Recap of May 1, ‘23 Wildwood Planning and Zoning Meeting
Submitted by Kathy Fulginiti
The City of Wildwood Planning & Zoning board meets the first Monday of every month at 6 pm in the City Hall Commissioner’s Meeting Room, 4400 New Jersey Ave, Wildwood NJ 08260. View agendas and plans beforehand at city hall during their business hours (M-F 8 am - 4 pm). Members of the public are allowed to attend and offer public comment on most agenda items. Zoom attendance is currently discontinued.
Planning and Zoning Meeting Notes Date: May 1, 2023 Submitted by Kathy Fulginiti
Property Address: 243 E. Rio Grande Applicant: Diamond Beach Properties
Attorney: Ron Gelzunas Engineer: Kishor Ghelani
Owner: Niranjan Dhruva and K. Sampathach Consultant:
Site Plan: Number of Stories:
Zoned:
Property frontage: Width: 210’ Depth: 100’ Area: 25000 sf
Proposal: An extension of the approval given in May 2020 is sought. This will be a free-standing parking lot with the intention of changing it over to a hotel in the future.
Additional notes: A property owner can apply to extend an application three times for one year each.
Public Comments: None
Motion: Yes 6 No 0 Motion passed unanimously.
The following application was deferred until June:
Property Address: 121 E. Davis Applicant: Henry and Anne Bradenberger
Attorney: Alan Gould
Owner: Henry and Anne Bradenberger Consultant: Jack Althouse
Site Plan: Number of Stories:
Zoned: R-3
Property frontage: Width: 40’ Depth: 100’ Area:
Variances: Use: needed hardship: needed substantial benefit: n/a
Front yard setback: Required: Proposed: n/a
Side yard setback: Required: Proposed: 10’
Back yard setback: Required: Proposed: n/a
Height: Required: Proposed: n/a
Building coverage: Required: Proposed: n/a
Lot area coverage: Required: Proposed: n/a
Parking: Required: Proposed: n/a
Proposal: This property had a fire that damaged both the front and rear buildings. The owners want to repair the damages, but also to add space to the back of the front building for easier access for an owner with medical issues. Pre-existing, non-conforming uses exist for which approval is needed. Variances are needed for side yard setback of 10’ and to extend the building. The building sits 2’2” from the property line, which is pre-existing. (In the preview I inaccurately said the extension was 2’2”.)
Additional notes:
Public Comments:
Motion: Yes No
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Property Address: 319 W. Tacony Applicant: Helena and Kevin Pizzutillo
Attorney: Ron Gelzunas Engineer: John Halbruner
Owner: Helena and Kevin Pizzutillo Architect: Dario Architecture\Design
Site Plan: Number of Stories: Ground floor garage, then 2 stories, 4 bedrooms
Zoned: Waterfront Residential (WR-1)
Property frontage: 30’ existing non-conforming Width: 30’ existing non-conforming Depth: 69.47’ Area: 2107.93 sf
Variances: Use: hardship: needed substantial benefit: needed
Front yard setback: Required: 0 Proposed: 4.5’
Side yard setback: Required: 0, 4’ HVAC Proposed: 5’ northwest, 5’ southeast, 1.67’ steps northeast, 2’ HVAC
Back yard setback: Required: 10’ Proposed: 17.24’ In Compliance
Height: Required: 35’ Proposed: 33.65 In Compliance
Building coverage: Required: 40% Proposed: 45.2%
Lot coverage: Required: 50% Proposed: 65.4%
Lot area coverage: Required: not established Proposed: 2107.93 sf In Compliance
Parking: Required: 3 Proposed: 3 ( Varience needed for stacked parking)
Non-Conforming Lots:
Minimum lot area Minimum: 22700 sf Proposed: 2107.93 sf In Compliance
Minimum lot width Minimum: 30’ Proposed: 30’ Pre-existing
Building coverage: Required: 40% Proposed: 45.2% In Compliance
Minimum total side yard Required: 10’ Proposed: 10’
Minimum side yard Required: 4’ Proposed: 5’
Front yard setback: Required: 10 Proposed: 4.5’ In Compliance
Back yard setback: Required: 10’ Proposed: 17.24’ In Compliance
Proposal: The owners are seeking variances for hardship and substantial benefit to construct a new single-family home. Pre-existing conditions apply to lot frontage and width. Other variances are sought for side and backyard setbacks, maximum building and lot coverage, and stacked parking.
Additional notes: This is currently a vacant lot. The house that used to be there was lived in by these owners for around 18 years before it was torn down due to water damage. The new home will be four bedrooms and have room for three cars in the garage, which the owners are calling a carport. It was uncertain whether or not the AC unit will be on a platform or mounted to the wall. Stones or grass are needed around the sides to have enough permeable materials to avoid another variance.
Public Comments: None
Motion: Yes 8 No 0 Motion passed unanimously.
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Property Address: 704-706 W. Burk, 645 W. Andrews Applicant: Scot Peter
Attorney: Ron Gelzunas Engineer: Robert Bruce with Arthur Chew at the meeting
Owner: Scot Peter Consultant: Andy Schaeffer
Site Plan: Preliminary plan and preliminary major subdivision approval Number of Stories: (Multi-family dwellings) ground parking with 4 stories above (The tiki bar and shore with manager’s quarters are in height compliance.)
Zoned: Marine Commercial/Tourist (MC/T) , Moderate Density Residential (R-2)
Property frontage: Width: 175’ Depth: 100’ Area: 13500 sf
Variances: Use: needed hardship: needed substantial benefit: needed conditional use approval needed
These variances are for the condo units section on Andrews Ave.
Front yard setback: Required: 10’ Proposed: 20.8 In compliance
Side yard setback: Required: 6-15’ Proposed: 8.68 NW, 8’ SE Only needed on the north
Back yard setback: Required: 15’ Proposed: 5.08’
Height: Required: 35’ Proposed: 51’ Needs D-6 variance
Building coverage: Required: 45-60% Proposed: 57.8% Some areas in compliance
Lot area coverage: Required: 70-75% Proposed: 85.3%
Parking: Required: 2 per unit Proposed: 2 per unit Stacked parking need approval
Other needed variances:
The tiki bar, which is considered an accessory structure, is located more than 8’ from a building.
The tiki bar also needs a D-1 variance for being in a residential area.
The ship’s store needs a D-1 variance.
D-1 is needed for multi-family, low-rise homes, since the low-rise are not permitted in the R-2 zone.
The shortfall of overall parking space must have a variance.
Proposal: At present, this land is vacant. The owner wants to subdivide it into three lots. He proposes a 16-unit residential condo complex on the east lot, a pavilion bar and parking area on the center lot, and parking and a ship’s store with residence on the remaining lot. In the R-2 zone, multi-family low-rise units are not permitted. Neither is a bar. The residential units would have 3 bedrooms and 2 parking spaces. The marina is proposed to have slips for 54 boats, a ship’s store, and a manager’s unit. There will be 26 parking spots for the marina, plus an additional 3 to service this area. 16 of the boat slips are for the sole use of the condo owners, who have the right of first refusal. The marina area conforms to all requirements.
Additional notes: A previous owner had plans and approvals to develop this site to include 18 condos, a restaurant, and a small marina. These plans never came to fruition. When the 2 ½ acre property was bought by Scot Peter, he developed plans that were different. At the meeting tonight, Scot sought preliminary approvals for the plan and the major subdivision. Final approval for the site plan and the major subdivisions will be heard at another time. The plan is acceptable to the DEP. CAPRA has to give final approval even though everything is passed by the Planning and Zoning Board.
The small tiki (pavilion) bar will be open-air and available to the public. It will close by 11 pm and won’t have bands or loud music. Perhaps an acoustic guitar player will provide music once in a while. Mudhen will operate the bar.
The marina has a 10’ wide seawall that meanders from Andrews Avenue to Burk. It will be open to the public. The area can also be used to launch canoes or kayaks, and will have bike racks. 54 boat slips will provide water access to the marina, which is a basic marina. There will be no metal shop, fuel, or repair shop. There may be winter storage of boats, but they won’t be stacked. A full-time manager will always be on the property to handle day-to-day operations and to take care of any issues that arise. Some of the marina slips are technically on Middle Township waters, so they need to be notified and take whatever action they do in these instances.
No food trucks will be coming into the area for the time being. That could change in the future.
The housing will have stacked parking, but cars will back up onto private land, not the public roadways. This building is planned in such a way that very little view is blocked for people living in the area. The owner of the property discussed the plans with the neighbors and received feedback and suggestions.
Parking was discussed for quite some time. The condo section is 2 parking spots short, but other close parking is available. 70 parking spaces are needed in total according to regulations. The overall parking in the entire property has a deficit of 10 spaces. However, some spaces are counted as double. For example, the condos have two spots. They won’t need to use the spaces in the marina parking lot. People pulling in on their boats have no need for car parking. It is expected that other people will ride bikes to the waterfront.
As a condition for approval, the trash area has to be covered.
Public Comments: Thirteen members of the public spoke, many of whom were neighbors of this project. All but one person had positive things to say about the project and about the owner’s willingness to build open spaces into the development, but even that person wasn’t negative, just a bit apprehensive. Scot was praised for meeting with the homeowners in the area and listening to their concerns. One person said that he had been worried about how the property would end up, but has no worries now. Another was concerned about the level of noise and was reassured that noise wouldn’t be a problem. The condo owners next to the proposed low-rise requested some type of barrier between the properties and asked that Andrews Avenue be made one way to better control traffic along the small section of Niagara Avenue. The Board lawyer said that P&Z has no control over traffic; that would have to be something presented to the city itself. Others talked about this being a win-win for the neighborhood and for Wildwood, in general, to have some bay development not occupied by private homes.
Motion: Yes 5 No 0 A couple of board members had to recuse themselves.
Motion passed unanimously.
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This application was not called.
Property Address: 400 E. Magnolia and 401 E. Glenwood Applicant: Kay Drop Condos LLC
Attorney: Jeffrey Barnes Engineer: Engineering Design Assoc.
Owner: Shawn Renz Architect: Brian Newswanger
Site Plan: Preliminary approval Number of Stories: 1 story in narrative, but 3 stories on plans
Zoned: Tourist/Entertainment (T/E)
Property frontage: Width: 125’ Depth: 90’ Area: 24750 sf
Variances: Use: needed hardship: substantial benefit: needed
Front yard setback: Required: 0 Proposed: 0, 0, 3.67’ In compliance
Side yard setback: Required: 0 Proposed: 8’, 9.44’ In compliance
Back yard setback: Required: 15’ Proposed: 26.55’, 26.71’ In compliance
Height: Required: 35’ Proposed: 34’ 11” In compliance
Building coverage: Required: 80% Proposed: 58%
Lot area coverage: Required: 80% Proposed: 86.4%
Parking: Required: 2 Proposed: 2 In compliance
Proposal: This is currently a parking lot. Substantial benefit and use variances are being sought in order to build 17 dwelling units. This area is not zoned for residential. Distances between buildings are supposed to be 10’, but 7.15 is requested. Three buildings will have 4 one-story units. Another building will have the same, but also include a two-story unit. NOTE: The architectural plans only show buildings with a ground floor garage and 2 additional stories, except for the clubhouse. A pool house (clubhouse?), an adult pool with hot tub, and a children’s pool are also proposed. Density will be more than the maximum allowed. An accessory building is compliant in all areas except for the distance to another building. 10’ is the minimum and 7.15 is requested.
Additional notes:
Public Comments:
Motion: Yes No
The following was a surprise applicant for me since I had not seen these plans:
Property Address: 2703 New Jersey Ave Applicant: Steve’s Prince of Steaks
Attorney: John Amenhouser Engineer:
Owner: Michael Wave, partner Consultant:
Site Plan: Number of Stories:
Zoned:
Property frontage: Width: Depth: Area:
Variances: Use: hardship: substantial benefit:
Front yard setback: Required: Proposed:
Side yard setback: Required: Proposed:
Back yard setback: Required: Proposed:
Height: Required: Proposed:
Building coverage: Required: Proposed:
Lot area coverage: Required: Proposed:
Parking: Required: Proposed: 3
Notes: This franchise is going to take over the small sandwich shop that was in that location. Nothing will be enlarged. The only plans to change the building are painting the outside and putting up new signs. A variance is needed for the number of signs and the amount of coverage. One sign will be neon on top of the building and the other will be a painted sign on the Juniper Avenue side. Confirmation of the exact % of sign coverage is a condition of approval. There will be no internal seating and no outside speakers. The shop is expected to close by midnight on the weekends.
Public Comments: none
Motion: Yes 8 No 0 Motion passed unanimously.
The City of Wildwood Planning & Zoning board meets the first Monday of every month at 6 pm in the City Hall Commissioner’s Meeting Room, 4400 New Jersey Ave, Wildwood NJ 08260. View agendas and plans beforehand at city hall during their business hours (M-F 8 am - 4 pm). Members of the public are allowed to attend and offer public comment on most agenda items. Zoom attendance is currently discontinued
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