There were questions about synthetic grass for the playground. There were questions about tricycles. There were questions about diapers in dumpsters.
Three-and-a-half hours later, the questions were multiplying like rabbits at the Playboy Club.
And so, to the chagrin of some 100 residents, who otherwise still might be at Morristown town hall firing away, zoning board Chairman Lawrence Cohen adjourned Wednesday’s hearing about a proposed daycare center and invited everyone back on Dec. 18, 2013.
That will be the third hearing for Turtle Road LLC, which seeks variances to enable Rainbow Academy to place a 10,765-square-foot child daycare center on just under an acre on Turtle Road that is zoned for residential use.
Residents of Morristown’s Convent Mews townhouses and the Village at Convent Station in Morris Township came on Wednesday to oppose a project that they fear will diminish their quality of life and lower property values by generating noise and traffic.
The evening revolved around testimony by architect Raymond Caselli, and questions from board members and residents.
Proceedings were punctuated by cheers and sneers from the audience, prompting Larry, the chairman, to remind residents to remain courteous and to limit queries to specific matters from the architect’s testimony.
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Ray Caselli said he was proud of his design, which includes natural light for all rooms and costly features that exceed state requirements, such as handicapped -accessible bathrooms for every classroom and fire sprinklers. Another security feature is biometric fingerprint scanners for entry.
“This will be the best possible environment for learning and playing,” said Ray, who has designed 21 Rainbow Academy venues. He estimated that 174 children from age 6 months weeks to 5 years old eventually will be enrolled at the Morristown location, if it’s approved.
Residents said that enrollment will translate to dozens of squealing kids on two playgrounds, sandwiched between a steady stream of SUVs at breakfast and supper time, with children slamming doors and parents barking instructions.
In one pointed exchange, Dorado Drive resident James Wright asked the architect if, when configuring the parking layout, he took into account that these spaces were only 85 feet from James’ bedroom window.
No, Ray said, reminding James that the site is a vacant parking lot, and the only reason it’s vacant is because adjacent office buildings have chosen not to use it.
When another resident noted the parking lot has been quiet for a quarter-century, Ray shot back: “Just because they didn’t park there doesn’t mean it wasn’t approved for parking.”
Some residents were unhappy with the continuation date. Joe Sordillo, the applicant’s attorney, expressed concerns about bringing back the project engineer, traffic engineer, and marketing vice president to repeat prior testimony.
By then, it was approaching 11 pm and the board had heard enough.
“When a commercial application comes along for a residential zone, there are going to be a lot of questions, and you’ve got to roll with this,” Larry Cohen told the lawyer.
The chairman got a laugh when, nodding at board attorney David Brady, he told everyone: “If you have questions…please call Mr. Brady.”
