Zoning Board rehears application after court order
Residents against multifamily unit in single-family area
BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE - Although developer Ralph Mocci said he put $400,000 into the two-story building, which houses Joseph's Barber Shop on Freeman Street, residents said they are still not happy with a multifamily residence in their predominantly single-family neighborhood.

"This project is going to change the character of our neighborhood," said Joe Wisinski, who lives east of the property. "It will lower our property values. I did not pay my taxes for the last 30 years to have transient people come in who do not care about the neighborhood."

The board previously denied Mocci's application under Children's Property LLC for a minor subdivision of a piece of land behind the property at 200 Freeman St. with a unanimous vote on July 6, 2006.

State Superior Court Judge James P. Hurley, sitting in New Brunswick, remanded the application back to the board requiring more information on why the board denied Mocci's application. The board discussed the application at the July 12 board meeting and will vote on the application at the next meeting at 7 p.m. July 26.

About 30 residents came to express their concerns with Mocci's application.

Mocci, who has owned the property for more than two years, said he has renovated the building into a state-of-the-art building, which is ready for occupancy.

"The only things that have changed have been in the inside," he said. "This building has never looked like this, and it will stay like this, just like my other shopping centers around the township."

Currently the building is a pre-existing nonconforming use, which houses a barbershop on the first floor and two apartments with three bedrooms on the second floor. The barbershop has been in business for 28 years and the site was previously a grocery store.

"I have agreed to let the barbershop stay in business for the next three years until his retirement, then we plan to have that be an apartment," said Mocci. "People who patronize the barbershop park up and down Freeman Street. We have parking on-site for the residents."

Mocci said he could put a commercial use in place of the barbershop; however, he does not want to.

"I wouldn't want a commercial use in the area of the township I live in," he said. "These people who live in the apartments are not transient people. They live and work."

John McDonough, Mocci's professional planner, said their focus was to bring the commercial/residential use to a fully residential use.

McDonough said the subdivision would not cause detriment to the public good or have any visual impact to the surrounding neighborhood.

Residents were concerned about the creek that runs behind the piece of land, which the applicants proposed to subdivide from the property with the two-story building.

Mocci said the piece of land was used to put the temporary Dumpster and construction material.

"I have seen that creek, which is only 4 feet deep, come up 12 feet," said Joe Lucia, who lives six blocks up from the property. "The runoff of water and debris will have nowhere to go because of the property."

Mocci said he has no plans right now for the site.

Allen Barnett of Barron Avenue said he was concerned that if the board approves a three-family housing unit in the neighborhood, it wouldn't stop other three-family units to come into the neighborhood as well.

"This does not align with our single-family neighborhood," he said. "Another element is removing the barbershop and making it into an apartment would make it a 24-hour and seven-day use, which adds to the transient use. Do we really need additional rental space in the neighborhood?"

Barnett added that an additional commercial tenant or another single-family home would be best suited for the site.

"I don't think we would mind a pizzeria as long as it's good pizza, because it won't be a 24-hour, seven-day use," he said.