Yavneh School Gets Ok to Expand, Agrees to Meet Neighbors Needs

The Paramus Zoning Board gave the okay to Yavneh Academy for its expansion plans but not without putting in a number of conditions the school must meet in order to better maintain its property and therefore its neighbors quality of life. 

Three-plus hours of testimony went on Thursday night between the Board, the school's engineer and planner and a handful of concerned neighbors regarding how the proposed plans could best meet the needs of the Farview Avenue school facility and surrounding neighborhood. 

The school proposed to add five classrooms to a ground floor area underneath an existing wing to meet instructional needs, expand its lobby area and increase parking. 

The addition to the school building was not the concern of the neighbors. They said it was the problems associated with the facility and its lack of maintenance that brought them to the Board room Thursday. 

Andrew Missey the project's engineer spoke extensively of the proposed storm water management maintenance plan which the school would adhere to in order to prevent any future flooding problems for the neighboring property owners.

Due to lack of drainage maintenance in the past which led to problems, some neighbors remained skeptical. 

"It sounds nice on paper but how do we know if it will be kept up?" questioned  James Smith, a Longview Court resident, who's home borders the school property.

To further ensure that it will, the Board ruled that the  school must submit annual reports to the Borough regarding the upkeep of the drainage system. 

The buffer zone between the school property and the residential homes was another big issue. 

Working to prove their point about the lack of maintenance on the neighboring property, Jim Smith and his wife Catherine brought out a 5 foot dead tree branch and placed it on the table right in front of the Board members and school's attorney and engineer. 

The Smiths said they had pulled the branch from the area that borders their property which they claim was all that was left of the buffer zone. Smith claimed the greenery died when the school maintenance people stopped watering the area once they learned water was coming into their property. 

In relation to the buffer area on the border of the residential properties was the question of what to do regarding the single-family home on the Yavneh property which is leased annually to a maintenance worker. 

Yavneh proposed to keep the house on the property however because Board members expressed the need for yet additional parking spaces, Stanley Turitz, the school's attorney said Yavneh would agree to bank the area for future parking. 

Board members went back and forth regarding whether or not to see away with the building immediately and bank other areas on the site for future parking or stick with the original proposal.

In the end the Board decided keeping the building intact however the Board can come in at anytime and tell Yavneh to use the space for more parking if its needed. The school would have about one year to comply. 

As an effort to shield neighbors from the school property a white PVC fence will be put on the property line all along the side of the property which borders residential homes. 

The school also agreed to meet the Board's condition that deliveries and garbage collection can not be done before 7 a.m. Neighbors complained that the garbage collection is done at the school at 4 a.m. despite previous rulings that it should not be done prior to 7 a.m. 

In addition the school agreed to an enrollment cap that had been put in place back in 1991 that no more than 750 students will be allowed in the pre-K to 8 school. 

The expansion of the classrooms was said to be soley for instructional purposes to meet the needs of its special education students who need to be put into smaller classrooms throughout the day for their study.

School Principal Jonathan Knapp had testified during the May hearing the school currently has 720 students. 

The additional parking which brings the total number of spaces to 157 is said to be more than sufficient eliminating the need for staff members to park on the neighboring side streets. Designated parking area for staff members will be made on site. 

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