New Master Plan Suggestions Include Shuttle Service Through Mahwah

Planning Board will re-examine suggestions as working document is only a draft

Mahwah’s Master Plan is getting revamped. Monday night, the township’s planning board got a preview of some of the observations and suggestions Burgis Associates has made thus far when examining the current document, which has not been totally reworked since 1989. The Master Plan outlines goals and objectives for the future of the township. Some specific areas considered include land use, sustainability, community facilities, utility service areas, and historic preservation areas. Mayor John DaPuzzo pointed out that the current draft is a working document that will go through several revisions before it is presented to the public. At a previous meeting, the planning board said that once the plan is finalized, it will be available for …

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Planning A Property Renovation? Council May "Streamline" Processing Fees

Variance requests may now cost $300 per application

If you are thinking about making a variance request to the planning board, you may soon face a different fee schedule - which would end up costing about 80 percent of applicants less money - thanks to a request made to the Town Council Thursday night. Gary Montroy, the Planning Board’s Administrative Officer, asked the council to consider “streamlining” the variance request processing costs, by charging $300 per application, no matter how many variances are on the application. Currently, the township charges applicants $175 per request on each application. “For processing purposes, it costs the same for our office to approve and schedule an application whether it has one request on it, or 10,” Montroy said. “It costs approximately $300 per…

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Development Wah-tch

Mini Golf May Come To Mahwah-Ramsey Border

New appointees join the planning board, which approved Mahwah’s end of the plan for a new Castle Fun Center

A new Castle Fun Center near the Route 17 Home Depot is one step closer to becoming a reality. The first order of business at Monday night's Planning Board meeting was Mayor DaPuzzo’s new appointees.  Added to the Planning Board were: Chuck Jandris, now as Town Council Liason; John J. Kelly to fill Mr. Jandris’ former place on the Board; George W. Ervin as an alternate member to fill Mr. Kelly’s unexpired term; and Ellen Stein as a new alternate member.  With the added Board members, a public hearing was held on the amended site plan and soil movement permit applications for a new Castle Fun Center, to be built on Route 17 North across Constantine Drive from the Home Depot. The majority of this new center, which will feature mini golf and …

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Development Wah-tch

Planning Board Finds Inconsistencies With the Crossroads Town Center Ordinances

The Planning Board's Monday night meeting was dominated by discussion of the Crossroads Town Center re-zoning plan.

Even though Monday night's meeting was only a public work session for the Planning Board, a large number of local residents were in attendance. The dominant topic of the evening was the three ordinances proposed by the developers for the International Crossroads, an overlay entitled the Crossroads Town Center (CTC). Before the issue of the proposed CTC ordinances was brought up, Chairman John Brotherton opened the floor to the public. The first speaker was Mike Richards, a local citizen who is a part of the www.stopmahwahmall.com website, spoke of a petition which had garnered “250 signatures in 10 days” against the proposed plan.  Steve Talercil and several others, many of whom have previously addressed the town council on this matter, …

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Development Wah-tch

Planning Board Prepares To Consider Crossroads Town Center Proposals

The Planning Board approved some minor land issues at Monday night's meeting

The topic of discussion for the next meeting of the Planning Board will be the three proposed ordinances for development of the Crossroads Town Center. At Monday night's meeting,  Board Member Donigian expressed his concerns about whether these ordinances went against the township’s Master Plan.  Chairman Brotherton started a short debate about whether or not to open the floor of that meeting to any public input.  Board Member Kelly stated with regards to the public, “we work for them, rather than the other way around.”  Given public input or not, the meeting will be Monday, March 14, and will be an open session. During Monday's meeting, the Planning Board approved three minor items that were up for public hearing:

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