The Livingston Planning Board swore in its new and returning members at its Tuesday meeting. Alongside returning members were former Livingston Fire Chief Craig Dufford and Township Council member Ketan Bhuptani as new members. Rudy Fernandez and Stephen Santola were elected chairman and vice chairman, repsectively, until January 6, 2026. Jackie Coombs-Hollis, Catherine Maddrey, and Richard Vallario were re-appointed as secretary, assistant secretary, and board attorney, respectively.
Other confirmations included Richard Dinar as chairman of the Minor Subdivision/Site Plan Committee. He is joined by Fernandez, Barry Lewis, and Samuel Ratner as additional members of that committee.
Dinar was also made chairman of the Technical Review Advisory Committee; Fernandez was made a liaison to the Livingston Community Partnership Corporation and a member of the Technical Review Advisory Committee; Ratner was acknowledged as a member of the Livingston Environmental Commission; and Michael Rieber agreed to serve on the Open Space Trust Committee.
After adopting its 2025 meeting schedule, the Board approved minutes from its December 17, 2024 meeting and a resolution extension for the Livingston YMCA’s change in location, with Fernandez and Santola recusing themselves.
A resolution for EAS Livingston, LLC’s car wash application was also approved after Ratner requested several pieces of testimony be included in the resolution. These pieces of testimony included keeping three fulltime employees on-site and covering the back door for safety reasons. The Board also voted to engage experts for water/sewer and traffic review of 70 South Orange Avenue.
