OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Franklin Township Board of Adjustment Meeting - June 19, 2025

Zoning Board of Adjustment — Thursday, June 19, 2025
BodyFranklin Township, New Jersey
SessionZoning Board of Adjustment
DateThursday, June 19, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 13:21

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Phones so that our recording secretary can properly process minutes.

0:05

Applicants and professionals, please fill out the sheet on the table when you've completed your testimony.

0:13

And we can call the roll with the farm.

0:20

Okay.

0:21

Cheryl Bethia, Robert Shepard, Mike Doherty, all asked to be excused this evening.

0:28

Richard Prokanick?

0:29

Here.

0:30

Basim Verdas.

0:31

Here.

0:31

Alan Rich seems to be absent.

0:35

Gary Rosenthal?

0:36

Here.

0:38

Faraz Khan.

0:39

Here.

0:40

Kunalakia.

0:43

Shapendu Singh?

0:45

Here.

0:45

And Chairman Thomas.

0:47

Here.

0:48

Before we go, well before we go on with the meeting.

0:53

Is your microphone on?

0:55

It should be, yeah.

0:57

I believe everyone on the board is aware of the death of Cheryl Horvath's husband.

1:03

I'd like to, on behalf of the board, express our deep condolences for her.

1:09

I'm happy for the fact that she is going to come back and return to us on October 1st after she takes a leave of absence.

1:19

If there's anything anyone would like to add, please feel free to do so.

1:24

Well, I sent out the email to all the board members when I get the information.

1:28

I know she's not planning a memorial service to look like July.

1:33

So once I get that from her, I will definitely share it with all of you.

1:37

That's July 12th.

1:38

July 12th.

1:40

Okay.

1:41

Mr.

1:41

Chairman, can we get a motion to excuse her absence?

1:46

Yeah, I did it.

1:48

So you announced formal formally.

1:51

Yeah.

1:52

I'm sorry.

1:54

So it's made so it's on the record and doesn't count towards the question.

1:59

So then we would entertain a motion to formally excuse Cheryl right now until October 1st, 2025.

2:10

Unless we hear differently.

2:12

I'll move it.

2:14

Second.

2:15

Okay.

2:16

Richard Brocanick.

2:18

Yes.

2:18

Basim Verdas?

2:19

Yes.

2:20

Gary Rosenthal?

2:21

Yes.

2:21

Frascon?

2:22

Yes.

2:23

Shindu Singh?

2:24

Yes.

2:24

And Chairman Thomas.

2:26

Yes.

2:26

Excuse me.

2:27

Thank you, Mr.

2:27

Chairman.

2:31

Now, I this computer seems to be frozen on a page.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Land Development█████████████████████████████39%
Summary of Proceedings

Franklin Township Board of Adjustment Meeting

The Franklin Township Board of Adjustment convened on June 19, 2025, to handle routine approvals, discuss bylaw revisions regarding renotification for adjourned hearings, and hear a variance application. The board unanimously approved the minutes from April 3, 2025, a resolution for Sarino Tropeano & Susan Quilty, and a C variance for Hetal Patel. The board also expressed condolences for the passing of Cheryl Horvath's husband and excused her absence until October 1, 2025. The hearing for Manjit Singh & Ravinder Kaur was carried to September 4, 2025, with required renotification.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: The board approved the minutes of the regular meeting of April 3, 2025, with a unanimous vote (Faraz Khan abstained).
  • Resolution: The board approved Resolution ZBA-25-00006 for Sarino Tropeano & Susan Quilty, with a unanimous vote (Basim Verdas abstained).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Condolences and Leave of Absence: Chairman Thomas expressed condolences on behalf of the board for the death of Cheryl Horvath's husband. The board excused her absence until October 1, 2025, via a unanimous vote.
  • Bylaw Revisions for Hearing Adjournments: The board discussed proposed changes to the bylaws, following the planning board's lead, to require renotification to the public if an application is adjourned. The discussion referenced the Rutgers Plaza application as an example of a case that has been carried multiple times.
  • Manjit Singh & Ravinder Kaur (ZBA-24-00011): This application for a use variance and C variances to convert a repair garage into a convenience store at 339 Elizabeth Avenue was carried from June 5, 2025. The board rescheduled the hearing to September 4, 2025, and required the applicant to renotify the public per the proposed bylaw changes.
  • Hetal Patel (ZBA-25-00012): The applicant, Hetal Patel, sought a C variance to build a one-story addition (a bedroom) at 23 Sunflower Road, Somerset. The only deviation was impervious coverage: the proposal was 21.03% where the maximum is 20%. The applicant testified that the existing impervious surfaces (patio, pool area) were enjoyed for 16+ years and they worked with an architect to minimize the addition's impact. The board asked if reducing the deck could make up the 1% difference, but the applicant expressed a desire to keep the existing layout. No public testimony was heard.

Key Outcomes

  • Approvals:
    • Minutes of April 3, 2025, approved unanimously (Faraz Khan abstained from voting).
    • Resolution ZBA-25-00006 approved unanimously (Basim Verdas abstained).
    • Hetal Patel's C variance application was approved unanimously with all present members voting yes. Chairman Thomas noted the small deviation but wished the applicant well.
  • Carried Application: Manjit Singh & Ravinder Kaur's application was carried to September 4, 2025, with required renotification.
  • Bylaw Changes: The board will consider formal bylaw revisions at a future meeting to require renotification for adjourned hearings.

Meeting Transcript

Phones so that our recording secretary can properly process minutes. Applicants and professionals, please fill out the sheet on the table when you've completed your testimony. And we can call the roll with the farm. Okay. Cheryl Bethia, Robert Shepard, Mike Doherty, all asked to be excused this evening. Richard Prokanick? Here. Basim Verdas. Here. Alan Rich seems to be absent. Gary Rosenthal? Here. Faraz Khan. Here. Kunalakia. Shapendu Singh? Here. And Chairman Thomas. Here. Before we go, well before we go on with the meeting. Is your microphone on? It should be, yeah. I believe everyone on the board is aware of the death of Cheryl Horvath's husband. I'd like to, on behalf of the board, express our deep condolences for her. I'm happy for the fact that she is going to come back and return to us on October 1st after she takes a leave of absence. If there's anything anyone would like to add, please feel free to do so. Well, I sent out the email to all the board members when I get the information. I know she's not planning a memorial service to look like July. So once I get that from her, I will definitely share it with all of you. That's July 12th. July 12th. Okay. Mr. Chairman, can we get a motion to excuse her absence? Yeah, I did it. So you announced formal formally. Yeah. I'm sorry. So it's made so it's on the record and doesn't count towards the question. So then we would entertain a motion to formally excuse Cheryl right now until October 1st, 2025. Unless we hear differently. I'll move it. Second. Okay. Richard Brocanick. Yes. Basim Verdas? Yes. Gary Rosenthal? Yes.

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