On June 30th of 2020 the Delran Zoning Board held a meeting to hear the variance application for 4101 Bridgeboro Road LLC/Dunphy’s Landscaping.  Even though there are several other Landscaping companies operating in the same A1 zone as Dunphy’s property, the variance application was denied on the basis that Landscaping businesses are not a conforming use in the A1 zone.  There are at least 4 other Landscaping businesses within the same A1 zone that were never required to seek a variance, with one directly across the street from the Dunphy property, yet the township’s zoning board arbitrarily denied Dunphy without just cause. 

Several citizens were present at the June 30th hearing to speak out against Dunphy being able to operate, most vocal of the group was the VP of Delran’s Historocal Society, PJ Buzzi.  Buzzi had been passing out fliers calling Dunphy’s company an ” Illegal bussines” and even submitted a 14 page letter to the zoning board seeking the township to deny the variance. Ms Julie Wiemer also spoke against the property, claiming that when she heard a landscaping company bought the property that she grew apprehensive and spoke about the noise coming from the property.  Just after Ms Wiener spoke, Mr Magill, who lived next to the Dunphy property at 4125 Bridgeboro Road, said the property was not causing noise and that Dunphy had made improvements to the site. 

On December 17th of 2020, NJ Superior Court Justice Jeanne Covert, who heard the appeal of the zoning boards decision regarding Dunphy’s variance, said Delran’s Zoning Board acted in a completely arbitrary and capricious manner in the denial of Dunphy’s application and she overturned the townships decision.

In a show of true hypocrisy, on July 16th of 2020, Just 17 days after Jim Dunphy was denied to operate his landscaping business in the A1 zone, and almost without question, the Delran Zoning Board approved Lindy’s Landscaping to operate in the same exact A1 zone that Dunphy was denied to operate in. The Township then went on to spend tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees to just try and stop Dunphy’s Landscaping from using his property, but why? Why would the Zoning Board deny Dunphy’s variance application on the basis that Landscaping companies were not a conforming use in the A1 zone only to approve Lindy’s Landscaping 17 days later to do the same exact thing?

A quick look at Jim Dunphy’s statement will answer that question, along with the question of why did Delran pay Dunphy $300,000 of tax payers dollars to try and cover up the allegations of Abuse of Power, trespassing, RICO violations and 20 other allegations levied against Delran Township and its officials. What should have been handled by the Township’s insurance was instead handled by the shifting tax payers funds from much needed projects like Stewart Avenue’s flooding problem, allowing for crimes to just float down the river in hopes they would be drowned out by the sounds of the biggest retirement party ever.