NOTICE OF HEARING ON APPLICATION FOR ZONING PERMIT AND WAIVER OF MINOR SITE PLAN
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 6:00pm or as soon thereafter as the matter may be considered by the Board, the Planning Board of Lower Township will conduct a public hearing at the Lower Township Municipal Building Meeting Room, 2600 Bayshore Road, Villas, New Jersey, 08251 to consider the application of Melissa E. Rupinski (the “Applicant”) for a Zoning Permit and a Waiver of Minor Site Plan pertaining to the Applicant’s conduct of a cottage food bakery home occupation at her residential premises located at 197 Baywood Drive in Lower Township, which premises is designated as Lots 01, 02 and 06 in Block 494.40 on the Lower Township Municipal Tax Map. More specifically, the Applicant is the holder of a NJ Cottage Food Operator’s Permit which enables her to prepare certain baked goods at her residence. Although home occupations are permitted conditional uses in Lower Township’s R2 Residential Zoning District (in which the Applicant’s residence is located), the Lower Township Code does not specifically mention “Cottage Food or Bakery Sales” as an approved home occupation, so the Applicant is asking the Board to approve her home occupation. Furthermore, under Section 400-8 of the Lower Township Code, a home occupation must be conducted entirely within a detached dwelling unit or an accessible building, but not both. The Applicant maintains that while her residence particularly suited to a home occupation bakery business, the residential exterior makes the inside sales of baked goods difficult. Therefore, Ms. Rupinski is seeking a Conditional Use Variance to enable her to continue to use a small shed for the display and sales of her bakery products. Finally, because the existing sales shed is located within the 20’ foot front yard setback, the Applicant is requesting a dimensional variance for the shed location pursuant to NJSA 40:55D-70(c). The Applicant will also request any additional variances, waivers or exceptions recommended by the Board or its professionals.
All supporting application documents, including a survey of the Applicant’s property, will be available for public inspection in the Office of the Secretary of the Planning Board of Lower Township, at the Lower Township Municipal Building, ten days prior to the hearing date during normal business hours.
Melissa E. Rupinski, Applicant
c/o Michael J. Ward, Esquire
118 White Horse Road West
Voorhees, New Jersey, 08043
(856) 627-3444
10/21, pf $29.00+ 3
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