Citing Floodplain, Board Nixes 2nd Floor for Changebridge Rd. Home

A home in an industrial zone on Changebridge Road won't be adding a second story, while another home on Crescent Road could be getting a new addition.

The Montville Township Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 6-1 Wednesday to deny a family's application to add a second floor to 299 Changebridge Road.

Some board members said the requested changes would have hindered access to an adjacent vacant industrial lot, gone against the town's master plan and posed a safety hazard because the property is in a floodplain.

Board member John Petrozzino cast the dissenting vote. He said the second-floor addition would have improved the appearance of the home.

Non-conforming

Chairman James Marinello, Vice-Chairman Thomas Buraszeski and board members Gerard Hug, J. Deane Driscoll, Richard Moore and Keith Olson voted to deny the application, which was filed by Mahesh and Vina Patel. Some board members said allowing the expansion of a home in an industrial zone opposes the intent of the master plan.

The applicants' planner, Frederick Meola, said the home existed before industrial buildings were constructed to the northwest.

"The only thing that's changing is better utilization of the home," Meola said.

Joseph Burgis, Montville's planner, said the zone in which the home is located is meant for industrial buildings and some board members said they were concerned the plan would have made a separate rear lot inaccessible and unable to be developed.

Crescent Road

The board unanimously approved—with some conditions—a homeowner's plan to add a garage to a house at 42 Crescent Road. The board said the applicant, Asanka Dharmakeerthi, needs to reconfigure the driveway and denied his request for a variance that would have allowed the addition the extend 5 feet farther.