Parking, Size Issues Raised Over Cafe Emilia's Proposed Expansion In Bridgewater

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Residents raised concerns on Tuesday night over Cafe Emilia's plans to expand its restaurant on Route 202 and build a banquet hall.

"For 75 years, I have lived on Charlotte Drive. I have seen a lot of improvements through the years, and this is one improvement I feel should not be approved," said resident Thom Horvath at the Tuesday night Township Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting.

The restaurant, established in 1999 at 705 Route 202, is proposing to demolish a church on a neighboring property and combine the lots. Then add a 100-seat banquet hall, a 30-seat bar, and a courtyard area, creating a two-story 16,773 square foot building.

One of the main concerns with the application raised by residents was parking overflow. Horvath asked where valet overflow parking would go.

The applicant's engineer, Robert Moschello, said there were plans to use an adjacent lot located east of the property for overflow. The Board warned Moschello that this plan would need another variance to include the other property.

Daniel Gerlach said the "top issue was about parking" due to only 51 parking spaces being proposed for the 70 seats proposed inside the restaurant and 60 on the patio.

Currently, Cafe Emilia has 32 parking spaces. However, five of those spaces are unusable due to an outdoor dining area, leaving 27 spaces.

Other concerns raised included a variance for the maximum improved lot coverage, where 25 percent is allowed, and 79.4 percent is being proposed.

"In light of the improved lot coverage, I just want to note to the Board that not a single zone in the township permits over 70 percent coverage," said Bridgewater Township Planner Katherine Sarmad.

Sarmad noted there are only two zones in the Township that permit 70 percent coverage. One is the strip mall off Prince Rodgers Road, and the other is on North Bridge Street.

"But every other zone in the township permits only up to 60 percent, so just a comparison point," said Sarmad.

"I do think that when you are looking at an improved lot coverage variance of this magnitude, especially in comparison to existing bulk standards throughout the Township, it can call into question the other trickle-down issues. The landscaping, the rear yard setback for the trash enclosure, the circulation of the site. All of those things compound when you are looking at that," said Sarmad.

The applicant is seeking 10 variances and six design waivers for the project.

The applicant requires a D(1) variance because the proposed development will expand the restaurant onto the existing church parcel, which is not a permitted use in the R-20 zone (a single-family residential zone).

Additionally, the applicant requires a D(4) variance for the floor area ratio variance because a ratio of 0.16 is permitted, whereas 0.27 is proposed.

The applicant is also seeking several other variances for:

• Minimum frontyard setback - 50 feet required / 24.6 feet proposed along Charlotte Drive East (this is a pre-existing nonconforming condition)
• Minimum rear yard setback - 20 feet for accessory structure / 9.7 feet for proposed trash enclosure
• Maximum number of stories - 2.5 allowed / 3 proposed (However, the building height does comply with the 35-foot maximum)
• Minimum front yard setback from Route 202 - 200 feet / 33.2 feet proposed for building addition
• Minimum parking setback from Route 202 - 100 feet required / 4.4 feet proposed
• Minimum parking setback from any property line - 10 feet required / 3 feet proposed
• Maximum improved coverage - 25 percent permitted / 79.4 percent proposed

There are also six design waivers including:

• Minimum parking stall size - 9.5 x 18 feet required / 9 x 18 proposed
• Minimum loading spaces - 2 required / 1 proposed
• Minimum loading space size - 12 x 50 feet required / 7.7 x 18 feet proposed
• Front yard landscaping along Route 202 - 8 shrubs required per 30 feet of frontage for a total of 69 required / 28 proposed
• Minimum foundation landscaping - 10 shrubs per 20 linear feet of foundation is required, totaling 167 / 76 proposed
• Minimum sign distance from any street - 20 feet required / 13 feet proposed

One Charlotte Drive resident raised concerns over the number of variances and waivers needed for the project.

"Having so many variances for FAR, impervious coverage, buffering, parking, even the parking size of the actual parking stalls themselves - does that signal a site that's actually suitable for this proposed type of monstrous development?" said the resident.

Moschello claimed that because the site is currently zoned for residential, it tends to have lower levels of allowing lot coverage and FAR as opposed to commercial zones.

"So, having those lesser zones, the intent is to preserve the low-density, quiet residential character of the neighborhood. So this would augment that or distract from that?" asked the resident.

"Again, we are talking about a use that’s been on the property for over 50 years," said Moschello, referring to the preexisting nonconforming restaurant.

"And you are compounding it by adding FAR to it," said the resident.

The meeting was stopped at 10 p.m. and will be carried into the New Year.

The Zoning Board will hold its reorganization meeting on Jan. 13, 2026 at 7 p.m. where a new hearing date for 2026 will be assigned for the Cafe Emilia application.

Previous Reporting:

• Plans To Expand Bridgewater's Cafe Emilia Presented To Zoning Board
• 100-Seat Banquet Hall, Bar Addition Proposed At Bridgewater Restaurant On Route 202

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