interior conversion: the building will retain a front entry but the rear access will serve patients, with a compact elevator enclosure (about 105 square feet) and a new stair landing (about 75 square feet). He testified the addition does not create any new variances related to setbacks or lot width.
No members of the public spoke during the public comment period. The board set a standard list of conditions to be met if the approval is implemented, including compliance with the city engineering report and planning report, a site performance bond and inspection escrows, payment of fees and outstanding taxes, underground utilities, a road‑opening permit if required, requirements for construction staging and street restoration, and a title 39 parking enforcement agreement. The board then moved and voted to approve the application with those conditions.
Next steps for the applicant include satisfying the listed engineering and planning comments, posting required bonds and escrows, obtaining any necessary permits and coordinating with city staff on final plan details.
