Teaneck Residents Oppose Restaurant Expansion

NEW MILFORD - A plan to expand  is facing opposition from Teaneck residents, who claim the project would increase flooding and traffic in the area.

The restaurant appeared before New Milford's Zoning Board of Adjustment last week in continuance of a hearing seeking preliminary and final site plan approval to construct a parking lot where two residential dwellings are currently located and expand the restaurant by approximately 600 square feet. Sanzari's is seeking variances that would allow the restaurant to add 66 parking spaces by . 

Teaneck resident Dominick Mazzella who resides on Old New Bridge Road sent a letter to the zoning board objecting to Sanzari's expansion plan. However, because he was not present at the meeting, zoning board attorney Scott Sproviero said that the letter could not be read into the record. 

Sproviero said that Mazzella would need to be present at the meeting so that he could be questioned by the applicant's attorney. 

Teaneck is opposing a plan to create more parking at , arguing that the expansion would increase flooding and traffic in the township. The restaurant is located near Riverview Avenue in Teaneck, an area residents say often floods in heavy rains. 

In a letter dated June 6, Teaneck Township Manager, William Broughton asked the New Milford Zoning Board to deny the variances, because an expansion would cause flooding and aggravate parking on Teaneck's streets. 

Calls to Broughton seeking comment have not been returned.

Teaneck residents were in the audience eager to speak out against the granting of the variances, but because of the number of items on the agenda, the time allotted to hearing Sanzari's application had expired.  

Santo Alampi, attorney for Sanzari's, called Robert Costa, principal and owner of Costa Engineering in Hackensack, to testify. Much of the allotted time was spent discussing paving materials to be used in constructing the new parking lot, and ingress and egress to the restaurant. Costa distributed to the board samples of the pavers that will be used in constructing the new parking explaining that they are more impervious than blacktop. 

The hearing on this application will continue at the August 14 meeting of the Zoning Board. 

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