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By Mary Genson
mgenson@candgnews.com
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — At the Feb. 16 Bloomfield Township Planning Commission meeting, residents spoke up about their opposition to a proposed text amendment to the township zoning ordinance and a site plan to develop an event center.
The township initiated an ordinance amendment that would allow banquet halls as a special land use in the Research Park District after receiving a site plan application by Zack Sklar, of Peas and Carrots Hospitality, for the development of Bloomfield Hollow.
Peas and Carrots Hospitality did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Bloomfield Hollow is proposed to be a 15,815-square-foot event center in the Research Park District on a vacant 23-acre parcel that contains wetlands.
“I do have property in the Research Park. I know the many uses that are there, and I think it would be a good idea to adopt this text amendment to allow the banquet use,” Vice Chairman Richard Atto said.
Chairman Jeffrey Salz asked at the meeting if the use and function of a restaurant could be similar to a banquet hall. This was brought up because a restaurant is among the special land uses already allowed in the Research Park District. Director of Planning, Building and Ordinance Andrea Bibby said that while there could be similarities, there are also differences.
Resident concerns and tabling the discussion
Residents John and Kim Schafer said they live 80 feet from the proposed property.
John Schafer said that the word “alcohol” is not mentioned anywhere under the special land uses for the Research Park District.
“The purpose of the special land uses and the reason that alcohol isn’t in it for Research Park, there’s a reason, to keep things quiet for the neighbors,” John Schafer said at the meeting.
Kim Schafer also shared an opposition to the development, specifically finding concern in the alcohol use and the capacity of the venue.
“I think the size and the scale of it is the troublesome thing to me, being 80 feet from it, and a line of trees isn’t enough,” Kim Schafer said at the meeting.
Kim Schafer also added that as a resident so close to the proposed development, she does not feel she was given ample time to react.
“It just felt like it was going behind our back,” Kim Schafer said at the meeting.
Parents and caregivers shared their concerns of safety.
Resident Julia Northcutt said, “It is my four children that I am raising that I am not going to be able to let play in our backyard anymore with a thousand drunk people running around on our property line.”
Throughout the public comment session, residents accused the commission of having their minds already made up. Salz said that this was not the case.
“I’m going to tell you, who all made up your mind about me and accused me of doing all these bad things, I am not going to support changing the ordinance to put in the word banquet into that ordinance,” Salz said during the meeting.
The board ended up unanimously tabling the items at this time.
The full meeting can be watched on the township’s YouTube at www.youtube.com/live/n2nyBthjJno?si=sinKnOQLrHauWDu1.
