At its May 21 meeting, the Livingston Planning Board approved Brightview Senior Living Development, LLC’s requests for a minor subdivision, and a preliminary and final site plan at 321 South Livingston Avenue.
According to lawyer Michael Lipari’s testimony, Brightview wishes to subdivide a lot on 321 South Livingston Avenue (Lot 55) and merge it into another piece of land (Lot 56), as well as demolish the existing West Essex YMCA facility on the property to bu ild a four-story assisted living facility.
The Township Council had already approved one part of the plan, but needed to get the Planning Board’s approval for some minor deviations from the redevelopment plan.
Brightview Senior Living representative David Holland said that apartments would be divided between independent living, assisted living, and residents with cognitive impairment, while the building’s common area would be filled with amenities, ranging from dining venues to bars and art studios. Each work shift will have a maximum of 40 to 45 associates in the building and, of its 150 total units, half will be independent living. The other half will be a mix of assisted living and memory care.
Engineer’s Testimony
Next, engineer Abigail Miller broke down the space within the lots via aerial maps, which include the YMCA property and the skate
Town Hall. The topography is generally minimalist, he said, with slopes traveling toward the nearby Canoe Brook and one egress to the south and one ingress to the north of South LivingstonAvenue, providing access to the locations. The building will be four stories to the east and three stories to the west, with a gross floor area of 46,100 square feet and total area of 172,400 square feet.
The western side height would be 49 feet (whereas 50 feet is permitted) while the Canoe Brook side would be 57 feet, falling within the maximum permitted 60 feet. There will also be courtyards and amenities placed across the site, including patios, water features, and community gardens. All of these were designed in compliance with the redevelopment plan standards, she said.
Miller requested a side yard building setback variance of 33 feet from the building to the southern property boundary near an irregularly-shaped cell tower, where 50 feet is required. A side yard circulation mile setback variance of 2.7 feet, located to the south of the building, was also requested, as well as variance relief for the building’s orientation due to the front façade’s placement.
To enter the assisted living facility, people would arrive via two 24 foot driveways, with a large drive aisle surrounding the entire building. Its exterior would include a trash enclosure and generator, as well as an underground grease trap with two manhole access points and a drive-by delivery section.
Parking stalls would be nine feet by 18 feet, angled at 60 degrees – with Miller requesting a variance for the stall length – with those adjacent to the sidewalk carrying a two-foot overhang. Brightview proposed 101 parking spaces in total (with some including EVAchargers), where at least 95 are required for redevelopment plan. The applicant also proposed eight-foot wide ADA (Americans with Disabilities Actapproved handicapped parking) stalls; a 40 foot by 45 foot loading area; and a 435 square foot trash area where trash would be picked up approximately three times per week.
Drainage would be compliant with local ordinance standards, as would proposed landscaping and buffers. In the latter’s case, woodlands along the eastern boundary will be preserved, while 67 replacement trees – as well as 21 shade trees, 23 ornamental trees and 27 evergreen trees, and hundreds of shrubs/grasses – were proposed.
After the Board noted the short landscaping around South Livingston Avenue, Miller agreed to explore installing 3.5 to four foot tall plants to avert potential headlight dangers.
Traffic Analysis
After Miller’s presentation, traffic engineer Andrew Jafolla analyzed the property’s existing use and how it might compare to the assisted living facility’s proposed use.
Currently, the lots are an active site for YMCAactivities and parents picking up their children, with Jafolla acknowledging the new facility would have less such concentrated traffic, totaling about a 30 to 40 percent reduction.
He also addressed how one would enter the facility though its northern and southern driveways, where one would find parking, and the measurements of a potential loading area.
Jafolla reiterated that the building requires a minimum of 95 parking spaces and Brightview proposed 101, thereby meeting that requirement. Architectural Review
Jafolla was followed by architect Robert Harbeson, who provided the Board with a rendered perspective of the completed facility.
Aesthetically, he said, it would mix traditional brick and sandy tones with a white paint exterior and mansard roof form, lending the building a more pedestrian scale. Structurally, it would give independent and assisted living residents their own amenity space. The building would also include locations such as cafes and pubs.
Planner Testifies
Planner John Taikina discussed the plan’s deviations. These ranged from the side yard setback in the irregular area near the cell tower – proposed at 33 feet where 55 feet is required – to a parking setback to a waver for ADA parking stall width. However, Taikina opined that the benefits of this entire project substantially outweighed the detriment of such a large setback. Overall, he claimed these requests met several Municipal Land Use Law purposes, such as promoting sufficient space and appropriate locations, promoting a desirable visual environment through creative development techniques, encouraging senior citizen housing, and encouraging the coordination of activities shaping land development. By implementing the facility, Brightview would be advancing the public good rather than working to its detriment, Taikina said.
Following closing statements, the Board requested that Brightview meet key conditions, such as revisiting parking spaces behind the loading area that might be obstructed by a loading car, working with the township engineer to review the easement for cell tower access, revisit the landscaping along South Livingston Avenue, and reserve one ADA stall for electric vehicles. Brightview also agreed to try to preserve mature trees at the skate park while the living facility is constructed.
A motion to approve the project passed.
