Mahwah Planning Board approves 7,920‑sq‑ft addition at 300 Corporate Drive, grants side‑yard variance

The Township of Mahwah Planning Board on May 11 approved Corporate Drive Associates LLC’s application for a 7,920‑square‑foot warehouse addition at 300 Corporate Drive, including a variance to reduce the minimum side‑yard setback to 19.53 feet where 40 feet is required. The motion to approve was made by Ms. Jankowski and seconded by Mr. Miller; the roll call recorded six aye votes. Mr. Grewal was recused.

Applicant counsel Bruce Whitaker said the small addition would be at the rear of the building and “would not be discernible from Corporate Drive.” Engineer Micheal Dipple, accepted by the board as an expert, displayed site plans and aerial exhibits and testified the project meets bulk and parking requirements except for the requested side‑yard variance and that the location minimizes slope disturbance. Dipple presented a colorized planting plan showing evergreens on the northern border to screen the reduced setback.

Board engineering and planning staff reviewed report items and requested conditions. Mr. Michael J. Kelly, P.E., and planner Nicholas Dickerson, P.P., noted an existing front yard nonconformity (existing front yard 59.60 feet versus the 60‑foot requirement) and that approximately 10.3 feet of the existing parking extends into the buffer zone; neither is proposed to be exacerbated. Dipple and the applicant agreed to provide stormwater calculations, record stormwater maintenance with the deed, and meet the lighting and construction code official requirements. The board set conditions that include meeting Mr. Kelly’s May 4, 2026 engineering report and Mr. Dickerson’s April 27, 2026 planning report, a six‑month lighting review, electric‑vehicle readiness for three make‑ready spaces, replacement trees at least six feet tall, and a limit of six feet for retaining walls without additional variance relief.

Architect and planner Thomas V. Ashbahian testified the addition will be sprinklered, constructed of precast insulated panels, and is designed to satisfy C1 variance criteria by improving parking safety, accommodating unusual lot slopes with minimal disturbance, and improving driveway access onto Corporate Drive.

The board’s approval includes preliminary and final site plan approval, variance relief for the side‑yard setback, and a Soil Movement Permit. Mr. Whitaker and the applicant team agreed to comply with internal department reports and to a six‑month lighting review as part of the conditions of approval. There were no public comments during the hearing.

Next steps: the resolution will be memorialized and the applicant must submit final documentation required by the board’s engineering and planning reports before project permits are issued.