The machinations of government often move strangely.
Take the case of a strip mall on Ridgedale Avenue in Hanover, which was just expanded. It now houses a deli and a liquor store and plans are to add such things as a convenience store, hair and nail salon and a Chinese restaurant. The planning board has approved the expansion, so all is well, right?
Wrong.
It turns out that town officials forgot that the deli has 88 seats, which affects parking requirements. So while the board approved a plan with 125 parking spaces, 165 spaces are actually required.
It's easy to say, "Just add 40 parking spaces." The difficulty, however, is that before the 40 spaces can be added, the township wants to see a revised site plan, showing, of course, where the parking spots will be located.
The president of the company that owns the mall, Tom Maoli, says he doesn't want to do that, because he fears that the town may insist on modifications to what has been built already. In the meantime, the moving in of new businesses to the mall has been delayed.
So, as you can see, this dispute is on its way to court.
All disputes require compromise. And in this case, it looks as if the township should make the first move.
It is important to remember that the township made the mistake here by ignoring its own parking requirements. That's not the developer's fault.
It is true that having adequate parking is going to benefit the mall owner — and its customers. And yes, the additional parking should be developed. But given the fact it was the town that erred, can't the township simply allow its approval to be amended? Requiring a new set of planning board hearings to offset a mistake the township made seems a bit unfair.
Joe Giorgio, the town administrator, told the Daily Record, that economic development in town is important. It certainly is, and in that case, the township should be willing to meet the developer more than halfway.
