Zoning Board OKs Two-Family Home on Odd Lot

After explaining the difficulties of finding a renter for a single-family home on land next to a gas station and close to the Raritan Valley train line, the Zoning Board of Adjustment anamonously granted owner William Meier the right to build a two-family dwelling at a meeting Monday night.

"It's a proper thing to put on that particular odd-shaped lot," said architect Richard Pierce, who is working with Meier.

Located at 15 Washington Street, this 50-foot-wide empty lot is deemed too narrow on which to build a two-family home. But both the Board and Meier agreed that the location is undesirable for one family.

"(No one) wants to live next to a gas station," Meier explained after the meeting. He added that it would however be beneficial for tenants looking to commute to work by train, as they are not making a long-term investment on the property. It's easier to find renters like that for a two-family house. "It's a short term investment on the tenant's part."

The lot is also located on a street populated by two-family homes, many of them also sitting on lots that are too small.

"It really applied on this street," Zoning Board Chairperson Robert Hellenbrecht added. "The hardships that are imposed are a valid reason (to grain permission.)"