Millburn board approves multiple residential variance requests, hears large Essex Street redevelopment

The Millburn board on June 8 approved a series of residential variances and heard an initial presentation on a larger downtown redevelopment before deferring that project for more information.

In business that moved quickly, the board approved memorializations for multiple calendar items and granted variances for a front-yard fence at 33 Winter Terrace and modest home additions on Greenwood Drive and at 73 Whitney Road, where the board debated a floor-area (F) variance before voting to approve the applicant’s 297-square-foot second-floor addition. Applicants described the Greenwood and Whitney projects as modest, non‑footprint additions to improve bathroom function and make existing rooms livable for growing families; supporters from nearby properties said similar changes are common in the neighborhood.

During public testimony, the Winter Terrace applicant stressed safety near a pond and proposed a nearly invisible 4-foot aluminum fence screened by new plantings; the board cited existing shrubbery, right-of-way constraints and neighborhood precedents in agreeing that the fence and plantings would limit visual impact.

The meeting closed its heavy agenda with an initial presentation of a revised proposal for 44 Essex Street: attorney Ger Taylor and architect Conrad Ronati described a three‑story mixed-use project that would leave the ground-floor restaurant in place, add two residential floors above with four total units, and provide an eight-space garage beneath. The architect said rooftop mechanicals would be concealed behind a parapet and the design uses a mix of white aluminum cladding and wood‑grain panels. Board members and staff requested updated police and fire reports and additional engineering detail on parking, circulation and loading before the board can rule.

The Essex Street application was carried to the board’s Sept. 14, 2026 meeting at the public library; applicants were told to submit revised plans and agency letters at least 10 days before that date. Other approved items at the June 8 meeting included routine memorializations and several residential variances that the board found compatible with neighborhood character.