ZONING BOARD OF THE TOWNSHIP OF BLOOMFIELD Meeting Minutes for February 5, 2026 The meeting was called to order by Chairman McCarthy at 7:03 PM. Chairman McCarthy read the Open Public Meetings Act statement. The meeting was held via Zoom, recorded and made available for viewing on the Township website and WBMA￾TV. Roll call: The following members were present: Chairman McCarthy, Mr. Parsons, Mr. Santasieri, Mr. Wangner, Ms. Brown, Mr. Perez, Mr. Mohan and Ms. Sun. The following members were absent: Ms. Seidensticker Board consultants present: Anthony Marucci, board engineer and Michael Rubin, board attorney. 1. Roll Call: 2. Communications: A. Timely responses – the chairman reminded the board the importance and the impact of the members responding to the board secretary in a timely fashion. B. Digital or hard copy application materials – the board secretary needs to know which members require hard copies of the application packets. C. 382 West Passaic Street – a motion was made by Mr. Santasieri, seconded by Mr. Wangner to approve the request for resolution extension. Two regular members, Mr. Wangner and Mr. Santasieri voted to approve. Ms. Brown did not arrive until 8:40pm. D. 90 Montgomery Street – a motion was made by Ms. Brown, seconded by Mr. Santasieri to adjourn the application to 3/5. All members present voted to adjourn. E. 164 Jerome Place – a motion was made by Mr. Santasieri, seconded by Ms. Brown to adjourn the application to 3/5. All members present voted to adjourn. 3. Minutes: 1/29/26 – a motion was made by Mr. Parsons, seconded by Mr. Wangner to approve the 1/29 minutes. All members present voted to approve. 4. Resolutions: None 5. Applications to consider for Board Planner and/or the Board Traffic Expert (‘d’ variances): None 6. Old Business: A. 42 Ridge Avenue Block 724, Lot 25 Zone: R-1B� Applicant/Owner: Jamie Martinez Application: seeking reconsideration of the board’s decision from the 11/20 meeting in which the application was approved with conditions. Seeking class C bulk variance relief for maximum shed size and height, rear yard setback and any such other relief from the Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Bloomfield to retain an already installed 12 X 11 shed in the rear yard exceeding the allowable height and setback in the R-1B zone. NOTE: this work was completed without permits. Testimony was provided by Julio Ortega, Jaime Martinez and Mr. Marucci. Public comments/questions were provided by Mr. Sutaria. Board discussion included previous approval, shed size, shed use, reduced on street parking, tree removal, hurricane tires, the hill, one car garage, pool, shed height, setbacks, gutters, eaves, outdoor furniture, bikes, level location, and self-created hardship. A motion was made by Mr. Perez, seconded by Ms. Sun to approve the application. One regular member Chairman McCarthy voted to approve. Two alternate members Mr. Perez and Ms. Sun, voted to approve. One regular member Mr. Santasieri voted to deny. One regular member Ms. Brown did not vote as she arrived to the meeting at 8:40pm. Mr. Parsons, Mr. Wangner and Mr. Mohan were not eligible. Ms. Seidensticker was not eligible and was also absent. The application was approved 3 to 1. B. 117 North 16th Street Block 7, Lot 47 Zone: R-2B Applicant/Owner: Romulo and Bercelia Miraval Application: seeking class C bulk variance for front yard setback and a D4 variance for FAR and any such other relief from the Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Bloomfield to excavate the existing basement crawlspace and create an 8 foot high living space. Secondly an exterior masonry staircase is proposed for access to the basement in the R-2B zone. Testimony was provided by Mr. Miraval, Ms. Wu and Mr. Marucci. Public comments/questions – there were none. Board discussion included flooding, FAR, front yard setback, open staircase, foundation, water leakage, water proofing, sump pump, narrowness of the property, side alley, basement access, existing FAR, neighborhood impact, excavation, shower, commode and basement sink, basement height, air conditioning duct, step down, drainage, floor drain, water discharge to the street, evaluation of storm drain, two family dwelling, 3rd floor living space, basement living space, enclosing the staircase, direction of water flow, construction permits, removal of exterior stairs and drainage plan. A motion was made by Mr. Santasieri, seconded by Mr. Perez to approve the � application with conditions. Two regular members Mr. Santasieri and Chairman McCarthy voted to approve. Two alternate members Mr. Perez and Ms. Sun voted to approve. One regular member Ms. Brown did not vote as she arrived to the meeting at 8:40pm. Mr. Wangner, Mr. Parsons, Mr. Mohan and Ms. Seidensticker were not eligible and Ms. Seidensticker was absent. The application was approved 4-0. C. 860 Broad Street Block 841, Lot 3 Zone: R-1A Applicant/Owner: Micah Tucker Application: seeking class C Bulk variance for building and lot coverage and any such other relief from the Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Bloomfield to expand and renovate a single family dwelling in the R-1A zone. Testimony was provided by Mr. Tucker, Mr. McNeight and Mr. Marucci. Public comments/questions – there were none. Board discussion included FAR, rear addition, reduced attic scope, bulk variances, expansion of the 2nd floor in the foot print of the first floor, recap of previous and revised plans, elimination of front and rear dormers, exasperation of the side and front yard setbacks and positioning of gutters/leaders to the front or back of the property. A motion was made by Mr. Wangner, seconded by Ms. Brown to approve the application with conditions. Four regular members Ms. Brown, Mr. Wangner, Mr. Santasieri, and Chairman McCarthy voted to approve. Two alternate members, Mr. Perez and Ms. Sun voted to approve. Mr. Parsons, Mr. Mohan and Ms. Seidensticker were not eligible. The application was approved 6-0. 7. New Business: A. 181 Jerome Place Block 307, Lot 19 Zone: R-1B Applicant/Owner: Pablo Castro Application: seeking class C Bulk variance for lot coverage and minimum side yard setback and any such other relief from the Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Bloomfield to retain an already constructed paver patio in the R￾1B zone. Note: this work was completed without permits. Testimony was provided by Mr. Castro and Mr. Marucci. Public comments/questions – there were none. Board discussion included violation, property slope, impervious coverage, drainage, concrete paved area, asphalt paved area, garage flooding, gutters, gravel, sand, and mesh base layer of the pavers, lot coverage, rear of the property, multiple small garden areas, pervious pavers, impervious pavers, storm drains and the Second River. A motion � was made by Ms. Brown, seconded by Mr. Wangner to deny the application. Five regular members Mr. Parsons, Ms. Brown, Mr. Santasieri, Mr. Wanger and Chairman McCarthy voted to deny. Two alternate members Mr. Perez and Mr. Mohan voted to deny. B. 77 Myrtle Street Block 126, Lot 22 Zone: R-2B Applicant/Owner: Jean and Charitee Francois Application: seeking class C Bulk variance for lot coverage and rear yard setback and any such other relief from the Zoning Ordinance of the Township of Bloomfield to retain an already constructed paver patio in the R-2B zone. Note: this work was completed without permits. Testimony was provided by Mr. Francois, Ms. Francois and Mr. Marucci. Public comments/questions – there were none. Board discussion included dead end, flooding, flood zone, stagnant water, health and security, paver patio, front and side yard, location of the decks, patio wall, 6 foot fence, Bland Court side and Myrtle Street side, driveway egress and sight triangle. A motion was made by Mr. Santasieri, seconded by Ms. Brown to deny the application. Four regular members Mr. Parsons, Ms. Brown, Mr. Santasieri and Chairman McCarthy voted to deny. Two alternate members, Mr. Perez and Ms. Sun voted to deny. Mr. Wangner left the meeting at 10:09pm and was therefore not eligible to vote. Mr. Mohan was recused. C. 34 Monroe Place Block 281, Lot 39 Zone: R-1A Applicant/Owner: Jerel Zarra Application: seeking an interpretation of the Zoning Ordinance to determine what qualifies as a single family dwelling in the R-1A zone. Note: this work was completed without permits. Testimony was provided by Mr. Zarra. Public comments/questions – there were none. Board discussion included activated smoke alarm, fire department, boarding house, NJ Hotel/Motel zoning laws, state inspector, fellowship house, number of people renting each room, prior use, Bloomfield College, one lease for the house, rooming house, number of kitchens, 14 bedrooms, students, sports teams, max# of people, pre and post COVID, security deposit, amenities, facilities, lease term, lease addendum, Venmo, PayPal, methods of payment, tenant insurance, utilities, landlord 1% managerial fee, month to month lease, single housekeeping unit and suggested related legal cases. A motion was made by Mr. Santasieri seconded by Mr. Perez to adjourn the application to 3/5. All members present voted to adjourn.� 8. Adjournment – a motion was made by Mr. Santasieri seconded by Ms. Brown to adjourn the meeting at 11:13pm. Respectfully submitted, Amanda Waters Planning and Zoning Board Secretary�