TEANECK — State Sen. Loretta Weinberg has filed a lawsuit against the township, claiming officials approved a slot car racing track to open in the same building as her district office, despite local regulations that would prohibit such a business in that location.

Weinberg, D-Bergen, filed her lawsuit last week in state Superior Court in Hackensack and named Teaneck Speedway, the township clerk and the landlord of the building at 545 Cedar Lane as defendants.

“My concerns are that we have laws on the books — both zoning laws and licensing laws — neither of which have been followed,” Weinberg, the Senate majority leader, said Tuesday. “I’ve been in the building 23 or 24 years and have never had to file a complaint before.”

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Teaneck Speedway, the business in the basement, was granted a business license in October to open in the basement of the Cedar Lane building. But a municipal ordinance overseeing pool rooms, dance halls and tennis courts mandates that such businesses be open to public view.

“Whenever any business licensed under this article is carried on indoors, the place of business shall at all times have the entire interior of such room or place in which the business is conducted, open to full view from the public street,” the ordinance states.

That section of township code was reviewed during the approval process and the business had agreed to use a video camera and television in the building’s lobby to provide a view of the activity in the basement, said John Shahdanian, the township attorney.

Teaneck Speedway’s application was reviewed by the fire chief, police chief, zoning officer and health inspector, who all signed off on its approval, Shahdanian said.

“Apparently this provision dates back to a time when there was a prohibition of businesses being in basements because there was a worry they were doing something immoral or illegal,” he said. “In 2018, we don’t have speak-easies in Teaneck.”

The lawsuit claims streaming video of the basement on a screen in the lobby would not satisfy the provisions of the ordinance because "one would have to enter the premises in order to view the video screen and the video screen would not provide a full view of the entire premises."

Councilman Keith Kaplan, who has worked to rid the books of antiquated local ordinances, said he believes this one is obsolete and harmful for business.

When the ordinance was written, township officials “wanted to make sure you weren’t having an illegal speak-easy in the days of Prohibition,” Kaplan said. “This particular business in getting their permit had all the various departments sign off on it. I don’t see why someone should use anachronistic rules to stand in their way as a stumbling block.”

Weinberg is asking a judge to declare the license invalid and in violation of township law, and to compel the township to enforce the ordinance.

Email: burrow@northjersey.com