The Livingston Zoning Board, at its January 23 meeting, revisited its October 24 applications forAbhishek Gangwal at 6 Hazelwood Avenue and Jian Hu at 68 Amelia Avenue, ultimately rescheduling the former to February 27 and approving the latter. The Board then heard arguments for six new applications before approving all six requests.Before the meeting, the Board appointed Edward Bier its new chairman, replacing Lauren Tabak Fass. A vote on the vice chairman position was put on hold, although Laurie Khan was named the new recording secretary. Additionally, Michael Affrunti and Ketan Bhuptani were reappointed as Class 4 Members, while Kalpesh Kenia and Vineeta Khanna returned to the Board as Class 4 Members; Todd Sherman and Hong Yuan were also appointed as Alternate members.6 Hazelwood AvenueDuring his October 24 hearing, Gangwal had provided a revised version of his plan for an attached garage, deck, right side, and rear addition to 6 HazelwoodAvenue. Notable changes had included reducing the house size and habitable floor ratio, as well as altering the garage’s position, although its increase in existing habitable floor ratio percentage concerned multiple Board members. In addition to requesting that Gangwal submit another revision, they had asked him to bring a legal witness to help make a stronger case for the Boardmembers to authorize his plan.This time, Gangwal was represented by lawyer Diana McGovern, while architect Frank Hall provided drawing sets of the house additions, which would provide more room for his family. This extra space, he added, would include additional bedroom space for visitors and bathroom capacity for family and guests. He also pointed to the house’s small lot area as a reason for the variance request. The lot measures only 7,140.54 square feet, where 9,375 square feet is required.However, after learning that a form required to confirm a setback on the application had not been submitted, the Board requested that Gangwal resubmit it by the next meeting on February 27 at 7 p.m. The case was adjourned until further notice.68 Amelia AvenueJian Hu and architect Qiong Wu had requested that the Board approve a rear, left side, second-floor addition and deck for 68 Amelia Avenue in order to create more household room for Hu’s family. The Board, however, cited concerns over its elevation and total height compared to other neighborhood homes, prompting Hu and Wu to revise their attic ceiling height and roofline.New changes made by Hu and Wu included ...
