During its last meeting of2023, the Livingston Planning Board approved Devan Partners LLC’s site plan to convert the automotive repair facility at 505 South Livingston Avenue into a dental office. It also marked Peter Klein’s final meeting before retiring from the Planning Board at the end of the year. Klein had served as a Board member since 1996.Four witnesses spoke at the applicant’s initial November 21 hearing, supporting requests for variances related to the building’s size, signage placement, and extension of back parking spaces. However, a vote was delayed so the applicant could address the Board’s concerns, including the lack of a garbage plan and front signage length.For the December meeting, attorney Michael Lipari brought back architect Mark Teichman and planner Matt Seckler to testify about the revised plan, whose additions included modifications to the drive aisle near the entrance; a redesign of the signage to feel less “busy;” and the inclusion of a monument sign.Redesigned SignageFollowing opening statements, Teichman presented a visual model of the redesigned building and its front signage, whose length had been reduced from 92 feet to 46 feet.The monument sign, meanwhile, would be six feet long by five feet wide - featuring the words “Sleep Apnea Solutions” and “Northfield Dental Group” – but with neutral colors to match the building.This color change was also applied to the back sign, although its size remained the same.While Teichman compared the proposed sign to the Sweet Basil restaurant sign across the street, which the applicant had used as a guideline, the Board members expressed skepticism over that comparison due to Sweet Basil’s sign having more frontage.They also questioned the monument sign’s necessity due to its congested text space, with Michael Rieber suggesting Devan Partners LLC place additional text in the window as a compromise. Lipari said they could revise that part if the Board made it a condition of their resolution.DrivewaySeckler next discussed changes to the ingress/egress area of the plan, including driveway modifications. With the driveway currently narrow, the applicant sought to widen it to 18 feet until it reached the sidewalk area, then expand it further to 22 feet wide, he said.From the back, the driveway would be single-width, but the aforementioned expansions would allow two cars to move side by side and create room for one to pass the other when leaving.Additional measures discussed included the placement of a mirror in the back and whether ...
