CVS decision postponed another month

BYRAM — Rather than voting on an application to build a CVS at the intersection of Rt. 206 and Lackawanna Dr., the Byram Planning Board at their May 3 meeting directed the board's attorney, Kurt Senesky, to prepare a draft resolution setting forth the details and changes agreed to throughout the application process so board members could make a decision at their June 7 meeting. Testimony was given at the May 3 meeting by Steven Lydon, a professional planner with Burgis Associates, who was hired by individuals who have an interest in the building where the current CVS sits and holds a lease. The application calls for Barones and the Lockwood Tavern to be torn down and the CVS to be constructed behind where the restaurants currently sit. Lydon and an attorney for those opposed the application, Brian D. Schwartz of Craner, Satkin, Scheer and Schwartz, said the proposed plan does not fit within the township’s master plan with its emphasis on development that is friendly to pedestrians. Lydon was then cross-examined by the attorney for the applicants, Michael S. Selvaggi, of Courter, Kobert & Cohen, who said that the CVS is a permitted use on the site and is respectful of the master plan. Selvaggi also reminded the board that the applicant was willing to work with the surrounding property owners throughout the process. Earl Riley, who owns property adjacent to the proposed CVS, said that he is “in support of the final plan as presented,” adding that the applicant “went out of their way to accommodate their neighbors.” Eskil “Skip” Danielson, a resident and former mayor of Byram, spoke in favor of the plan and asked that the board “look favorably upon the application." No one from the public spoke out against the proposed plan at the May 3 planning board meeting. The board's next meeting is scheduled for June 7 when a decision on the application is expected.