Zoning Board Meeting: August 20, 2025
The Lambertville Zoning Board met at the Phillip L. Pittore Justice Center at 7:30pm on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
Please note: This is not official documentation, but efforts to maintain accuracy are taken. See the Lambertville municipal website for official records.
Present at the meeting were Jane, Pat, Monique, Philomena, and Kevin.
The previous meeting’s minutes were not ready, so they were not approved.
21 Ferry Street
Nobody showed up to represent the application, so the board moved on.
31 Swan Street
Eric Decibus, from Unlimited Renovations, was sworn in. He was there to speak for the property owner, Joseph Tesauro, who was away on vacation. Unlimited Renovations is working on the house. The layout is staying the same, but everything is being upgraded. Tesauro was told he might have to fill in his basement, and that he would have to raise his house. He was seeking a variance from the flood damage prevention code so that he would not have to raise his home to the level of the flood plain.
Eric argued that since the utilities are now in the attic, filling in the basement would remove storage space from the home. He said the only things that would be kept in the basement might be mops and a vacuum—items that would not be missed if the basement flooded. He presented photos showing the location of the utilities. The AC unit is on the second floor, about 12’ off the ground.
According to an ordinance that came to be just before hurricane Ida happened, the house should be raised, because the renovation is above the 50% threshold. There was a discussion, and the board voted to allow the baseline to remain since the house is 36 inches off the ground and it is attached to the neighbors on both sides. The board talked about if it was even possible to raise a historic, semi-detached brick structure. It was said that it is possible, but not advisable, because of the dangers to the integrity of the home, and neighboring homes.
The board discussed recommending to City Council that there be clarification in the ordinance to say that standalone homes should be raised, but that attached homes should be exempt.
A motion was made, and it was approved.
1 Feeder Street
Skylar Bird, the owner, was sworn in. He lives in a residence above and rents out the two commercial units below. He currently has a tenant who has been doing business there for 5 or 6 years, and he wanted to rent the second space to someone who does hair coloring. The building is on the edge of the R2 zone, so the zoning officer sent him to appear before the board to get approval.
Skylar relies on the commercial rental income. He said that if he has to go to the city every time a tenant turns over, it becomes prohibitive. He was requesting to continue the preexisting non-conforming use in the R2 zone since these rentals have been going on for 9 years, and for decades prior to his ownership.
There was discussion about the impact of the businesses, where customers parked, and how many cars. The businesses are personal services that see one client at a time. Since the available unit was vacant for less than 12 months, it was considered a continuation of that use.
Monique took a moment to explain that she feels the purpose of the board is to be reasonable, transparent, and to provide clarity.
The lawyer said sometimes things in zoning can be a little gray, so clarity helps.
Monique said that clarity is helpful to everyone.
The lawyer said this zoning interpretation will set a precedent for the city, and that Skylar wouldn’t have to come back every time he finds a new tenant.
The board decided that the personal service commercial use was consistent.
21 Ferry Street
The board asked if anyone had arrived to support the application for 21 Ferry Street, but nobody was there to represent the applicant.
They moved to pay the bills, and then adjourned.
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