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Hasbrouck Heights Land Use Board denies sunroom variance for 154 Bell Avenue
Summary
The Hasbrouck Heights Land Use Board on Nov. 5, 2025 denied an application by Bao Zhong Huang for a rear-yard sunroom at 154 Bell Avenue after neighbors raised code, privacy and hardship concerns; the motion to approve failed on a 1–5 vote with one abstention.
The Hasbrouck Heights Land Use Board on Wednesday denied an application by Bao Zhong Huang to construct a rear-yard sunroom at 154 Bell Avenue after public opposition and a divided board vote.
The board met at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, 320 Boulevard. Attorney Matthew Capizzi, Esq., representing the applicant, said revised plans reduced the size of the sunroom and the patio, removed a proposed front-to-rear walkway and added a row of 8–10 foot arborvitae along the rear property line. The applicant proposed a rear-yard setback of 9.29 feet where 25 feet is required, a 450-square-foot addition with a 200-square-foot patio, and a sunroom ridge height of 14 feet, 11 inches. Capizzi also said the wall-mounted split HVAC system would be removed as stipulated by the applicant.
Board members discussed numerical clarifications supplied by the applicant. The applicant stated that an improved lot-coverage variance had been eliminated and listed one figure as 59.9 percent; board materials also referenced building-and-structure coverage with a maximum of 40 percent and a proposed 42.1 percent. Those figures were presented by the applicant’s engineer and architect during the continuation of the application from Oct. 1, 2025.
During the public-comment period, several neighbors objected to the application, saying it did not stay within code, would encroach on nearby residents’ privacy and diminish quality of life, and that the applicant had not demonstrated a hardship to justify the requested variances. The transcript reports the neighbors’ objections but does not record individual commenters’ names.
Board member Vincent Risalvato moved to approve the application "as submitted with conditions," and board member Albert Cupo seconded. Board secretary Pam Grisafe called the roll: Chairman Henry Dobbelaar — No; Vincent Risalvato — No; Vice Chairman Eric Mason — Yes; Kenneth Hampel — Abstain; Marlene Verrastro — No; Albert Cupo — No; Dan Wixon — No. The motion failed; the application was denied.
The denial follows the applicant’s continuation from the Oct. 1, 2025 meeting. With no further business, the board adjourned the meeting by unanimous vote.
Authorities referenced during the opening of the meeting included the Open Public Meetings Act (Public Law 1975, Chapter 231), read aloud by the chairman at the start of the session.
