Zoning Board of Adjustment — December 9, 2025

What was decided

Present: Chairman Jeff Foose, James Weideli, Donald Sweeney, Bruce Bongiorno, Jeffrey Sicat, Pushpavati Amin, John Kulak, John Gayeski, Claudio Vescio and Andrew Fresco; Chris Gabbett was absent. Board Attorney Richard Oller, Board Engineer William Burr, Board Planner Katherine Sarmad and Traffic Engineer S. Maurice Rached attended.

Resolutions

Both were adopted 7-0 (ayes Weideli, Amin, Sweeney, Fresco, Bongiorno, Gayeski and Chairman Foose; Sicat, Kulak and Vescio ineligible; Gabbett absent):

• Stanley & Margaret Waitkowich (App. #25-006-ZB), 756 Harding Road, Block 477 Lot 7.
• Bellie Holdings LLC (App. #23-010-ZB), 19-21 Mount Pleasant Avenue, Block 249 Lot 40.

John Kwisnek, Jr., 1065 Carteret Road

App. #25-008-ZB, Block 627 Lot 30: bulk variances for an addition with a second-car garage to a single-family home. Attorney John Sullivan presented Mr. Kwisnek, architect Joseph Marchese and engineer and planner David Stires, who said there would be no detriment to the neighbors, a buffer would be provided and driveway water would be diverted so as not to cause flooding. Ms. Sarmad suggested a vegetated buffer. Neighbor Kurt Lindheimer of 1069 Carteret Road raised the flow of water onto his property; Mr. Stires said the increase in runoff was slight, and it was agreed the applicant’s engineer would work with the Board Engineer. No one offered public comment. Approved with conditions, 7-0 (same roll call as above).

Café Emilia, Route 202 (second hearing)

App. #25-001-ZB, Café Emilia Inc., Block 163.02 Lots 9 and 17, 705 Route 202 North and 49 Charlotte Drive (previously 707 Route 202): preliminary and final site plan with bulk variances and D(1) and D(4) variances, to build an addition to the existing restaurant and a banquet hall on the adjacent non-conforming lot. The minutes attach the hearing transcript.

• Attorney Donna Jennings said that after the July hearing the building was reduced to about 10,337 square feet from the 16,749 first proposed, with the seating unchanged.
• Engineer Robert Moschello described 50 restaurant seats, 100 banquet seats and 30 rooftop seats, 180 in all, with 51 parking spaces as the ordinance requires for that seating. Board members asked how parking would work when the restaurant and banquet hall are busy at the same time.
• Three residents questioned the engineer: Tom Horvath of 15 Charlotte Drive, who said the project should not be approved; Daniel Gerlach of 9 Charlotte Drive, on parking; and Atalkumar Darji of 5 Charlotte Drive, next door, on stormwater detention.
• The hearing was adjourned to the January 13, 2026 reorganization meeting, for scheduling only.

Adjourned for scheduling

Both were adjourned to the January 13, 2026 reorganization meeting without further notice, for scheduling only:

• Bridgewater Self Storage, LLC (App. #24-027-ZB), 351 Route 28 and 322 Route 22, Block 400 Lots 1 & 2: site plan, bulk variance and D(1) use variance for a self-storage facility. See the self-storage application.
• Rockland APV Bridgewater Energy LLC (App. #24-029-ZB), 760 East Main Street, Block 338 Lot 9: major site plan and minor subdivision of two lots owned by the Somerset County Improvement Authority. See battery storage.

Public comment

• Michael Kirsh of 25 Danbury Lane thanked the members for their dedication. Chairman Foose and Mr. Kulak exchanged thanks, and members said farewell to Mr. Sweeney, who was not returning to the Board.
• Carolyn Joya of 1402 Palley Court (as the minutes spell the name) thanked the Board and began to speak about a warehouse application; Mr. Oller said those comments belonged at that application’s hearing.

Records

• Minutes (township document page; adopted April 14, 2026, with the Café Emilia transcript attached)
• Video on the township’s YouTube channel (3:14:06). This page follows the Board’s minutes.