Planning Board Chair Dubs ShopRite Proceedings a "Circus"

It was the meeting that wasn’t.

The Wyckoff Planning Board assembled Wednesday night for continued testimony on the Inserra Supermarkets application to a build a 62,174-square-foot ShopRite on the corner of Wyckoff and Greenwood Avenues.

Only the meeting never reached the testimony stage. After several board members chastised the four attorneys present on lengthy last minute submissions presented to the Planning Board, the issue turned to whether there had been sufficient continuity of hearings. The question was raised by attorney Robert Inglima of Munico Associates, which owns the Boulder Run complex. Inglima’s concern was over the abrupt cancellation of the scheduled March 16^th Special Planning Board meeting by Inserra Supermarkets attorney James Jaworski.

“Mr. Jaworski circulated a letter telling the board the special meeting was not going to be necessary. It’s my understanding that a notice was placed in the front door of the municipal building that simply said the meeting had been cancelled,” said Inglima, who then showed the board a picture of the sign he took that evening.   “So my issue is if there is a continuity of notice in respect to these proceedings.”

Inglima also raised notice that one property owner within 200 feet of the application site hasn’t been given sufficient and proper notice of the ongoing hearings. “That property was the subject of a real estate closing on July 29th of last year.  That property had changed hands right after the initial property owner’s notice list,” Inglima said. “That condition continues today. Someone that owns property within 200 feet did not receive notices on at least three occasions.”

Board attorney Joseph Perconti concurred, saying there was sufficient concern on the notice issue to adjourn the meeting until the next regularly scheduled session of the Planning Board on Wednesday, May 11.

But before the adjournment Planning Board chairman Richard Bonsignore let loose with a scathing volley at all of the attorney’s present.

“We are really wasting our time here.  We’ve spent I don’t know how long it is listening to you people.  We haven’t heard said a thing about this application, yet we’re being criticized for holding things up,” Bonsignore said. “We the board are being criticized for dragging this application out. We’re not tolerating this circus. I’m just am embarrassed with you people. I really am.”

Jaworski countered, “With respect to that the circus is going to continue. We have four very competent council. We are trying to get the playing field level.  I understand the board might not have an appreciation for the nuances of what we’re trying to avoid from an applicant’s standpoint. But we’re trying to avoid having one little piece of this puzzle be problematic for us in a forum beyond this board. Because we all know it’s going to go to a forum beyond this board. We want to do it right.”

Stop & Shop attorney Gail Price of Price Meese agreed the number of attorneys involved was complicating the process.  “Anytime you get four attorneys in a room you’re going to get four different perspectives. “It’s a very complicated matter. There’s been lengthy testimony and there’s going to continue to be lengthy testimony.  There are a lot of different opinions.”