Zoning Board of Adjustment — February 24, 2026
Café Emilia's application to add a banquet hall and addition on Route 202 had its third hearing. Eleven members of the public questioned the applicant's engineer and architect, many on parking and traffic on Charlotte Drive, and the hearing was continued to May 26 without further notice. The Board also approved its Oct. 28, 2025 and Jan. 27, 2026 minutes.
- Development
Meeting recording
Recording plays on the township archive
This meeting does not play on this page. The township's recording is complete and plays in full on the township's own channel.
What happened
What the record shows
All eleven members were present: Chairman John Kulak, James Weideli, Pushpavati Amin, James Franco, Andrew Fresco, Christine Henderson-Rose, John Gayeski, Johanna Wiseman, Claudio Vescio, John Colucci and Anthony Mignella. Board Attorney Richard Oller, Engineer William Burr, Planner Katherine Sarmad and acoustical engineer Benjamin Mueller attended.
Minutes and resolutions
- The October 28, 2025 minutes were approved (ayes Weideli, Amin, Gayeski, Vescio, Fresco and Chairman Kulak; Mignella, Franco, Colucci, Wiseman and Henderson-Rose ineligible) and the January 27, 2026 minutes (ayes Weideli, Amin, Franco, Fresco, Wiseman, Vescio, Colucci, Mignella and Chairman Kulak; Gayeski and Henderson-Rose ineligible).
- A superseding resolution designating the 2026 electronic news sources was adopted 11-0.
Café Emilia, Route 202 (third 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 D1 and D4 variances, for an addition to the existing restaurant and a banquet hall on the adjacent non-conforming lot. The minutes attach the transcript.
- Attorney Donna Jennings brought back engineer Robert Moschello to finish public questioning from the December hearing. Asked how much relief was sought, Mr. Moschello said his cover sheet lists ten variances and six design waivers.
- Eleven members of the public questioned the engineer, and later the architect, Kraig Kalashian. Their questions included parking, how cars would move between the lots and Charlotte Drive, lot coverage and landscaping. Mr. Kalashian said the restaurant has 72 seats today and 27 parking spaces, and that with more than 25 cars parking is likely to spill out elsewhere.
- Ms. Jennings said she would next present the architect again, the acoustical and traffic engineers and the professional planner. The hearing was continued to May 26, 2026 at 7 p.m. without further notice to the public.
The Board did not meet on May 26; the township’s notice moved the Café Emilia continuance to August 11 with new notice. See land use applications.
Public comment
The minutes record that the Chairman opened and closed the public portion for items not on the agenda; they name no speaker.
Records
- Minutes (township document page; adopted May 12, 2026, with the Café Emilia transcript attached)
- Agenda (township document page)
- Notice of no meeting, May 26, 2026 (township notice)
- Video on the township’s YouTube channel (3:00:14). This page follows the Board’s minutes and the attached transcript.