Biagio's Restaurant is at the mercy of the Paramus Zoning Board of Adjustment in regards to when and if it can continue on with its plans to construct a banquet hall facility.
The restaurant returned to the Board Thursday night with adjusted plans for its two-story banquet hall - The Terrace - which has already been partially constructed. A new set of approvals are needed due to a number of problems found during construction that has forced alterations of the plans increasing the height of the structure.
The plans were given the okay by the Board in 2011 and then in September 2012 the borough issued a stop work order when it was learned the project had been altered. The owners requested permission last December from the governing body to continue construction at their own risk provided they returned to the Board with amended plans.
Tsampicos Perides, architect and son of the restaurant’s owner, admitted that errors were made during the designing stages as the height was underestimated.
They also found during construction process that the state Department of Environmental Protection would not allow the mechanical structure for the elevator, which is designed to go all the way to the garden rooftop, to be housed on the ground floor as it is a flood zone.
As a result it had to be moved to the rooftop creating an almost 7 foot height increase bringing the highest peak elevation of the structure up to 44 feet, he explained.
Perides says the only way to fix the problems was to raise the building's height.
However some Board members disagreed. Patrick O'Brien said he had been uncomfortable with granting the rooftop garden when they first heard the plans in 2011 and is even more so now that they request further relief.
"I am appalled that you haven't tried harder to do something about your errors," said O'Brien.
The Board had originally granted the restaurant a variance to exceed the height from 20 feet to 36.3 and now it needs approval to go up to 38.5 feet above the lobby office area and to 44 feet to the top of the elevator on the rooftop. Board Chairman Stephen Sullivan pointed out the request is now for more than double the height requirement allowed.
The restaurant also needs the okay for a change to the front yard as Perides redesigned the entrance way bringing it further out by 4 feet. He claimed that during the construction process he found that there was not sufficient enough room between the doors and the stairwell.
Board members challenged his decision once again suggesting that other alternatives could have been used such as electronic sliding doors.
Stephen Sinisi, the restaurant's attorney, said they had hoped to complete the hearing on the plans Thursday night however the Board suggested they intend to spend time listening to testimony from the project's planner and at least another hour to an hour-and-a-half of talks are still needed and moved to continue the hearing in September.
Sinisi requested if a special hearing could be booked as provided the restaurant can get relief from the Board it is under time constraints as there are events booked however Sullivan said the Board is currently double and triple booked.
The hearing is scheduled to continue Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Caucus Room at Borough Hall.
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