The Livingston Planning Board met remotely on Tuesday, January 18, for a workshop and conference session. The evening’s agenda included a “Complete Streets” presentation by Urban Cycling Solutions.Hearing ScheduledThe Board reviewed a report by Beacon Planning and Consulting Services, LLC, which was retained to conduct a professional analysis of the land comprising 1, 2, and 17 Old Road and 397 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue, and a portion of the Old Road right-of-way, to determine whether it was in need of redevelopment. The parcel includes the property at the end of Old Road where it meets the Livingston traffic circle, the site of a former Masonic temple and, before that, Olivet Chapel. It also includes a parcel containing retail businesses.The Beacon report recommends that the study area be designated as a “non-condemnation redevelopment area.” As such, the township would not be authorized to exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire any property in the study area.The Planning Board will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Beacon’s recommendation and determine whether the site is, in fact, in need of redevelopment. The meeting will be held on Zoom, and will be livestreamed on the township’s Facebook page.Other ActionsIn other action, the Planning Board voted to engage a traffic expert as part of the West Essex YMCA’s application to relocate to 304 South Livingston Avenue, the former site of Grace Lutheran Church.The Board also voted to engage traffic and water/ sewer experts in connection with an upcoming application by Okner Parkway Development Partners-Urban Renewal, LLC.The Board also reviewed, at the request of the Township Council, Ordinance No. 1-2022 to create the 5-RL Residence Overlay District for two lots located along Passaic Avenue and Volker Lane. The ordinance, several iterations of which have been considered by the Council over the past year, would permit the residential development of not more than 72 units, including a 20 percent set-aside of affordable units in the district. The Board agreed unanimously that the ordinance is consistent with the township’s Master Plan.Study Outdoor SeatingBoard chairman Peter Klein also announced that, following a conversation with Business Improvement District (BID) representatives, he would like to form a committee to study the use of outdoor seating at restaurants. The committee would study current township regulations and explore whether the township’s ordinances regarding outdoor seating would need to be amended when life returns to normal,
