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Land use board clears two Bay Avenue properties for mixed commercial uses
Summary
The Highlands board approved change‑of‑use requests for 125 Bay Avenue (LUV25‑07) and 181 Bay Avenue (LUB25‑08), removing a singular religious‑facility designation and allowing permitted mixed commercial uses, subject to redevelopment‑zone parking and site standards; one abstention was recorded on the second application.
The Borough of Highlands Land Use Board approved two separate change‑of‑use applications for former houses of worship on Bay Avenue, allowing those properties to be used for any of the permitted principal uses in the borough's CBD redevelopment plan.
At LUV25‑07 (125 Bay Avenue), applicants' counsel introduced the application and called licensed planner/engineer Walter Hopkins to testify. Hopkins described the site as a "12,000 foot" lot with an approximately two‑story building previously used as a house of worship and identified an existing rear‑yard nonconformity. He said repurposing the underutilized building and granting the requested relief would advance the borough's ordinances without creating a detrimental impact.
Board members asked whether the change would permit multiple different business types in one building and how uses with different operational demands (for example, hotels versus takeout restaurants) would be handled. Staff and the applicants' representatives said any approval would be conditioned on compliance with redevelopment‑zone parking and site standards and that more intensive uses would require greater improvements. The applicants agreed to comply with the parking standards in the redevelopment plan.
After discussion, the board voted to approve LUV25‑07 with recorded yes votes from Mayor Bulan, Chief Burton, Miss Laruso, Mr. Montavo, Mr. Zil, Miss Chang, Mr. Kramer, Vice Chair Tierney and Chair Knox.
The board then heard a substantially similar application, LUB25‑08 (181 Bay Avenue). Hopkins provided brief testimony for the second property. The chair announced a personal recusal for ownership of property within 200 feet of the parcel; the board proceeded and approved LUB25‑08. The recorded vote for that approval listed an abstention by Chief Breton and yes votes from the other present members.
Both approvals do not authorize demolition; board members and applicants emphasized that any major physical alterations or different uses that trigger site‑plan requirements (for example, new parking layouts or full rebuilding) would require additional approvals at that later time.
Next steps: approvals are conditioned on compliance with redevelopment‑zone standards; any future application proposing a different or more intensive use will return to the board for site‑specific review.
