Sunset Boulevard Homeowner Wins Approval for Storage Shed
Christian Cima of 305 Sunset Boulevard received unanimous board approval to construct an 8-by-14-foot shed in the rear of his property, with variance relief for a side yard setback of 6 feet where 15 feet is required and a rear yard setback of 15 feet where 20 feet is required. Cima testified the undersized lot — 17,376 square feet in a zone requiring 25,000 — prevented him from siting the shed in a conforming location, and that an 8-by-10 shed would have been too small for his snowblower, generator, and lawn equipment. No utilities will be brought to the shed. The board voted 7-0 to approve.
January Approvals Formally Memorialized
The board memorialized resolutions for two applications it approved in January: the addition and second-story renovation at 365 Auburn Street for Dublirer and Perez, and St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church's 700 Wyckoff Avenue project to add 46 parking spaces and a freestanding electronic sign.
State & Local
BOARD BACKS RANCH RENOVATION THAT KEEPS LOW PROFILE ON WEST SHORE DRIVE
The owners of a late-1950s ranch on a pie-shaped lot won approval for a one-story addition, with board members praising a design that resists the two-story conversions common in surrounding neighborhoods.
The owners of 338 West Shore Drive received unanimous approval from the Wyckoff Zoning Board of Adjustment at its February meeting to renovate and expand a ranch home built in the late 1950s, with the board finding the property's pie-shaped lot creates a legal hardship for the proposed addition.
The application sought a side yard setback variance, with one side measuring a proposed 19.5 feet where 25 feet is required. The existing side yard is 21.1 feet. Attorney Harold Cook argued the lot's shape — which causes the setbacks to narrow as you move toward the rear — is the source of the hardship. "If this were a rectangular or square lot, we likely wouldn't be here," he told the board. The 43,221-square-foot lot substantially exceeds the zone's 25,000-square-foot minimum, but its pie shape works against conformance near the rear addition. [1]
Architect Wayne Johnson, of Wyckoff, described the project as a long-overdue update to a house cramped by modern standards. The ranch was built in the late 1950s or early 1960s and has had one or two additions over the years, including a garage that was later enclosed to create an accessible living area. The proposed work adds a great room, kitchen, and dining room at the rear, with small additions at the front to break up the façade. The roof will be fully replaced; most exterior walls will be preserved. Johnson said a half-story above — visible in dormers within the roofline — does not require a height variance because the rafter plate height remains at two feet. "We are trying to maintain as much of the existing house as possible for cost savings," he said. [2]
Vice Chairman Brian Tanis offered the board's most pointed endorsement of the approach: "It's refreshing to see a ranch home not being converted into a full two-story house, especially in a neighborhood where many homes are being significantly enlarged." Chairman Mark Borst flagged one concern — the landscape plan left several proposed plants unlabeled, which he said would complicate the final inspection. The applicant agreed to submit a revised plan with all plantings identified. [3]
Township Engineer Mark DiGennaro noted the project includes seepage pits, a retaining wall reaching up to four feet — which must be engineered, with calculations submitted at permitting — and approximately 283 cubic yards of proposed fill. Any project exceeding 100 cubic yards requires a soil moving permit, which DiGennaro recommended as a condition of approval. He also confirmed an overhead utility pole on the property would be converted to underground service. [3]
No members of the public commented. The board voted 7-0 to approve the application. Conditions include a revised landscape plan with all plants labeled, underground electric conversion, engineering calculations for the retaining wall, shade trees relocated inside the property line rather than within the right-of-way, and a soil moving permit. [4]