Califon Borough Planning Board

Secretary- Denean Probasco  – dprobasco@califonboro.net– 908-832-7850 ext. 203

Board Chair- Arthur Owens – aowensa@earthlink.net

Planning Board

The Planning Board is a volunteer board that is comprised of seven regular members and two alternate members, all appointed by the Mayor. The Planning Board functions under the guidelines established by the New Jersey Municipal Land Use Law, N.J.S.A. 40:55D. The powers of the Planning Board include the following:

• Adopt a Master Plan, hear applications and make decisions on Subdivisions, Site Plans and Conditional Uses
• Adopt the Official Map
• Advise the Council on changes to Township’s Land Use Ordinances

In most cases a proposal for land use begins with an application filed with the Planning Board Secretary. Applications which conform to the Borough’s zoning are considered by the Planning Board.

Non-conforming land use proposals are considered by the Planning Board.  These are applications that propose to utilize property in a manner no consistent with the Borough’s zoning laws. The applications are reviewed for variances that are basically non -permitted uses, and the Board is empowered to grant exceptions to the zoning ordinances in cases where the literal and rigid interpretation and enforcement of the zoning laws would cause hardship or injustice. These non – permitted uses are based upon the zoning ordinances established by the Borough.

  Pursuant to the Municipal Land Use Law, the Borough imposes escrow fees to recover expenses incurred in processing applications.

Depending on the schedule of the Planning Board And complexity of the application, the period to complete the process is generally between three to nine months.

The Board of Adjustment and the Historic Preservation Board are incorporated into the Planning Board in the Borough of Califon.

 Individuals seeking assistance in the application process should contact the Planning Board Secretary, Denean Probasco  at 908-832-7850 ext. 203.

The Califon Planning Board meets on the third Wednesday of every month, at 7:30 pm.

Last modified: January 30, 2024