BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Washington House earned a partial victory in its bid to turn its outdoor dining tent permanent.

Following a 4-and-a-half-hour meeting, the Bernards Township Board of Adjustment voted in favor of allowing the more than 5,000 square-foot outdoor dining tent to remain erected for the next five years.

After that time, the applicant Finley Real Estate, LLC, which owns the restaurant at 55 South Finley Ave., would need to come back before the board for another extension or request a permanent structure.

Board Chairwoman Jeanmarie Genirs noted how long and difficult the process was before getting to this point.

"It's been 6 or 7 months. No doubt about this one, this was a tough one. I think the toughest one I have seen," said Genirs of the application.

Washington House was seeking multiple variances to allow the 50-foot-wide by 100-foot-long tent to become a permanent fixture in downtown Basking Ridge. However, instead of a proposal to allow it to remain permanent, it was changed to extend a temporary usage.

"With respect with the tent being there… I see value in the change proposal here," said Genirs at the Sept. 15 meeting.

The change in the proposal was not unanimously approved. Board members Lisamarie Baumann and Nimish Amin both voted against it.

"The appearance of it is absolutely an issue for me. It is not in character with the neighborhood at all. But also the size of it — when the master plan specifically speaks to the size and scale. I think we would be voting against our master plan," said Baumann prior to the vote.

The township previously approved the tent as a temporary solution during the COVID pandemic.

The dining tent, which totals 5,208 square feet, brings the total floor area on the site to 13,316 square feet or 85.6 percent floor area ratio. It also reduces the number of off-street parking spots by 23.

The existing restaurant has a capacity of 174 seats of which 150 are indoors and 24 outdoors. The tent adds an additional 164 dining seats. In addition to the existing bluestone patio that seats 12, the tent brings the total restaurant capacity to 350 seats.

The tent is the latest addition to the restaurant's lavish outdoor dining area. It comes with radiant flooring, a luxury bathroom, overhead lighting, ventilation, and trees for the atmosphere.

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