On Feb. 26, the Maplewood Planning Board provided a capital review of a site plan for Ritzer Field at Columbia High School, ultimately making numerous recommendations around drainage and lighting, and more.
The drainage recommendations included a request to “model the surrounding piping as of the adequacy and impact of the stormwater system, both onsite and offsite” and to return to the Planning Board “if there is a material design change in the stormwater system caused by all of that investigation… for, essentially, an amended capital review.” The Planning Board asked that the stormwater analysis include “assessing the access points to the stormwater detention systems, including additional cleanup points as required.”
The meeting was not streamed, and the video was not posted on the Township’s YouTube channel. However, Planning/Zoning Board Administrator Adele C. Lewis provided video and audio files to Village Green, which has uploaded the video file to a Village Green YouTube channel.
The Ritzer Field portion of the 5-hour-and-45-minute meeting lasted more than 3-1/2 hours. The presentation and discussion about Ritzer Field begins at 2:09:07 in the video. Watch below.
Near the conclusion of the meeting, Planning Board Interim Board Attorney Rob Simon listed recommendations to be sent to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education (see 5:32:37 in the video):
- With regard to lighting, providing a photometric lighting design to the board engineer, including proposed elevation of light poles and stanchions, and showing full coat off fixtures. A recommendation that the power of the light doesn’t exceed 4,000 Kelvin. Making the light color less harsh white. To minimize the height of the poles to the extent possible without compromising safety of sports participants. And also be considerate of offsite lighting in impacts including full cutoff shielding and dark sky compliance. No glare visible from surrounding properties or public roadways.
- With regard to stormwater management, that the applicant stated in the recommendations that they must comply with applicable NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection stormwater regulations, and best management practices, as well as [Planning Board Consulting Engineer Tom Lomowitz of GPI]’s report dated February 6, 2026, including providing any incomplete testing and related information regarding the stormwater system and the potential need for additional stormwater storage in time of concentration analysis and pipe size analysis. And to model the surrounding piping as of the adequacy and impact of the stormwater system, both onsite and offsite with the proviso that if there is a material design change in the stormwater system caused by all of that investigation, that the applicant would return to the board for, essentially, an amended capital review, and the stormwater analysis includes assessing the access points to the stormwater detention systems, including additional cleanup points as required.
- Assessing the seating spectator area for the multipurpose fields, via regrading or otherwise.
- Review on street parking impacts to hicks in place,
- Repair sidewalks as needed along Valley Street and Hixon Place.
- To be mindful of when these lights are going off, representation by the applicant that they intend to extinguish all lights by 10:00 PM.
- Regarding landscaping, to install additional evergreen trees to provide a year-round visual screen for surrounding residential neighbors.
- To comply with the tree removal and replacement ordinance is required by the ordinance.
- That the school district will consider the written report from Mr. Eric Keller from Bowman Engineering on behalf of the Village of South Orange as to any engineering impacts on the project.
- Making sure that the walking path or other structural improvements will not adversely impact that tree in the corner that was of concern to one of the neighbors.
PB Chair Karen Pisciotta asked if testing of the existing drainage was included. Simon said that that was included in his recommendation “about verifying the existing piping.”
As the hour approached 1 a.m., all Planning Board members present voted yes to send the recommendation to the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, including Vic De Luca, Dean Dafis, Salimah Latham, Timothy Fryatt, Stephanie Scott, Jenifer Steig, John Sullivan, and Pisciotta.
