Tilis tapped as chair of Planning Board

Two members of the Jackson Planning Board have swapped seats. Following his election to the Jackson Township Council on Nov. 3 and his swearing in as a member of the governing body, Kenneth Bressi relinquished his chairmanship of the Planning Board.

Bressi was, however, named the council's representative to the Planning Board, replacing the previous council representative, Howard Tilis.

Tilis lost his Township Council seat to Bressi in the Nov. 3 election.

However, Mayor Mike Reina asked Tilis to remain on the Planning Board (essentially taking the seat Bressi vacated upon being elected to the council), the offer was accepted and last week Tilis was elected chairman of the Planning Board in a 9-0 vote.

The board hears applications for residential and commercial development in Jackson.

In comments at last week's Planning Board meeting, Bressi thanked the board members for their excellent service while he was chairman.

"It has been a privilege and an honor" to serve as chairman, he told his fellow board members. "This is the most professional board in town when it comes to planning [for the future]; the concerns and the hours you have put in from small applications to large. Every application has been looked at by every board member and the merit of every application has determined your decision."

The Planning Board terms now held by Bressi and Tilis will run through June 30, 2010.

For Tilis, the first item of business as the board's new chairman was a request for an administrative approval by County Line Shoppes requesting that the plan be amended to allow for an access connection between the parking area of County Line Shoppes and a nearby Walgreens drugstore.

The administrative proposal would draw traffic across the Walgreens parking area and out onto Harmony Road and vice versa.

Harmony Road is a one-lane road in each direction at that point.

During testimony it was determined the move would also create a change in the application for Walgreens, making it necessary for Walgreens to return to the board. The request was then withdrawn by the applicant, Steven Nusbaum.

An application known as Michael Rottenberg on Clearstream Road was moved, at the applicant's request, to the board's Jan, 4 meeting.

The next application, Valerie Estates, a four-lot subdivision on Vath Street, was moved to March 15. Prior to the meeting, William Stevens, the engineer for the applicant, said the plan will be redesigned.

A third application, Metro PCS New York, was heard and approved by the board, 9-0. The application called for six additional antennas to be placed on an existing cellular communications monopole at 1037 West Commodore Boulevard.

Attorney Michael Beck, representing the applicant, said the area of the compound that houses the pole is 100 square feet and said equipment would be placed on the pad.

During testimony it was noted that a small cabinet would contain the necessary equipment and that there would be a small utility light next to the equipment. The cabinet has an alarm system.

There is no freestanding sign, no outdoor storage, no emergency generators and no landscaping associated with the application.

A letter from Jackson's police chief was entered into testimony. The letter indicated that the installation of the six additional antennas on the monopole would not have any effect on the township's communications system.

Board members voted to approve the Metro PCS New York application.