North Jersey town eyes ban on apartments above business district shops
WANAQUE — The borough is considering a ban on new apartments above stores in its business districts. The Borough Council introduced the ordinance on Oct. 12 and is scheduled to hold a public hearing and consider its final adoption on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall, 579 Ringwood Ave. The proposal would affect commercial stretches of Ringwood Avenue in Haskell and Midvale, where property owners can now combine businesses and rental housing in the same building. Current regulations allow up to two apartments above a store in the B business district, each with at least 750 square feet of floor space. The ordinance would repeal that provision and prohibit residential uses associated with businesses in the B-1 district. At its Sept. 17 meeting, the Planning Board considered Sokol Sulo's plans to move his construction company's office into the former Haskell Cleaners building at 901 Ringwood Ave. and add two one-bedroom apartments on a new second floor. The plans showed seven parking spaces, compared with the 15 required under borough regulations, according to meeting minutes. The roughly 6,500-square-foot property also fell short of the 10,000 square feet required for the proposed development. Mayor Daniel Mahler, who serves on the
