The duplex at 4434 Venicean Road, designated by the red arrow, overlooks the bayfront in a neighborhood of upscale homes.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
In a close vote, the Sea Isle City Zoning Board rejected a plan by a bayfront duplex owner to demolish the structure and build what would be a much larger replacement on an undersized lot.
Linda Lamb, of 4434 Venicean Road, had sought the board’s approval for four zoning variances for her project, according to her application.
However, during a meeting conducted by teleconference Monday night, the board voted 3-2 to deny Lamb’s plan amid opposition from surrounding homeowners.
“They denied the project in general,” said Genell Ferrilli, zoning board secretary.
Surrounding homeowners who live in the upscale Venicean Road neighborhood asserted during the meeting that Lamb’s proposed project was simply too large for the small bayfront property. The zoning board members also questioned the project, Ferrilli said.
Lamb wanted to demolish the existing two-story duplex to create space for a new duplex that would have included a garage, an elevator and three upper floors.
The duplex at 4434 Venicean Road, designated by the red arrow, overlooks the bayfront in a neighborhood of upscale homes.
The new duplex would have also included decks constructed along the bayfront portion of the project, according to zoning board documents.
In her application, Lamb requested board approval for variances that would have allowed her to build on an undersized lot and to have smaller side yard setbacks than what are normally required by the city’s zoning laws.
Lamb could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The vote on her project came during a zoning board meeting Monday night that stretched nearly five hours long.
Prior to Lamb’s project, the board spent nearly three hours discussing plans for a new three-story home at 213 89th Street that will replace a quaint seashore-style cottage that dates to 1935. The project on 89th Street in the Townsends Inlet section was unanimously approved by the board.
A separate story on the 89th Street project was published Tuesday in SeaIsleNews.com.
