CVS Engineer Discusses Lighting and Landscaping Plans

Engineer David Caruso testified about lighting and landscaping planned for a proposed CVS and an attorney hired by the Northgate Condominium Association began to cross-examine him during a special meeting of the Washington Township Zoning Board Wednesday.

The plan calls for a 14,769-square-foot pharmacy with a drive-through to be built on the corner of Pascack Road and Washington Avenue. The site is in a residential zone and there are currently three houses on the property.

According to Caruso, the plan includes 13 pole-mounted lights, seven bollard lights and two wall-mounted lights around the site. Signs on the site would also have internal illumination, but none of the light should reach beyond the center of Pascack Road, Caruso said. The level of lighting proposed for the site, which is in a residential zone, is similar to what would be found in a business zone.

"This is generally what you'd see in a commercial or business district," Caruso said.

Attorney Tendai Richards, filling in for Christopher Minks, cross-examined Caruso about his testimony. Caruso answered Richard's questions about the zone by saying the intersection of Pascack and Washington is an unusual case because three of the four corners at the intersection already have commercial uses even though it is a residential zone.

Caruso also discussed the proposed landscaping for the site. Several feet of fill soil will have to be removed from the site during construction, as will several trees and a retaining wall near a brook behind the property. New fill will need to be brought in and then the trees and wall will be placed about where they were before, he said.

Because it was late, Board Chairman William Johnson asked Richards to hold the rest of his cross-examination to the next hearing, though the date is uncertain. Board members could not schedule a special meeting for April, and the entire regular meeting will probably be taken up by the application for Sky Trading's plan to replace with The May meeting will also likely be used by the gas station application, and some board members said they do not want to hold special meetings every month.

"I understand we need to move the application, but I feel that we're being almost forced to have a special meeting," board member Laura Merkle said.

Johnson said board members could hold votes to decide on holding a special meeting each month.

For now, the next hearing is scheduled as possibly being held at the board's April 17 meeting, but it will likely be at either a special meeting in May or a regular meeting later if board members vote against holding a special meeting.