Cynthia Williamson

By: centraljersey.com
After close to four hours of deliberating "outstanding issues" associated with Nomad Pizza at its September meeting, the Hopewell Borough Planning Board still needs more time.
It will continue the discussion when it reconvenes Oct. 6.
On the table is a litany of issues the board contends were either added to the plan, after it was approved in 2008, or were on the plan, but are ones with which the owners of the popular 10 E. Broad St. eatery have yet to comply.
From lighting to parking to an outside freezer situated behind a fence, which is several feet longer and a couple inches shorter than what was originally approved, the board is using the opportunity to review every aspect of the application with a fine-tooth comb.
"I appreciate that this has been a very difficult application, but still there has to be a sense of fairness on how far we have pursued this thing," said board member Jackie Perri, during a discussion about the number of seats the eatery should be allowed to have.
And, while the board has leverage to demand the establishment comply with borough ordinances, there is one aspect all its laws and rules and regulations may never be able to fix – a handful of residents feel Nomad Pizza should have never been approved.
Two of its most vocal detractors, Andrea and Scott Glenn, have become regular fixtures at Borough Council and Planning Board meetings. The couple resides on Blackwell Avenue across from the eatery. Together with others on their street, they say Nomad with its wood-burning oven has wrecked havoc on their lives.
One bone of contention has been smoke that billows from the oven’s chimney. This was not on the site plan approved by the board.
"I think it would have raised questions," board member Mark Samse responded. When Ms. Glenn demanded to know if the board would have approved the chimney, Mr. Samse added that a concern of his is whether "enough has been done" to determine if the smoke is a health hazard.
"I think the Borough Council has to step up to the plate. I don’t think they have done anything to address this health issue," Mr. Samse said, which drew the ire of David Mackie, the council’s liaison to the Planning Board.
"The Board of Health has looked at this and beyond that, the county and the state," Mr. Mackie responded. "Mark, that’s their job. What are you asking us to do?"
Nomad co-owner Tom Grim said representatives from government agencies have made five visits to the site and conducted tests to help them determine if smoke from its wood-burning oven is within environmental standards. To date, no citations have been issued, he said.
Still, Blackwell resident Debra Rockey said she is certain smoke is the reason why both her daughters have been treated for asthma.
Michele Naphen said she was forced to move to another part of town away from the smoke because it was affecting her health.
Mr. Grim has said that the last thing they want to do is "make anyone’s life miserable but these people have complained about every aspect of our business from the beginning."
The smoke issue could be a moot point. Steve Cohen, an architect representing Nomad, said they have done research and plan to install a smoke arrestor on its smokestack, a mechanism that would capture 95 percent of particles released into the atmosphere.
Also at issue was a garden and trellis built on property adjoining Nomad at 2 E. Broad St. The property is owned by Robert Prewitt, who gave permission to Mr. Grim and his partner, Stalin Bedon, to use the space to grow such things as herbs for the pizza-making business.
Mr. Prewitt never sought the necessary board approval for the structures because he was told by a borough official that a permit was not required. Notwithstanding the approval, some townspeople felt the garden and trellis were not an appropriate use of the space and should be dismantled. Others felt they only enhanced the area.
In July, the board voted to approve the garden and trellis, putting to rest – at least, on paper – one of numerous controversies surrounding the Nomad establishment.
One aspect about Nomad that has been indisputable is the fact people will drive far and wide for its pizza. Nomad’s success translates to more visitors to the borough. These visitors may use other services while there or make Hopewell a destination rather than a thoroughfare to travel through on the way to someplace else.
That’s welcome news in a time when many businesses are struggling to survive and towns are conceiving creative ways to attract visitors to its community.
"This is a business and we’re just trying to make this economically feasible," Mr. Cohen said. "I think we’ve really added to the life of the borough."
In other business, the board unanimously granted a use variance to Chris Fossel of 11 S. Lanning Ave. Mr. Fossel sought approval to convert an attic in his house to a bedroom as well as renovate a portion of a free-standing garage on the property for use as a media room and home office.
The variance was necessary because the proposed renovations would have exceeded the floor area ratio allowed under the borough’s zoning ordinance.
As a condition of approval, Mr. Fossel must obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Advisory Committee to replace two attic windows on the front and rear of the house.