Council withdraws ordinance change for liquor licenses

WEST MILFORD — There will be no change to the ordinance that sets a distance of 2,500 feet between liquor licenses in the township. At least for now.

On Wednesday night, the township council withdrew the proposal to change the existing ordinance which would have allowed an establishment serving alcohol to be within 2,500 feet of another. While the entire council agreed to withdraw the proposed change, members asked that the administration look into zoning and legal decisions that have come throughout the years to give them a better understanding of one particular property whose owner brought the issue before the council.

Elena Dykstra, the new owner of the property, which is located on Greenwood Lake Turnpike and Cottage Cove, came before the council in May asking to allow her to open a restaurant that serves alcohol. In order to do that, the council would have to change the local law since three other businesses that serve alcohol are within the 2,500 feet limit as stated by the law. Dykstra doesn’t own a liquor license but Angelo Juliano of Wayne does. She wants him to run the business.

Residents of nearby Cottage Cove, a small neighborhood that sits on Greenwood Lake, object to any change. Residents there say they had endured awful conditions when the former bar at the site was in business, including rowdy and rude patrons and a smelly septic that sometimes dumped raw sewage into the lake. Business owners with liquor licenses in the area and beyond aren’t in favor of the change either.

Residents and business owners speak out

Several residents and nearby business owners told the council members pretty much the same things they said in May when they first came out to fight this.

Ted Hajek, a resident since 1954 and the father of a restaurant owner in town but not near the site, said the township's forefathers had foresight when they created this law. He said several other bars were once in the area of former Lakeview and all went under.

“Our town fathers, way back then, saw a problem with having establishments so close,” he said.

The property in question, he said, has had a history of people having to cross a busy Greenwood Lake Turnpike to get to the parking lot. Allowing a commercial dock in a residential area so boaters can get to the restaurant and bar after walking through a neighborhood and across a private road would not be what the forefathers intended either, he added.

“If you want to push tourism on the lake, push Latitude 41,” he said, which is owned by his son and his wife. “Think of the people living on (Cottage) Cove Road. They've lived through the nightmare for many years.”

Residents also spoke including Pamela Sorenson, a longtime resident whose family has been here for generations. She said the business model for this location is to pull people from the lake, bringing them into the swim area of the residents and putting their children in danger. Patrons would walk through their lots and onto their private road to walk to and from the restaurant. She said she “strongly opposes” any change to the ordinance.

'Debate nobody can win'
While the residents say that the lakefront property is residential and doesn't allow a commercial dock, Battaglia said there have been court cases and zoning board rulings that allowed the business to be there. “It’s a debate nobody can win,” she said.

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 she needs clearer information to make a decision so the administration and the attorney will look into them.

‘Getting way off track’
Councilwoman Ada Erik said the council is getting off track. She said the issue at hand is whether to change the ordinance. She said zoning is a separate issue. For the record, she is not in favor of changing the ordinance no matter what neighborhood is affected. And the location shouldn’t be grandfathered since no business has been done here for over seven years, she said.

Councilwoman CarlLa Horton said she is conflicted. She is in favor of changing the ordinance, but she doesn’t want to allow a bar in this location. She said she visited Cottage Cove and said Cottage Cove is different.

“I did my own little field trip to Cottage Cove,” said Horton. Saying the property near the dock can be used commercially is totally ridiculous, she added.

What's next
The issue isn’t necessarily over. The council withdrew the ordinance change and will get more information. It can be brought up again.

What do you think should happen? Go to westmilfordmessenger.com and be part of the conversation.