By clare MARie celano
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD — Three single-family homes will take the place of an existing five-family home on Avenue A.
Attorney Todd Cohen of Freehold presented an application on behalf of Indian Spirit Development, LLC, Toms River, at a Planning Board meeting on May 14.
The proposed plan intends to take down the existing structure at 42 Avenue A, which has "reached the end of the line," according to Cohen, and build three new homes which would be more visually pleasing to the eye.
The applicant requested a variance in order to resubdivide two existing lots along Avenue A into three proposed lots.
The application stated that the existing five-family home will be razed and that three single-family homes on three lots are to be constructed.
For lot one, the minimum lot width is 50 feet. The proposed lot width is 45 feet. For lot two, the required width in the R-5 Zone is 50 feet for an interior lot. The plan indicates a proposed width of 45.14 feet.
One lot will be 9,500 square feet, one will be greater than 9,600 square feet and one will be 11,500 square feet. All three lots exceed the required zoning, which is 6,000 square feet.
Project engineer Charles Surmonte told board members the current house exists on a lot which has a frontage of 145 feet and a depth of 215 feet, making the property 30,652 square feet in total. The variance was being sought in order to accommodate the steep slope on the west side of the property, according to the engineer.
When asked what the impact of the proposed homes would be on the neighborhood, Cohen said the new homes would be visually pleasing and would be more in keeping with the neighborhood than the five-family home. He said he believed the benefits of the proposed subdivision outweighed the applicant’s requests for the variances.
Board Attorney Patrick Accisano was instructed to prepare a resolution that approves the preliminary/major subdivision with a variance for the three lots, conditional upon the installation of sidewalks and a property easement to assure enough room, at least 8 feet away, from utilities and sidewalks. Additionally, board members asked the applicant to keep as many trees as possible on the property or plant new ones if any trees have to be removed.