Apartment Construction Within Historical Barn Denied by Zoning Board

Victor Pogrebniak and Svetlana Grebnova of 30 Mine Brook Road wished to turn the historical barn on their property into an apartment for their 23 year-old son, but were denied that opportunity by the Bernards Township Zoning Board Wednesday.

After traveling the country for several years, their son has returned home to live at 30 Mine Brook Road. The married couple told the board that their primary residence was too small, and thus wished to renovate the barn and construct an apartment with a full bath, kitchen and bedroom on the second floor. The plans also indicated a sauna with a shower and half bath on the first floor of the barn. No exterior changes to the barn were to be made. 

One of the stipulations made by the board was that, if the application was approved, only a blood relative could live in the apartment in the barn. This ruling would be applied so that even when the home is sold, the new owners would have to comply.

"If there is a non-blood relative living there the approval automatically terminates, " Board Counsel Steven Warner said. This stipulation would have been meant to ensure that the apartment would not be rented out for profit. 

The apartment would have been approximately 25 percent of the principal living space within the primary residence. 

Pogrebniak and Grebnova have worked with the Historical Society to preserve the condition of the barn, which has been officially marked as a historical building within the town. 

Zoning Board President John Schulenberg commended the couple for communicating with the Historical Society in an attempt to preserve the structure. "The benefits of restoring this historic structure outweigh any negative that there might be in the additional apartment that's created, in my opinion," Schulenberg said.

"The fact that they've already reached out to the Preservation Committee within the Historical Society is an extremely positive step, I believe. And if we stipulate in the documents that they continue to do that and continue to get advisement from them. ... I think you're substantially benefitting the community by holding this structure up and keeping it an ongoing and viable living space," Schulenberg said.

Board member Jeffrey Plaza disagreed with Schulenberg. "I think the scale of the proposed apartment relative to the existing living space in the principal residence is going to result in this property really having two principal structures," he said. "I just think it frustrates the purpose of the requirement that apartments like these should be in the principle use to avoid the appearance of having two principle buildings one one lot. And the way this is proposed I think that's unavoidable."

The application needed at least five people to vote yes in order for it to be approved, but it was denied with only two votes in favor of the application, and four against it.