Harrison Zoning: 70 Foot Billboard On Wed. Jun. 21, 2023 Agenda

The Harrison Zoning Board of Adjustment will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be conducted virtually via the Zoom video conference application. The link to the Zoning Board Zoom link published on the Town of Harrison website however is invalid and generates an "Invalid meeting ID" error message. The Zoning Board needs to update the meeting link on the Town of Harrison website.  Note: The Zoom Link was corrected and updated this afternoon. Click here or use telephone number 1 301 715 8592 and Webinar ID: 837 2641 4748 - Passcode: 670225

The Board previously met on May 17, 2023, the minutes of that meeting were however not published on the Town of Harrison website. As such, residents have been left in the dark regarding the board's prior discussions and decisions, raising issues of public accessibility and transparency.

The Agenda for the upcoming June 21 meeting has been published. The published agenda includes two main items: first, the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting on May 17, 2023, and second, the Memorialize Resolution of Approval for Calendar# Z-2023-01.

The second item pertains to an application from Klein Outdoor Advertising, LLC. The application in question is for the construction of a 70-foot metal billboard at a property located at 600 7th Street, Block 189, Lot 122.01, in the Town of Harrison, New Jersey. However, the board has not provided any specific details about this proposed billboard in its agenda.

The lack of detailed information on the board's agenda could potentially limit public discussion and input on this application. The height and location of the proposed billboard might raise aesthetic, safety, or zoning concerns among Harrison's residents. Given that this structure could potentially have a significant impact on the community's landscape, the absence of details in the agenda, and the opportunity for the community to review and discuss this project, is a concern.

The Board's decision to leave important details off the agenda adds to the growing concerns about transparency and accessibility. Coupled with the unavailability of the minutes from the previous meeting and the "Invalid meeting ID" for the upcoming Zoom session, these issues have raised questions about the Board's commitment to keeping the residents of Harrison informed and involved in its decision-making processes.  These oversights may just be inadvertent but someone should be checking both the Town of Harrison website's published information and testing and updating the Zoom meeting links.

The upcoming meeting on June 21 represents an opportunity for the Harrison Zoning Board of Adjustment to address these issues. Ensuring that community members can access the Zoom meeting, making the meeting minutes publicly available, and providing detailed information on the agenda items, specifically on potentially significant changes to the community like the proposed billboard.

It is hoped that the Board will rectify these oversights and update the Town of Harrison website.

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