| Avon
Planning Board is formed under New Jersey
Statute 40-55D. This statute is usually
referred to as the Municipal Land Use Law
of New Jersey (MLUL). This law allows Municipalities
to establish boards in each community to
make rules and decisions in regard to local
land use. This state law (MLUL) provides
for two boards known as the: |
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1.
Municipal Planning Board
2. Zoning Board of Adjustment |
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| In
many small municipalities in New Jersey,
such as Avon, the MLUL permits towns to
combine the two boards into one board. This
is what we have in Avon. One board called
the Avon Planning Board that acts as both
the Planning Board and the Zoning Board
of Adjustment. |
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| When
they act as a Planning Board, you can summarize
the activities as a board of “permitted
activities.” As a Planning Board,
their essential duties are to deal with
policy (the Master Plan), and the implementation
of that policy through site plans and subdivision
activities. |
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| When
acting as a Zoning Board, on the other hand,
they become known as the board of uses not
allowed. This is when they deal with the
issuance of variances that are related to
the town’s zoning ordinance, the Avon
Land Development Ordinance. |
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| Thus,
the Avon Planning Board on one hand is a
policy maker, and on the other hand it must
assume the role of and act as an adjudicator. |
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| The
Avon Planning Board is comprised of eleven
members, nine regular members and two alternate
members. The terms of the members vary from
two years to four years. The board meets
at 7 PM on the second Thursday of each month
when it has applications that require a
hearing. |
|
| The
majority of the work of the Avon Planning
Board is the hearing of appeals for variances.
This occurs when an individual requests
a Building Permit from the Construction
Code Official, and the application is rejected
because the applicant has requested to do
something not allowed by the Avon Land Development
Ordinance. In this case, the applicant has
the right to appeal this decision to the
Avon Planning Board and request a Variance,
which is a petition to do something not
allowed by the Land Development Ordinance. |
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| After
completing the application procedure, the
applicant is given a date for a hearing
before the Planning Board. At this hearing
the applicant will present the case to the
board. The board will then make a decision
to allow, or not to allow the variance. |
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| All
Planning Board meetings are open to the
public and every hearing has a time for
the public to speak. If any members of the
public are interested in a particular application
that is being heard they may attend the
meeting and ask questions, or make their
feelings known to the board. This is the
time that board members are made aware of
the concerns, feelings, support for, or
opposition to an application by the members
of the public, other property owners, and/or
neighbors of the applicant. |
| Avon
Planning Board Members |
|
Cliff Brautigan, Planning Board Secretary
Michael Davey, Regular Member
Teresa Egan, Regular, Vice Chairman
Vincent Ernst, Regular
Marie Kenny, Alt 2
Richard Maloney, Regular, Chairman
Robert Mahon, Mayor
Robert McGovern, Commissioner
Sandra McLaughlin, Alt 3
John O’Malley, Regular
Marilyn Placitella, Regular
Jack Ryan, Regular
Calvin Talmage, Alt 1
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