During its last meeting of2023, the Livingston Planning Board approved Devan Partners LLC’s site plan to convert the automotive repair facility at 505 South Livingston Avenue into a dental office. It also marked Peter Klein’s final meeting before retiring from the Planning Board at the end of the year. Klein had served as a Board member since 1996.
Four witnesses spoke at the applicant’s initial November 21 hearing, supporting requests for variances related to the building’s size, signage placement, and extension of back parking spaces. However, a vote was delayed so the applicant could address the Board’s concerns, including the lack of a garbage plan and front signage length.
For the December meeting, attorney Michael Lipari brought back architect Mark Teichman and planner Matt Seckler to testify about the revised plan, whose additions included modifications to the drive aisle near the entrance; a redesign of the signage to feel less “busy;” and the inclusion of a monument sign.
Redesigned Signage
Following opening statements, Teichman presented a visual model of the redesigned building and its front signage, whose length had been reduced from 92 feet to 46 feet.
The monument sign, meanwhile, would be six feet long by five feet wide - featuring the words “Sleep Apnea Solutions” and “Northfield Dental Group” – but with neutral colors to match the building.
This color change was also applied to the back sign, although its size remained the same.
While Teichman compared the proposed sign to the Sweet Basil restaurant sign across the street, which the applicant had used as a guideline, the Board members expressed skepticism over that comparison due to Sweet Basil’s sign having more frontage.
They also questioned the monument sign’s necessity due to its congested text space, with Michael Rieber suggesting Devan Partners LLC place additional text in the window as a compromise. Lipari said they could revise that part if the Board made it a condition of their resolution.
Driveway
Seckler next discussed changes to the ingress/egress area of the plan, including driveway modifications. With the driveway currently narrow, the applicant sought to widen it to 18 feet until it reached the sidewalk area, then expand it further to 22 feet wide, he said.
From the back, the driveway would be single-width, but the aforementioned expansions would allow two cars to move side by side and create room for one to pass the other when leaving.
Additional measures discussed included the placement of a mirror in the back and whether adding planter boxes might soften the building’s front landscaping while protecting pedestrians from incoming vehicles, among others.
Variances Revised
Lipari then summarized Devan Partners LLC’s revised requests, which no longer included a maximum number of permitted signs, and, following the Board’s critiques, the applicant removed the monument sign entirely.
The building’s height variance request was removed, although the applicant still sought a minimum driveway width of 22 feet where the driveway is 10.1 feet wide at its narrowest.
Lipari also said that, should the Board deem it necessary, he would request a six-space parking variance for a storage area on the property.
Finally, Seckler provided closing testimony on how building the dental office will remove a non-permitted use from this business district, replacing it with a permitted use facility that could generate more traffic if successful.
He also divided the application’s variance requests into C (1) and C(2) standards, with C(1) including the drive aisles and building itself and C(2) including the lack of a dumpster and loading zone. Seckler added that the applicant was no longer interested in variances “that might be seen as over-intensification.”
As Klein noted, however, a variance would also be required for an address number sign on the building’s side. Following negotiations, Seckler and Lipari agreed to put the number on the front so drivers may see it from both directions.
In conclusion, Lipari opined that the dental office is a “quality project” and would benefit the neighborhood’s aesthetic, given the garage building’s ongoing state of decay.
Although Klein insisted the applicant meet several building conditions, he ultimately voiced approval of Devan Partners LLC’s revised plan and variances. Board member Michael Rieber agreed, believing the garage space was a good location to put a dentist’s office, given its proximity to the bank.
Amotion to approve the plan unanimously passed.
