The Livingston Planning Board, at its October 17 meeting, continued hearing 39W.NorthfieldAssociates, LLC’s site plan for a new two-story medical office building at 39 West Northfield Road.This case was first presented at the Board’s September 5 meeting. Six variances were proposed, including a parking lot expansion, landscaping, lighting, and signage.At the previous meeting, Brian Natale of Summit Health Management, LLC, and engineer Michael Lanzafama discussed the organization’s need to open a new building, due to other Livingston-based facilities being at full capacity; and the building’s layout.The building wouldhouse 55 staff members and be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Sunday hours, although unannounced, would reportedly resemble Saturday hours.Updated lot details included adding electric vehicle charging stations and designated parking spaces, as well as a new fence and enclosed refuse/recycling area. These plans, however, were heavily criticized by local residents, whose concerns included the availability of charging stations, whether the fence would intrude on their properties, and the possibility of neighbors’ being exposed to biohazardous chemicals stored in the facility.Landscape Architect Testifies After restating the case and the building’s history of developed properties, lawyer John Wyciskala called up landscape architect Brian Conway and engineer Harold Maltz as witnesses.Conway presented a revised version of the site plan, whose changes included moving the six-foot-high fence to the inside of the plantings; eliminating the northernmost parking space to permit the planting of another shade tree in that area; and adjusting parking to meet truckturning requirements in and around loading spaces.The new plans also relocated the EV stations away from 19 Collins Terrace’s property line, added street trees to West Harrison Place, and offered a lighting plan designed to prevent spillage onto adjacent residential properties.A main fixture of Conway’s plan was the removal and replacement of trees surrounding the on-site property. Citing an abundance of trees in “poor condition” along West Harrison Place, Conway proposed planting 101 new trees – roughly 1.44 times that of the required 70 trees replacement ordinance – ranging from green giants to evergreens and lilac trees, which were recommended for residential areas with overhead wires.This proposal was ultimately met with questions from the public, with Andrew Cubillos asking why certain trees were being removed from the lot’s non-parking space. Conway replied that it was being done to expand the lot, as introducing a new evergreen bumper in the property’s ...
