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Board schedules special hearing on 440–456 River Road after recusal, carries Undercliff applications to February
Summary
The Edgewater Board of Adjustment set a special meeting for Feb. 10 to hear North Star Partners’ amended site plan for 440–456 River Road after a board member recused; the board also carried applications for 721 and 647–649 Undercliff to Feb. 4 for clearer plans and notice follow-up, and memorialized three prior approvals.
The Borough of Edgewater Board of Adjustment on Jan. 7, 2026 set a special public hearing for Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7:00 p.m. to consider an amended site plan and related “D” and “C” variance requests for 440–456 River Road, a mixed-use building under construction by North Star Partners Associates LLC.
During introductions the board heard a recusal notification: Ms. Travers said she must recuse herself from the 440–456 River Road application because of a conflict, and the board identified alternate counsel (Nicholas Wall of the Weiner Law Group) to handle the matter. Applicant counsel Daniel Steinhagen said construction had started and a stop-work order had been issued; he also reported difficulty obtaining the 200-foot property list from an adjacent municipality and raised the prospect of objectors. Steinhagen proposed special meeting dates; the board selected Feb. 10, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.
Board members discussed the 200-foot proximity rule and whether members within 200 feet of an application could attend or participate. Haig Shirinian proposed that members within 200 feet be permitted to attend but not vote; board counsel responded: "Municipal land use does not permit you to participate. You can be in the audience as a concerned citizen but you can’t participate in the hearing," reflecting counsel’s view of the limits of participation in hearings.
Separately, the board handled two applications for properties on Undercliff Avenue. Mark Sokolich, representing applicant James O’Mara for 721 Undercliff, described a proposal to demolish the existing building and construct a two-family dwelling that will require multiple variances including side-yard, lot-coverage and height exceptions. The board found several plan sheets illegible and asked for full-size prints and engineering detail; the application was carried to Feb. 4, 2026 and will be first on that agenda.
The board also heard from applicants for 647–649 Undercliff, who presented an affidavit of service. The application proposes demolition of an existing two-family and construction of a new two-family structure on an undersized lot with steep-slope constraints; lot coverage was described in the record as 79 percent. The board carried that application to Feb. 4, 2026 as well and waived further notice/time constraints to allow the applicant to submit clearer plans.
The minutes also record memorializations of three previously considered matters as APPROVED: 69 Route 5 (Victor Choucair), 17 Garden Place (Rock Solid Built, LLC), and 20 & 22 Edgewater Place (Carmen Marino and Maria Estela Sabeta Revocable Trust).
The board opened and closed a public-comment period with no speakers recorded in the minutes, then adjourned. The transcript records several administrative directions (requests for full-size plans, waiver of time constraints) and schedules (Feb. 4 carryover; Feb. 10 special hearing) that will guide next steps for affected applicants and neighbors.
