Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Let It Snow!
Just in case you hadn't noticed: It snowed on Sunday, the day after Christmas.
We actually have part-time jobs that involve having to go out when most people are home enjoying a snow day.
While horror stories abounded about clogged unplowed roadways, one of us drove home Sunday just after 11 p.m. on snowy but passable roads - state, county, and local. Unfortunately, our vehicle didn't make it quite far enough into the driveway to ensure that it wouldn't get tagged by a passing plow.
So, at midnight - after we discovered that our snow blower was not working - we dug out a space just big enough to get completely into the driveway.
This morning we found that our back-up snow-blower (stored at my in-laws) also wouldn't start.
If it had just snowed one day earlier at least we could have hitched a ride on Santa's sleigh.
Sigh.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Boomer Math
I ran across this bit of math trivia earlier in the year, but being mathematically challenged I never got it posted:
The Boomer generation encompasses those born from 1946 to 1964. This year - 2010 - the age spread of the members of this generation is 46-years-old to 64-years-old.
I probably find this fascinating as math just eludes me. It seems as though this should happen again at some point. It can probably be figured out using high school algebra.
You know.
Algebra.
The subject that you took while mumbling "I'll never use this again...why are they making me learn it."
The Boomer generation encompasses those born from 1946 to 1964. This year - 2010 - the age spread of the members of this generation is 46-years-old to 64-years-old.
I probably find this fascinating as math just eludes me. It seems as though this should happen again at some point. It can probably be figured out using high school algebra.
You know.
Algebra.
The subject that you took while mumbling "I'll never use this again...why are they making me learn it."
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
General Washington Rehearsed???
Tomorrow, December 12th, is the rehearsal day for the 2010 Christmas Day Re-enactment of George Washington Crossing the Delaware. Who knew that Washington rehearsed?
You can meet General Washington and his officers...
And those patriots whose names we may never know...
A lot of locals - even those who have lived here for decades - have never seen the actual re-enactment due to the General planning his attack on the Hessians in Trenton on Christmas Day when most of us have family obligations.
I have attended a Christmas crossing and two rehearsals over the years, but, unless you are an historical purist [which would also mean going there in the middle of the night...which, in this litigious age, isn't going to happen], you are better off going to the rehearsal when they not only re-enact the actual crossing, but have all kinds of activities on the Pennsylvania side - inside and out:
The year we attended the actual Christmas Day crossing, we were stunned by how many foreign visitors were there and how few Americans.
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There is an entry fee on the Pennsylvania side, but it's a great activity for everyone with some education thrown in. Be sure to take your camera. Dress warmly. Activities at Washington Crossing Historic Park on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the crossing at 1 p.m. [weather permitting].
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There are a few sites with information: Bucks Local News and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Friday, December 10, 2010
SONIC Yet Again
Yesterday the Planning Board continued hearing the application seeking approval for a SONIC Restaurant at the corner of Route 206 and Oxford Place.
About 100 audience members crowded the hearing room, most of them residents of the development located to what would be the rear of the proposed restaurant. At least one resident has retained counsel to object to the application.
Gary Dean, the applicant's expert traffic witness, presented extensive information about current traffic numbers and the expected numbers if a SONIC was approved at that location. Following his presentation he answered questions regarding the lot size, parking space size, traffic patterns, patrons cutting through local streets, and snow removal.
SONIC's engineer presented revisions the applicant had made following the last hearing, including those reviewed in the HNJJ's previous post:
The size of the proposed freestanding sign attracted the most attention - and criticism - from the board members and the township planner. As previously noted, the sign is not in compliance with the township's sign ordinance. Even with their supposed revisions, the sign still exceeds the permitted height by 5-feet. The unchanged 112.3-square-foot face size is almost three times the square-footage allowed by the ordinance and would make it the largest sign in Hillsborough.
Applicant Tom Mascia claimed that the SONIC would not succeed without the sign as presented.
The application has been carried to the Planning Board meeting of January 13th, 2011.
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HNJJ is surprised that the applicant has dug in his heels regarding the freestanding sign. Was he not paying attention?
HNJJ initially wondered why SONIC was interested in the proposed location as there will be a considerable loss of drive-by traffic when the 206 Bypass is completed. Perhaps the applicant is hoping to construct a sign that will be loom so high and large that it will be visible from the new road?
About 100 audience members crowded the hearing room, most of them residents of the development located to what would be the rear of the proposed restaurant. At least one resident has retained counsel to object to the application.
Gary Dean, the applicant's expert traffic witness, presented extensive information about current traffic numbers and the expected numbers if a SONIC was approved at that location. Following his presentation he answered questions regarding the lot size, parking space size, traffic patterns, patrons cutting through local streets, and snow removal.
SONIC's engineer presented revisions the applicant had made following the last hearing, including those reviewed in the HNJJ's previous post:
"...Subsequent to their last presentation before the board, the applicant has made some revisions to the original design. They would plant 54 new trees and provide a conservation easement on the west side of the lot, where they would also construct a raised berm with a row of evergreens. They would reduce the height of their freestanding light fixtures from 20-feet to 15-feet, construct a sidewalk on the Route 206 side of the lot, and reduce the number of poster display boards on the side of the building from three to two..."
The size of the proposed freestanding sign attracted the most attention - and criticism - from the board members and the township planner. As previously noted, the sign is not in compliance with the township's sign ordinance. Even with their supposed revisions, the sign still exceeds the permitted height by 5-feet. The unchanged 112.3-square-foot face size is almost three times the square-footage allowed by the ordinance and would make it the largest sign in Hillsborough.
Applicant Tom Mascia claimed that the SONIC would not succeed without the sign as presented.
The application has been carried to the Planning Board meeting of January 13th, 2011.
##
HNJJ is surprised that the applicant has dug in his heels regarding the freestanding sign. Was he not paying attention?
HNJJ initially wondered why SONIC was interested in the proposed location as there will be a considerable loss of drive-by traffic when the 206 Bypass is completed. Perhaps the applicant is hoping to construct a sign that will be loom so high and large that it will be visible from the new road?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Still Sonic
The Hillsborough Township Planning Board will continue hearing the Thomas Mascia/SONIC application this evening.
The applicant is proposing the construction of a SONIC drive-in fast-food restaurant on Route 206 at the corner of Oxford Place on a 1.5-acre site currently housing a karate school. The proposal involves razing the existing building and constructing a 1,818-square-foot building with a drive-through lane, outdoor seating, and 46 parking spaces with 23 of them under a canopy where car-hop service would be provided.
Subsequent to their last presentation before the board, the applicant has made some revisions to the original design. They would plant 54 new trees and provide a conservation easement on the west side of the lot, where they would also construct a raised berm with a row of evergreens. They would reduce the height of their freestanding light fixtures from 20-feet to 15-feet, construct a sidewalk on the Route 206 side of the lot, and reduce the number of poster display boards on the side of the building from three to two.
The applicant has reduced the height of their freestanding sign from 24-feet to 20-feet and added their address, but the sign is still well outside the limits of Hillsborough's sign ordinance. The new height exceeds the township's permitted height by 5-feet while the sign area of 112.3-square-feet is almost three times the square footage allowed by ordinance.
The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building. The evening's agenda may be viewed here.
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Above photographs show the current lot at the corner of Route 206 and Oxford Place and a SONIC on Route 22.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Shoppes at Woods Tavern Application
This evening the Board of Adjustment is scheduled to hear the application of The Shoppes at Woods Tavern - Hillsborough Towne Center Associates for a mixed-use development at the corner of Route 206 and Amwell Road.
Located on a 5.1389-acre lot on the intersection's northwest corner, the proposal (revised on September 21, 2010) includes 27 residential units: 11 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, and 2 three-bedroom units.
According to the proposal, the applicant would add one residential unit over the existing retail building on Route 206, retain the existing 2-story office/retail building, add a two-story mixed-use building at the rear of the property with three residential units on the second floor, add a three-story mixed use building at the northerly property line to the rear of the existing building with 20 residential units on the second and third floors,and add a two-story mixed-use building with three residential units on the second floor.
The Board of Adjustment meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building.
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The BOA agenda for this evening can be viewed here.
Located on a 5.1389-acre lot on the intersection's northwest corner, the proposal (revised on September 21, 2010) includes 27 residential units: 11 one-bedroom units, 14 two-bedroom units, and 2 three-bedroom units.
According to the proposal, the applicant would add one residential unit over the existing retail building on Route 206, retain the existing 2-story office/retail building, add a two-story mixed-use building at the rear of the property with three residential units on the second floor, add a three-story mixed use building at the northerly property line to the rear of the existing building with 20 residential units on the second and third floors,and add a two-story mixed-use building with three residential units on the second floor.
The Board of Adjustment meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building.
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The BOA agenda for this evening can be viewed here.
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