Dear Editor:
This past Wednesday the Parsippany Zoning Board marked the one-year anniversary of its hearings to determine whether or not it should approve the request for a number of variances from the Islamic Community Cultural Center enabling that organization to construct a 28-unit housing facility in the midst of a residential neighborhood. As someone who has attended most if not every one of the Zoning Board meetings over the past year, I can only come to the following conclusions:
The Zoning Board, for reasons unknown, has, over the past 12 months, failed Parsippany residents by allowing Mr. Shevas, the Center’s lawyer to present “expert witnesses” who were clueless with regard to the expert testimony they were supposed to be providing. Of particular note was Mr. Carty, the architect, who has appeared at the last 3 meetings and who has been unable to answer any of the Zoning Board’s or the public’s questions. At Wednesday’s meeting the architect presented a hare-brained scheme that called for the introduction of a hydraulic two-level stacking mechanism to be operated under the building as a solution to the parking concerns that have arisen. Under questioning from Board members, the architect had to confirm that he was proposing a solution which he couldn’t confirm would work
Mr Shevas, the lawyer representing the Center, has absolutely no appreciation or respect for the Board’s or the public’s time. At Wednesday’s meeting which lasted 4 hours and which provided not a single iota of useful information, Mr. Shevas mindlessly and shamelessly fed leading and irrelevant questions to his two witnesses. Either Mr. Shevas loves the sound of his own voice, or he is implementing a delay strategy hoping to discourage the neighbors from continuing to oppose the Center’s building expansion.
Mr. Kokar, the founder of the Islamic Community Cultural Center was supposed to provide an overview of the planned operations of the to be constructed residential center but failed to even attempt to do that. Rather after presenting a somewhat interesting but totally irrelevant review of his past community work and of certain aspects of Islam, he rather belligerently dismissed multiple concerns expressed by Board members and the public. Of some interest was the disclosure that, Mr. Kokar stands to earn an estimated $650,000 annually from renting the 28 apartments.
The next Zoning Board Meeting appears to be scheduled for some time in April
And so it goes….
Bob Crawford
