BY LINDA SMITH HANCHARICK
WEST MILFORD — The township council plans to introduce an ordinance Wednesday night which will rescind an existing law that limits liquor licenses to be more than 2,500 feet from another one.
The action is coming after a request in May by the new owner of property in the Cottage Cove area on Greenwood Lake. Elena Dykstra bought what used to the The Lakeview, a bar on Greenwood Lake Turnpike, and the adjacent lot that borders the lake. She wants to open a restaurant that serves alcohol so that boaters on the lake have access from the lake. The lakefront property has a dock with nine slips for boats. The liquor license is owned by Angelo Juliano, who would run the business, according to Dykstra. Juliano came to the council last week and asked the council to make a decision. The location is within 2,500 feet of three other liquor licenses, which violates the ordinance.
And while some members of the council expressed interest in rescinding the ordinance, the residents of Cottage Cove, a private road with seven properties, are adamant they do not want the business to be accessed from the lake.
Pamela Sorenson said there are many reasons why this is a bad idea, the most important of which is the safety of those who live there. She said if the restaurant was only accessible by car on Greenwood Lake Turnpike and did not serve alcohol, she wouldn’t have a problem with it. Having the boats drive through the swim area and people walk up the property alongside neighbors’ houses at all hours is another issue. A dock this size, she believes, is not allowed because it is attached to a residential property. Plus there is the issue of the septic, which others have claimed hasn’t functioned property and is too close to the lake.
Sorenson is the latest in her family to fight this. Her grandmother fought against it for many years. And, she warns, changing the ordinance affects the entire township so if there is a commercial property near a residential property anywhere in the town, this could also happen to other residents. Allowing licenses to be so close to another could potentially put a small local establishment out of business. “We just don't want to go down the same path (from when the bar was open). We’re just trying to protect what is valuable to us - our families.”
In May, township attorney Fred Semrau said he has gotten calls throughout the years from residents concerned with people coming to the area and using the dock, even when the business was closed.
The property is actually three parcels: a parking lot across from the business on Greenwood Lake Turnpike, the business itself, which is located at 1934 Greenwood Lake Turnpike, and the residential lot, which borders the lake and is part of the Cottage Cove neighborhood.
Councilwoman Michele Dale said last week that Dykstra seems like a responsible business owner. Councilwoman CarlLa Horton said she didn’t see the point of the ordinance and was open to rescinding it. The number of liquor licenses is set by the state so this will not increase that number.
Still, the residents plan to continue fighting the ordinance change. And Sorenson, who is a business owner in Sparta, said she understands the importance of bringing businesses to the township. She is in favor of that. But having this business open with a “monster dock” in a residential area is not the answer, she insisted.
The council plans to introduce the ordinance at Wednesday night’s meeting, which is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Public portion doesn’t begin until at least 7:30 p.m. A public hearing will be set for October if the council wants to change it.
What do you think about the council possibly changing this ordinance? Go to westmilfordmessenger.com and let our readers know.