Public hearing for zoning board regarding a mixed-use facility conversion in Newark.

LEGAL NOTICE   CITY OF NEWARK  ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT   Application No: ZBA-24-64  Filed: October 21, 2024  PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a Regular Hearing will be held before the Zoning Board of Adjustment of the City of Newark (the "Board") on Thursday, April 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The hearing will be conducted virtually via Zoom, a web-based video conferencing platform, or by telephone. Connection details are set forth below.  The hearing concerns the property located at 154-156 Stuyvesant Avenue, Newark, New Jersey, and designated as Block 4067, Lots 35 and 36 on the Official Tax Map of the City of Newark, Essex County, New Jersey (the "Property"). The Property is situated in the R-2 (Residential 1-3 Family) zoning district.   L'Eglise Baptiste Le Bon Berger (the "Applicant") seeks preliminary and final site plan approval, together with use variance relief and bulk variance relief, from the Board to convert an existing one-story brick and frame building currently used as a daycare center into a mixed-use facility containing a daycare center in the basement and a place of worship on the first floor (the "Project"). The Property encompasses approximately 5,517.68 square feet and is a corner parcel with frontage on Stuyvesant Avenue and Lindsley Avenue. The proposed place of worship will include a sanctuary with seating for approximately 137 congregants, a fellowship hall, a multipurpose room, a warming kitchen, and restrooms. The proposed daycare center will be located in the basement and will accommodate approximately 38 students and 3 staff members. The Project will also include two off-street parking spaces, a playground area, and exterior site improvements.   Specifically, the Applicant requests the following relief from the Board:  (1) A D(2) use variance pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(d)(2) for the expansion or change of an existing nonconforming use, as daycare centers are not a permitted use in the R-2 zone and the proposed modifications represent the expansion of the existing nonconforming daycare center use;   (2) A D(3) conditional use variance pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(d)(3) to permit a place of worship that does not satisfy all applicable conditional use requirements, including the requirement under Newark Zoning & Land Use Regulations 41:6-2-36(2) that no off-street parking facility, driveway, or circulation aisle be located closer than 15 feet to any residential property line to allow for a 10-foot-wide landscaped buffer;   (3) Preliminary and final site plan approval, together with bulk (C) variances pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-70(c) for the following conditions: (a) insufficient lot size, whereas 10,000 square feet is required and 5,517.68 square feet is proposed (existing nonconforming condition); (b) insufficient lot width, whereas 100 feet is required and 50 feet exists (existing nonconforming condition); (c) insufficient front yard setback, whereas a setback of 5 to 10 feet is required and a setback of 0 feet exists on both the Stuyvesant Avenue and Lindsley Avenue frontages (existing nonconforming condition); (d) insufficient side yard setback, whereas a minimum of 5 feet is required and setbacks of 0 feet exist on the northern and eastern property lines (existing nonconforming condition); (e) excessive lot coverage by building, whereas a maximum of 65% is permitted and 65.28% is proposed (existing nonconforming condition); (f) excessive impervious lot coverage, whereas a maximum of 80% is permitted and 80.14% is proposed; (g) insufficient building transparency on the primary street-facing faade, whereas a minimum of 35% is required and a lesser percentage is proposed; (h) insufficient building transparency on the street-facing faade, whereas a minimum of 25% is required and a lesser percentage is proposed; (i) insufficient off-street parking, whereas 17 spaces are required and 2 spaces are proposed; and (j) insufficient on-site trees, whereas 6 trees are required and none are proposed.   The Applicant reserves the right to seek such additional variances, waivers, exceptions, interpretations, and approvals as may be required upon further review by the Board and its professionals. Lastly, the Applicant requests that the Board grant any additional approvals, permits, variances, interpretations, waivers, or exceptions reflected in the plans and materials filed (as same may be amended or revised from time to time without further notice) or determined to be necessary during the review and processing of this application.  Any person interested in this application will have the opportunity to address the Board at the virtual meeting on April 30, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. via Zoom, a web-based video conference application, or by telephone using the following:   Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://NewarkNJ.zoom.us/j/85791480920  Or dial any of the following numbers to join by phone and enter the meeting ID followed by # when asked (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):  +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)  +1 646 931 3860 US +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)  +1 305 224 1968 US  +1 309 205 3325 US  +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)  Webinar ID: 857 9148 0920  International numbers available: https://NewarkNJ.zoom.us/u/k5irmhkKw   PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that documents relating to this application can be inspected by the public on the City of Newark's Website: https://www.newarknj.gov/520/Zoning-Board-of-Adjustment or https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KrdapiGBbUu9XwmcxrzOO5HeCu4jwqiE?usp=sharing   For more information and any questions on how to access virtual meetings, participate, provide public comment, and review agendas, digital plans and application materials or to schedule an in-office visit please contact the Board Secretary by electronic email at mejia-armillas@ci.newark.nj.us or by telephone at (973) 733-6219 or (973) 986-6282 (cell), Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.   L'Eglise Baptiste Le Bon Berger  Applicant  /s/ Roosevelt J. Donat  ROOSEVELT J. DONAT, ESQ.  Special Counsel  MURPHY SCHILLER & WILKES LLP  Attorneys for Applicant  One Gateway Center, Suite 400 Newark, New Jersey 07102  4/19/26 $264.33