The Livingston Planning Board, at its November 14 meeting, agreed to create a resolution to review Esplanade Livingston, LLC’s preliminary and final site plan for two multifamily developments at 550 and 570 West Mt. Pleasant Avenue, as well as 8-10 Microlab Road. The complex, which is currently the site of the Westminster Hotel and Regal Bank, will be called Livana Livingston. These developments - listed as Lot 2 and Lot 16 - included a 160-unit multifamily inclusionary building and a four-story age-restricted residential unit bu ilding for adults 5 5 and older. Additional features included a parking garage, on-site amenities, stormwater facilities, and lighting/ landscaping improvements.
The first witness of the night, engineer Michael Lanzafama, provided enderings of the proposed site plans and features that would appear around Esplanade’s buildings. These included an amenity area to the south featuring a pickleball court, dog park, and sitting areas, as well as parking spaces, a trash room, and a loading area for refuse trucks to pull into the facility. Additional parking, he explained, will be “first come, first served.” Stormwater elements will be contained through three stormwater management basins located at the building’s southwest corner, east side, and north and west side of the parking garage.
Among the variances required for this project, Lanzafama added, were for parking spaces measuring nine by 18 feet without room for a twofoot overhang, which is required by law. He also pointed out how there needed to be a minimum separation of ten feet between structures, but felt these deviations would provide more benefits than detriments to the community. Lanzafama then took questions from the Board on topics involving thepickleball court’s lighting, visitor parking accommodations, the presence of EV charging stations, and whether tenants would be assigned to spaces in the garage.
Next, landscape architect Tom Bauer showed the Board a rendered visual tour of the Livana complex. Some of the exterior features, he revealed, included various landscaping flora like shrubbery, a seating area in the lobby, a community garden shelter, and a playground near the lawn area. Additionally, Bauer noted that a proposed pool would be open three months of the year and a video screen on the lawn could be used by residents to show movies.
Architect Luz Del Mar Rosado thenprovideda groundfloorplan, detailing how many units each building will contain and which will be market rate and affordable unit prices. She addressed the difference in square footage between units - the market rate residences will measure 1,070 square feet, while the affordable units will be 940 square feet. Rosado also explained the number of bedrooms in each unit and the placement of additional multi-family building facilities like a workout room and office space. In case of emergencies, Rosado assured the Board there would be two sets of stairs on opposite sides of the building for the fire department or other authorities to access.
Finally, traffic engineer Gary Dean outlined the significant traffic merits in the building proposal, which he believed would substantially reduce traffic to a third of its current state. Based on studies and traffic projections conducted along Route 10, he pointed out that multifamily units (Continued on Page A-6) policies.”
She added that some juniors take their standardized tests and receive scores that should place them within their dream school’s range, but next year as they begin applying, the school’s range has changed.
“If students are confused about what to do, they should go to their counselor,” Board president Pam Chirls said. Interim superintendent Daniel Fishbein echoed this by reading part of the guidance department’s presentation at the school’s Junior Parent Night.
The Board will next meet on Tuesday, December 10.
