Beloved Restaurant Upgrade, Renovation Plan Approved In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — It's official: The River Grille is getting an upgrade.

The Chatham Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously approved a new bar and restaurant adjacent to the existing River Grille, which will be demolished and converted into a parking lot, at a special meeting this week.

After almost six hours of professional testimony, public comment and Zoning Board discussion over the span of two meetings, the Zoning Board voted 6-0 to grant the required variances for the project.

Parking was one of the more significant unmet needs that drove the need for variance relief. While current Borough ordinances call for 99 parking spaces, only 39 can be provided on-site at River Grille.

Testimony during the meeting cited the ongoing transformation of the River Road neighborhood into a walkable residential district, as well as patrons' increasing use of ride-sharing services, as justification for granting the requested relief.

"As you start to create, what I would call walkable areas or smart planning areas, the need for meeting the old parking requirements… it goes out the window. There is a way different way of getting to these types of uses," Kendra Lelie, Chatham Boroughs professional planner said.

The updated restaurant, designed by J.A. Mihalik Architect LLC, will have three stories of bars, dining space and private party rooms, with seating for up to 190 diners, greatly expanding the capacity of the current structure, which can accommodate approximately 80 customers.

According to the project presentation, the plan includes outdoor dining on the main level on River Road and doors opening onto terraces on the second and third levels.

Other concerns raised at the special meeting by residents of Schindler Court, which is located across the NJ Transit railroad tracks behind the restaurant, were a potential increase in noise from the restaurant.

"People came from the last meeting really uncertain about where music was going to be played. Some people thought it was only going to be on the first floor, but I watched the Zoom meeting and I thought it was going to be all three floors," resident Barbara Stanley said.

Stanley also expressed concern over the possibility of music being played in a potential outdoor section of the restaurant.

In response, Justin Mihalik, the project's architect, assured residents that live music would be located indoors and projected toward River Road when doors are open, and that any music projected outdoors would end at 10 p.m. or doors would be closed in accordance with the noise ordinance.

"I am generally supportive of the application… I love the design. I like the fact that it is not your traditional brick Chatham kind of thing and that it has a more modern take on that. I think it is really sharp looking so I am supportive of it," zoning board member Peter Hoffman said.