Zoning Board of Adjustment — July 14, 2026
The Board approved CX Tower Leasing's wireless monopole at 719 Route 202 (150 feet with its lightning rod), 7-0, and a one-year extension of a 2024 approval at 233 Shepherd Avenue, 7-0. At the fifth hearing on Bridgewater Self Storage at Routes 22 and 28, 27 members of the public commented, among them Rebecca Melick of the farm stand; many asked the Board to deny the use variance. That hearing was carried to Sept. 22.
- 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 was decided
Present: Chairman John Kulak, James Weideli, Pushpavati Amin, Andrew Fresco, Christine Henderson-Rose, Johanna Wiseman, Claudio Vescio and John Colucci, with John Gayeski joining at 7:15 p.m.; James Franco and Anthony Mignella were absent. Consulting engineer Bruce Eisenstein attended with the Board’s professionals.
The April 28 minutes were approved (ayes Kulak, Weideli, Amin, Wiseman, Vescio, Colucci and Fresco; Henderson-Rose and Gayeski ineligible).
Sherif Shalaby, 233 Shepherd Avenue
App. #24-013-ZB, Block 374 Lot 9, R-20 zone: extension of a prior approval granted October 22, 2024. Mr. Shalaby said extensive paperwork had been needed before permits and the project was now ready to proceed. Carolyn Pritchard of 266 Nagle Street said she had complained to the Zoning Officer over the past year about the condition of the property and asked that it be cleaned up before permits are issued. Mr. Shalaby agreed to a cleanup condition, and Mr. Oller added a condition that he satisfy any outstanding zoning violations before obtaining building permits. Approved with conditions, 7-0 (ayes Kulak, Weideli, Amin, Wiseman, Henderson-Rose, Gayeski and Fresco).
CX Tower Leasing, 719 Route 202 (second hearing)
App. #25-020-ZB, Block 163 Lot 6.01, 719 Route 202: preliminary and final site plan with use and bulk variances. The minutes attach the transcript.
- Mr. Oller summarized the relief: a D(1) use variance, since the zone does not permit cell towers; a D(6) variance for a height of 150 feet; and front-yard (28 feet where 200 is required) and side-yard (25 feet where 50 is required) setbacks. The applicant said the monopole is 145 feet to the top of steel, with a 5-foot lightning rod, and asked for 150 to be conservative. Its attorney said American Water had told the carriers on the neighboring water tower to vacate; Verizon and T-Mobile are part of the application.
- Julio Montalvo of Bridgewater asked questions.
- Approved with conditions, 7-0, on a motion by Weideli seconded by Henderson-Rose. The transcript’s roll call records yes votes from Chairman Kulak, Weideli, “Mr. Franco,” Amin, Gayeski, Henderson-Rose and Wiseman; the minutes list Mr. Franco as absent and Mr. Fresco as present, and Mr. Fresco spoke in favor during deliberation.
The township’s notice of decision gives the approval date as July 14, 2026.
Bridgewater Self Storage, Routes 22 and 28 (fifth hearing)
App. #24-027-ZB, Block 400 Lots 1 & 2, 351 Route 28 and 322 Route 22: preliminary and final site plan with bulk variance and D(1) use variance. The transcript of this session, which began at 8:49 p.m., records 27 public comments, each sworn:
Stuart Yusem (23 Purcell Road), Diane Bliss (66 Hillside Avenue), Phyllis Kalmback (84 Lincoln Avenue, Somerville), Rebecca Melick (41 Pleasant Grove Road, Lebanon), Nicole Ievolella (501 Rolling Hills Road), James Brady (351 Route 28), Ketan Thakker (80 Shaffer Road), Andrew O’Hearn (135 Walters Brook Drive), Siyona Naidu (25 King Drive), Asm Islam (32 Timberline Drive), Ethan Chen (12 Wendover Place), Andrew Wowk (213 Short Hills Drive), Roman Korduba (275 Floral Drive), Rohit Khurana and Rebecca Hassouna (557 Lyme Rock Road), Bindu Yalamanchili and Bhavya Yalamanchili (6 Bogart Drive), Varsha Chirra (3 Kiser Lane), Lawrence Cataldo (854 Carnoustie Drive), Kevin Kober (833 Meadow Road), Robert Symanski (3405 French Drive), Marianne DeStefano (15 Woodward Drive), Frank Rachelle (134 Warren Avenue), Christopher Hampson (487 Meadow Road), Joseph Vince (855 Sunset Ridge), Nemmara K Shankaranarayanan (18 Kershaw Court) and Christopher Bohdan (18 Bogart Drive).
Speakers raised the Melick farm stand, traffic and the safety of nearby intersections, the Master Plan’s language for the C-3 zone, property values, stormwater and the character of the area; many asked the Board to deny the D(1) variance. Carried to September 22, 2026 without further notice.
See the self-storage application.
Jeffrey Hinkle, 66 Finderne Avenue
App. #25-011-ZB, Block 254 Lot 18, bifurcated use variance: to be adjourned to August 25, 2026 with new notice.
Public comment
No members of the public spoke during the portion for items not on the agenda.
Records
- Minutes (township document page; adopted September 22, 2026, with the CX Tower and Bridgewater Self Storage transcripts attached)
- Agenda (township document page)
- Notice of decision: CX Towers (township notice)
- Video on the township’s YouTube channel (3:23:35). This page follows the Board’s minutes and the attached transcripts.