Zoning Board OK's Lafayette Village changes

The city's vacating of 13 feet of Dock Street will allow the developer to project Meridia Lafayette Village's living space over an additional 10 parallel parking spaces on the street. The Zoning Board of Adjustment on Monday night approved variances and a preliminary site plan but Capodagli Property Company will return later this year for final site plan approval after the plan is reviewed by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The application passed by a 6-0-1 vote, with Paul Braxton abstaining.

The Planning Board already approved the 115-unit rental development in August, however, issues have since been raised by DEP about a view shed for the waterfront development permit and a resolution had to be approved locally before getting the OK from DEP. Also, density and Floor Area Ratio (FAR) requirements were changed when a revised Central Business District (CBD) Redevelopment Plan was adopted just two months ago, and so variances that did not come up previously are now required. Variances were solely a function of the redevelopment plan changing, said attorney John DeNoia, adding that DEP's tweaks will be incorporated into the site plan and they will return to the Zoning Board for final site plan approval later this year.

Certain projects got caught up in the process of revising the Redevelopment Plan, said Paul Grygiel of Phillips Price Grygiel, the board's planner. That process, which took place over the course of a year, consolidated numerous revisions in the old plan and was meant to clean it up, not delay projects, he said. DEP is unable to approve a permit under the previous Planning Board approval.

Lafayette Village's first living level -- above two levels of parking -- would jut out over Dock Street, also allowing the floor plan to be adjusted and shelter over the 10 parallel parking spaces on Dock Street, which will become the applicant's property. There is no change to the mix of units but there still are some issues with two-bedroom units that fall short of the Redevelopment Plan required minimum of 800 square feet.

The original plan of 117 parking spaces for 115 units would have met the one-per-unit requirement, however, the revised redevelopment plan now calls for no less than 1.25 spaces per unit, which would require 144 spaces for 115 units. Configuration under the modified plan offers 119 spaces on two floors of parking, plus the 10 street spaces, for 129 overall spaces -- 15 short of the required 144. Planner John McDonough argued that the proximity to bus and rail access, and being within a state-designated Transit Village, should allow for the variance.

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Units are more rectangular and proportional whereas before they were narrow and loft-like spaces, said architect Yogesh Mistry, who added that some 44 two-bedroom units still need to be massaged to get to 800 square feet. In all, there will be 60 two-bedroom units, 25 one-bedroom units and 30 one-bedrooms with an office (which will not have a door or a closet, to discourage the potential creation of another bedroom). The Main Street slab elevation will be 15 feet, he said, compared with the flood zone elevation of 13 feet and mechanicals will be located above flood levels.

McDonough said the differences in the approved plan and this new one are density and FAR. The new application is better than the one approved last year, with density of 167 units per acre, lower than the previous 186 units per acre but still needing a variance since it's above the allowed 100 per acre.

Board member James Pellettiere asked whether reducing the number of two-bedrooms was considered to avoid two-bedroom units that are too small, questioning whether more units are being built than downtown can handle. "We don't want vacant units because we want a certain number of two-bedrooms," he said.

Demand for small units is increasing, McDonough said, with the population buying more into the type of community than spatial elements of the apartments. People want walkability and access to transit, he said. The Capodagli firm, which already built Meridia Grand and is constructing Meridia Water's Edge, would not build and invest in the property without thinking they could market the units, DeNoia said.

Asked by Zoning Board Chairman William Hering for a potential timeline on the project, DeNoia said that if approvals get through DEP in two months, they would return to the Zoning Board in August for final site plan approval, and hope to be in the ground by year's end.

Artist housing site to be acquired for $1 million

The former Elizabethtown Gas building will be acquired for $1 million but the Rahway Residence for the Arts planned for the site is on hold until the next application round of federal housing tax credits, which might not be until next year.

The Redevelopment Agency on May 1 authorized the acquisition of the property at Central Avenue and Hamilton Street for $1 million, with $400,000 of that in escrow for additional remediation of the property "to standards that will permit the property to be developed for residential use." The closing will be subject to the RRA entering into a redevelopment agreement with the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation (AFHDC), which would be required to provide funds for the acquisition of the property, Redevelopment Agency Attorney Frank Regan said. The agency passed a separate resolution extending the conditional designation of AFHDC as the redeveloper.
 
The existing two-story building at 219 Central Ave. (Block 167, Lot 1) has been proposed for 60 units of affordable housing for people who work in the arts and entertainment field.

The state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (HMFA) accelerated the application deadline for low-income housing tax credits to the end of May instead of June, and the AFHDC was unable to meet the new filing deadline, according to President and CEO Scott Weiner. AFHDC plans to file for the next round of HMFA funds at the next available opportunity, he said, adding that they are "fully committed" to the project. AFHDC had planned to come before the Planning Board this summer but Weiner said that will be scheduled once the next filing deadline and precise requirements of the HMFA are determined.

The low-income housing tax credits typically are approved only once a year but because of Hurricane Sandy and other issues, Regan said it's possible the next round could be November; if not, it could be April 2014. The project is on hold until the next time AFHDC can apply for the tax credits. The letter of intent for the sale has dates that go into 2015, if necessary, to allow time to line up the funding, he said.

Redevelopment commissioner reappointed

The City Council on Monday unanimously approved the reappointment of Anthony Diege to another four-year term to the Redevelopment Agency board commissioners. The new term for the former city recreation director will expire at the end of 2017.

The seven-member Redevelopment Agency is appointed by the mayor, with approval by the governing body but there remains one vacant seat after the passing of Courtney Clarke last fall. No word on when Mayor Rick Proctor is expected to fill that vacancy.

The last appointment to the Redevelopment Agency was Michael Staryak, a former school board member who last year replaced Councilwoman Nancy Saliga on the board. Commissioners are not paid nor do they receive medical benefits.

Council approves vacating 13 feet of Dock Street

The City Council unanimously approved vacating a portion of Dock Street that will allow the developer to redesign portions of Meridia Lafayette Village. Ordinance 20-13 was introduced on April 8 and a public hearing was held Monday night before the governing body voted 7-0, with one member absent.

The 115-unit rental complex at Main and Monroe streets is expected to go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Monday night for a bulk variance to include the vacating of Dock Street and design modifications. The additional 13 feet that the project will extend into Dock Street will allow the redesign to open up some spaces and make it more marketable, according to the developer.

Once those approvals are granted, Capodagli Property Company will be ready to start to move forward on construction, Redevelopment Agency Director Peter Pelissier said at the May 1 Redevelopment Agency meeting. The project has received its sewer permit, he added.

Water study: City could be 2 million gallons short

Rahway can generate six million gallons of water per day but could come up two million gallonts short, according to a recent study. The shortage doesn't mean your faucets are in danger of running dry but it is likely to impact your wallet.

The water allocation study was driven by state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations and requirements that spell out how much the system should be able to put out, according to City Engineer James Housten. The plant can produce what's needed by the city, it's a matter of satisfying state requirements, he said, emphasizing that there's never a danger that the city does not have water or access to it. There are limits on how much water can be taken out of the Rahway River at certain times, for instance, in the summer when flow in the river is lower. Other times, like heavy snow days, more water is needed to dilute the amount of salt used during snow removal, which eventually makes its way into the system.

In the case of shortfalls, water can be purchased from other companies to make up the difference. There are three interconnections: one with Middlesex Water and two with New Jersey-American which were used when the plant was down during recent storms like Sandy and Irene, according to Housten.

Housten told the Redevelpment Agency earlier this month that he's been meeting weekly with United Water since April and last week met with DEP to present a a proposal for the capacity issue. There are a realistic number of ideas, he said, and expects several options could be presented to City Council at its June meeting.

Some redevelopment projects in the pipeline are not in jeopardy, according to Executive Director Peter Pelissier, but if the city takes no action, there could be a moratorium on projects of 8,000 gallons or more. If the city does not take action, it could affect future projects proposed, such as the former Wheatena site or the Slokker project near Lot B, he said during the Redevelopment Agency meeting in April.

Meridia Water's Edge

Three projects in the works already have water permits: Meridia Lafayette Village at Main and Monroe streets; Meridia Water's Edge behind the library, and Metro Rahway (formerly Station Place) on Campbell Street between Elm Avenue and West Cherry Street.

The 100-year-old water treatment plant on Westfield Avenue is in need of improvements -- "it's like walking into a museum." Three or four years ago, the project was estimated to cost $12 to $13 million, Housten said at a recent Redevelopment Agency meeting. Designs could cost between $700,000 and $800,000 while the entire project could cost as much as $15 million, according to Pelissier.

In the short term, the city could enter into a contract with other firms like Middlesex Water or New Jersey-American Water to make up the two-million gallon shortfall, however, that could cost $10,000 per day. Another option would be to make two closed-down wells operational, which might cost about $1 million. Pelissier said the City Council just added 15 percent in water rates while debt service on $15 million would be about $675,000 annually.

The replacement of certain hardware could recycle some water currently going to the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority (RVSA), which would reduce the city's sewage treatment costs, Housten said at the May Redevelopment Agency meeting.

In the late 1990s, Rahway entered into a 20-year lease agreement with United Water to take over operations of the water utility. Capital improvements, however, are still the responsibility of the city. Former Mayor James Kennedy estimated the water company saved the city some $1.3 million annually over the past 12 years, according to this report. United Water also runs water systems in Hoboken and Jersey City, among other towns, and may soon run the system in Allendale.

Another add-on for Hamilton Stage project

For the second time in as many months, the Redevelopment Agency approved an additional change to the Hamilton Stage for Performing Arts nine months after its opening.

Commissioners passed a resolution by a 5-1 vote on Wednesday night, awarding a $6,700 contract to Academy Glass to create an office within the 14,000-square-foot facility for use by Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier. A bid for the project was reviewed April 30, according to the resolution, and Rahway-based Academy Glass was the lowest responsible bid/quote.

Commissioner Paul Sefranka, the only dissenting vote, took issue with the fact that it's the second addition to the $6-million Hamilton Stage, which is owned by the Redevelopment Agency. The agency last month awarded a $32,000 contract to build a wall around a chiller that was slightly exceeding noise limits. "Why was it not done and included before now? It's problematic," said Sefranka.

"I don't have a good explanation," Pelissier replied. "The building was designed by artists for performance space. The office part was not looked at...there is no office in this building," he said, adding that it's a question that can only be answered by the architect. The office will be created within the multipurpose room, partitioning a small space with glass.

"At the time, we operated out of City Hall because Peter was both city administrator and redevelopment director. We didn't foresee frankly at the time," said Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan.

Commissioner Anthony Diege said it was never the intent for the agency to meet at Hamilton Stage but Pelissier's circumstances at City Hall changed. Amid complaints and lawsuits between Pelissier and Mayor Rick Proctor, the City Council approved a $163,000 settlement in which Pelissier stepped down as city administrator but remained as redevelopment director.

Sefranka countered that the issue is not with the relationship between the mayor and former administrator. "My concern is a lack of conversation and coordination. It seems part of basic design parameters. That's my opinion, for what it's worth," he said.

Redevelopment Agency Chairman William Rack agreed with Sefranka regarding the add-ons after the 14,000-square-foot facility has been nearly completed, pointing to the chiller project. Commissioner Tim Nash also agreed but conceded that Pelissier needs an office and shared the blame for the oversight. "I looked at the designs didn't think of it either," he said.

Polls results: Most appealing new development

OK, so it wasn't a huge majority or a overwhelming mandate. In fact, it was one of the weakest showings in our history of polls -- a scant nine votes. Even so, Park Square came out on top among the handful of people who put their two cents in:

Of the new construction in recent years, which residential development is most appealing?
Park Square, 55 percent (5/9 votes)
Sky View at Carriage City Plaza, 33 percent (3/9)
Riverwalk, 11 percent (1/9)
Brookside at Rahway
Meridia Grand
River Place
Riverview Manor

A couple of readers made good points: Colin was familiar with some new construction but didn't know these by name. And Sivyaleah offered her take on each complex.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, "most appealing" could mean different things to different people. Some comments over on our Facebook page took issue with  the amount of development in recent years, as well as the high-rise complex. Others just weren't comfortable voting without knowing much about the buildings other than their exteriors.

We'll make sure to get back to what people are comfortable with in the next poll. Thanks - and stay tuned!

Campbell Street demolition to begin next month

Demolition of the A&M Industrial building on Campbell Street is expected to begin within the next month. Central Jersey Wrecking & Recycling, Inc. of North Brunswick sent certified letters to the neighborhood last week advising property owners that demolition is scheduled to begin on or about May 22 on the two buildings, at 1414 Campbell St. and 1442 Campbell St.

The A&M building, as well as a neighboring home along Elm Avenue, will make way for Metro Rahway, a 116-unit rental complex. The five-story project will include 85 parking spaces on the ground level, along with another 17 on-site spaces and 18 on-street spaces. Metro Rahway was formerly referred to as Station Place during the planning process. Construction could begin as soon as this summer.

The A&M property was acquired by Metro Rahway Urban Renewal, LLC in East Hanover for $2.87 million on Nov. 20, according to property records. The 1.3-acre site is assessed at $974,800, for an annual property tax bill of about $57,000. Neighboring 1442 Campbell St. was acquired for $425,000 in 2007 and has a property tax bill of about $7,200. Metro Rahway has reportedly filed an application for a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT).

In 2008, the Planning Board gave its approval to change the development from 80 condos to 116 rental units.