Paramus Road Day Care Center Proposal Questioned

The application for a Learning Experience day care center continued to appear in front of the Paramus Board of Adjustments Thursday evening.

The applicant, I&L Enterprises, is asking for 14 variances to be made to Borough regulations in order to move forward.

The regulations and variances in question are as follows: 

• Day care-nursery school not permitted
• Parking in front yard not permitted
• Private drive to business not permitted
• Required distance from lot line for curb cut 2 feet – 0 permitted
• Maximum impervious permitted 50% - 69.2% proposed. Minimum rear yard required 30 feet – 25 proposed
• 9 x 19 parking stalls required – 9 x 18 proposed
• 53 parking spaces required – 31 proposed
• 1 loading space required – 0 proposed
• Minimum planted area required 20% - 0% proposed
• Planted area plus bugger required 30% - 22% proposed, Minimum distance to residential zone 100 feet – 25 feet proposed
• Minimum planted buffer area width 35 feet – 11.1, 10 feet proposed
• Monument and wall signs not permitted in residential zone – 35 SF wall sign proposed and 45 SF monument sign proposed
• 4 colors permitted for sign – 8 colors proposed

Olivo was asked if he thought that increase would inconvenience the public. 

“No, I do not,” answered Olivo.

Ngia Wong, a Paramus resident, presented Olivo with the following question:

“People that live in that area, we always find [traffic] unbearable already. So you think that four percent on top of unbearable is OK?” 

“Quite frankly, frustration, and whether or not you can bear it or I can bear it, has no bearing on the results of this study. Within this network, there is congestion and saturation right now without this project built. For the purposes of a study like this, there is really no room for emotion,” answered Olivo.  

The next scheduled meeting is set for Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.

What are your thoughts on traffic in the area? Do you feel that it is acceptable to add a business that will represent four percent of the traffic at a given intersection during peak traffic hours?

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.