Township Planning Board Asks for Changes to Resident's Plan for Single Family Home

Washington Township Planning Board members asked resident Chris Picinic to work with professionals to make some changes to his plan, which would demolish the existing home at 164 President Road and build a new two-story single family home in its place.

Picinic went before the Planning Board Wednesday to explain his plans and hear board members' concerns. He explained he wants to build the home for himself and his family. The plans call for a house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms that is just under 3,700 square feet.

Picinic said the first floor would include a living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, pantry and small computer room. The upstairs would have four bedrooms and a laundry room and the basement would be unfinished with an air conditioning and heating unit. He also plans to build a side garage and a covered porch.

"It's kind of similar to the house directly across the street," Picinic said, adding that the front porch will be stone and the rest of the house would be siding.

Planning Board member Jacqueline Do asked if Picinic would be demolishing the old foundation as well. Picinic said he was because of a "major mold problem in the basement." He said there is four to five feet of black mold on the sheetrock so he wanted to start new.

One area of concern for board members was tree replacement. Without a waiver, an applicant has to replace trees in a 2-to-1 ratio, meaning that for every tree taken down, two must be planted in its place. Picinic proposed removing three trees, but since one fell down in a recent storm and another was already dead, he would only be required to plant two.

But board Engineer Paul Azzolina told Picinic another large maple tree on the property may have to be taken down. He said the tree, which is 20 inches in diameter, could have a root system that would interfere with the foundation of the structure. Azzolina said at a minimum, the tree would overhang the roof of the house.

"Maples generally have a shallow, expansive root area so I would suspect that you'll find those roots in the zone of your foundation," Azzolina said. "Once you compromise the tree, it's not a safe thing to have sitting next to your house."

Picinic said he didn't want to remove the tree if he didn't have to, but he would consult with his professionals to see if there would be enough room to work and leave the tree intact. He said if the tree had to be removed, he would plant four new trees on the property.

Azzolina pointed out a few other areas that needed to be addressed before the Planning Board could approve the project and Picinic said he would consult with his engineer and architect to make those changes.

Because the law requires posting of at least 10 days, board Attorney Scott Mooney said Picinic would not be able to go before the board April 6. He will return to seek approval at the April 27 meeting.

Mooney asked that Picinic be in touch about his proposal and said he would draft a resolution prior to the April 27 meeting so board members would be able to vote that night.