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Politics & Government

Residents Debate Country Club's Future

Draft zoning ordinance is causing a stir.

Residents and representatives from the came out in droves to Thursday night’s Montville Township Planning Board meeting to discuss how the creation of a new Lake Recreation zone for the private country club would affect the club and nearby residents.

Some residents wanted to know what protections were in place to prevent the club from becoming a commercial enterprise, while the president of the club's Board of Governors said the club is doing the best it can to address neighbor concerns.

Montville Mayor James Sandham Jr. said the Planning Board can determine the general, appropropriate use of land, but cannot regulate use by outside guests.

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He said residents and club officials are going to have to work together on a resolution to the conflict.

“I know that we’re not working cohesively and understanding everybody’s side. Whether it passes, whether it doesn’t pass, it’s not going to affect how the operations are going on right now,” Sandham said. “To some extent, those operations are impacting neighbors. I ask for you to put yourselves in the other person’s shoe that lives across the street or down the street. The level of activity has increased significantly, so what I ask you to do is try to find a way to resolve that.”

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Township Planning Consultant Joseph Burgis said the proposed update, which the Planning Board moved on to the Township Committee for further review, was needed.

“This is the first comprehensive update that Montville is going through in about 25 years,” said Township Planning Consultant Joseph Burgis. “Sitting with the Planning Board and Zoning Board reviewing development applications, I fully understood the need for this process to be undertaken.”

Lake Valhalla Club, which has been in existence since 1928, was never properly zoned or defined by an ordinance.

Under the proposal, a country club would be defined as “a private facility for tennis, swimming and related recreational activities which may include a clubhouse, restaurant, lounge and bar for social events for members and their guests, and for civic events.”

Some residents showed concern on Thursday night that the new ordinance, if adopted, would allow for more non-member events that would increase traffic, parking problems and noise pollution in the area. The proposed ordinance limits parking on the west side of the club’s tennis courts and allows parking on its softball field for three special events throughout the year.

Donald Bauman, a 20-year resident of Montville who used to play softball at the club, said changes have occurred surrounding Lake Valhalla Club since he and his family moved into town. Bauman said club members did not seem to be taking the best interests of their neighbors into consideration, citing double parking on Vista Road and surrounding areas as a nuisance to the neighborhood.

“The softball players are nice people, but they’re never, ever influenced on what might be good for the neighborhood. This didn’t exist 18 years ago, and this is what’s happening,” said Bauman. “There’s a responsibility here for these club members to understand that there’s another way to do this. They can make this club work. They have to consider the neighbors.”

Other residents were concerned about the country club holding more events such as weddings and other large parties for non-members and becoming overly commercialized, which they said would bring more business and accompanying disturbances to the area.

“What protection is there for the community when you don’t restrict it to members and guests?” asked resident Dan Zobrien. “What prevents the continual growth of weddings and outside things to protect the club from becoming commercial enterprise?”

Thomas Fleishell, president of the Board of Governors at the Lake Valhalla Club, said the club and its members are aware of resident concerns, and are trying to address them.

Measures the club has taken to reduce commotion in the area include the elimination of special events on Thursdays and Fridays during the summer months, as well as the elimination of weddings from the premises for the entire month of July.

“We get it; we understand that functions will have an impact,” said Fleishell. “It’s not the outside functions; our parking can accommodate that. Our problems are on the Thursday and Friday nights in the summer when the club is at its highest use.”

By the end of the meeting, the Planning Board passed the draft ordinance on to the Montville Township Committee, which will introduce it before passing it back to the Planning Board for a consistency check. From there, the ordinance could then go back to the Township Committee for approval.

Despite coming under fire from some residents, Planning Board members said the ordinance is still a few steps away from taking effect and the public has time to offer input.

“Nothing has been prejudged. (A public hearing) is not a necessary step in this process. This meeting did not have to occur tonight,” said Planning Board Vice Chairman Gary Lewis. “I don’t think this board, frankly, would have come out and faced the residents for and against this particular zoning addition if we weren’t interested in facing the public and hearing what they have to say. Nothing’s been prejudged; absolutely not.”

The entire draft zoning ordinance is available as a PDF file on the township website.

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