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What will become of 15 Pompton Ave.
The Verona Planning Board has seen one plan of how to enter, park and exit a renovated 15 Pompton Ave.
It wants to make sure it’s the best one possible.
At the board’s Oct. 30 meeting, Township Engineer Jim Helb said he will work with experts, hired by property owner Morris Erbesh, to create other traffic and parking options to present when the board meets on Dec. 4.
Fifteen Pompton Ave., a former auto repair facility, has been vacant for several years.
Erbesh proposed creating a “snack and non-alcoholic beverage vendor” and two retail spaces at the northeast corner of the Bloomfield and Pompton avenues intersection. He is applying for variances to the number of allowed parking spots and amount of impervious lot coverage.
Erbesh’s traffic expert, Eric Keller of Omland Engineering Associates Inc., said proposed renovations include creating a driveway and additional parking behind the building.
A motorist could enter the site traveling westbound on Bloomfield Avenue and choose to seek parking either in front or behind the building.
Motorists would have to leave the site if they could not find parking because circling the lot is not allowed in the current plan, board members noted.
Board members said no one would know there was parking behind the building. Keller proposed posting a “parking in rear” sign near the entrance.
Helb suggested a clockwise flow of traffic– motorists who cannot find parking up front could circle behind the building.
After initially standing by his experts’ plans, Erbesh said he welcomed a collaborative process to create alternatives.
As for the parking variance, Keller said the proposed site had 12 available spaces while Verona laws required 19. The traffic expert did not believe any more parking spaces could fit on site.
After discussion, the board reached a consensus that it did not need to hire its own traffic expert to examine the plans.
Erbesh said he asked his property neighbors if they would work with him to get access to additional spaces: the owner of 32 Bloomfield Ave. was not interested and he heard no response from the owner of a nearby office building.
Board Attorney Alan Trembulak said the proposed site could meet requirements if the board stated that the site’s seven anticipated employees must park off-site, possibly on Claremont Avenue.
The board asked Erbesh to renew his efforts to secure some kind of parking agreement with his neighbors.
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