Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake VOLUME 24 ISSUE 18
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S BEST H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
JULY 20, 2020
CRAFT BREWERY
OPERATION ON TAP FOR DOWNTOWN NEW TO THE FORCE
Woodcliff Lakeʼs finest welcomed Tara Tamburro to their ranks.
SEE PAGE 10
PASCACK VALLEY
LIGHTNING DETECTION SNAFU AFFECTS THREE TOWNS BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
A lightning detection system —turned off in May due to Westwood Regional Middle School construction—has become a flashpoint among residents, a council member, the mayor and Westwood Regional School District over concerns about public safety and lack of public notice. Moreover, Township of Washington Councilman Michael DeSena wonders why the system needed to be shut down in the first place
See LIGHTNING on page 214
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
A proposal for a first-ever downtown Westwood microbrewery—to be called Five Dimes Brewery—was presented June 29 before the Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment and is expected for a second hearing in early August. The brewery, which will not serve food but allow food to be purchased at nearby take-out eateries and restaurants, proposes to renovate the now-shuttered LN Grand Building, formerly a hardware 5 & 10 store. The site at 247 Westwood Ave. is midway between Kinderkamack Road and Fairview Avenue. A second hearing is set for Aug. 3, where board professionals will question applicant experts who previously testified, said Christoper Alepa, owner of 247 Westwood Avenue Corporation and a local chiropractor, who owns Select Wellness in Westwood and Fair Lawn. “Iʼve been passionate about beer for a long time,” Alepa told Pascack Press. He said he hoped to have the “limited brewery” operational within six months after final local approvals. According to the proposal, a “limited brewery” is a new type of land use approved only a few years ago by the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission. It notes there are no such facilities in northern Bergen County, and only three microbreweries operating in Bergen County, with one in Hackensack being the closest.
Alepa said the name Five Dimes Brewery was a tribute to the former LN Grand five-anddime store—a downtown fixture for 60 years. The proposal seeks a use variance for a so-called “limited brewery”—a use not permitted in the current CBD-SPE (Central Business District-Special Pedestrian Environment) Zone. The proposal was initially filed in November but the applicant revised the plans to reduce the scope of the proposed microbrewery. The revised plans eliminated a restaurant operation, reduced seating capacity to 68 seats from 132 seats originally proposed, and reduced rooftop seats from 47 proposed in November to 14, while adding improved landscaping and skylights to show the brewery below. Alepa said the rooftop area will feature a “green roof” with 50 percent of the area occupied by small trees, plants and other landscaping. The proposed microbrewery features 12 parking spaces, plus a trash container on site. “The facility will produce and bottle craft beers, sell beer for on-premises consumption as part of a tour, offer samples to visitors, sell manufactured beer for offpremises consumption, and as an accessory component, sell retail items such as gift cards and related merchandise,” said an application document submitted. The facility is proposed to be open for tours Monday through Thursday, 4–11 p.m.; Friday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, noon to 1
GROCERY MONEY
A check from the Montvale Mayorʼs Charity Fund will help fill the Tri-Boro Food Pantryʼs shelves.
SEE PAGE 17
The LN Grand five-and-dime (top) had offered nostalgia and novelty finds before closing its doors on Westwood Avenue last year. Now, an application before the Zoning Board seeks to renovate the vacant space, and, with a nod to its history, create the Five Dimes Brewery (bottom). a.m.; and Sunday, noon to 11 p.m. A tour is required by state law of visitors to New Jersey microbreweries before alcohol can be consumed or purchased. Three employees are proposed, including a brewmaster, assistant and hostess. Nearby restaurants may get a boost in business due to the microbrewery not serving food, Alepa said, and an increase in pedestrian traffic due to the breweryʼs later opening and closing hours. The proposal notes that the use of an existing building traditionally used for retailing “is a good fit...and it is a use that can
attract customers from outside Westwood thereby making them more familiar with what downtown Westwood has to offer.” Applicant traffic consultant Michael Marris Associates, Mahwah, estimated that the business will generate a need for a total of 41 parking spaces during peak operating hours, with 12 spaces currently existing on site. Marris and Alepa conducted a parking survey of available metered on-street parking and open spaces in three nearby municipal lots during peak traffic periods.
SEE BREWERY PAGE 21
B ck in time... We go back 90 years to the summer of 1930, when the Prohibition-era Pascack Valley was prime real estate for bootleggers. SEE PAGE 4