10-percent water hike coming for upgrades

Part 2 of 2
A 10-percent increase in water rates would help the city’s water utility ween itself off tax dollars in the near term and help pay off the debt over the next 20 years to fund upgrades at the nearly century-old water treatment plant on Westfield Avenue. The average Rahway homeowner likely would see their water bill go up by about $40 annually, from about $432 to $472 per year.

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Upgrade likely for aging water treatment plant

Part 1 of 2
Presented with three options to address the city’s aging water treatment plant on Westfield Avenue, the City Council likely will approve a $1.4-million bond ordinance (O-34-13) to cover preliminary costs of upgrading the nearly century-old facility.

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Agency cool to preliminary plan to replace Mangos

A preliminary plan that would replace Mangos Bar & Grill and adjacent properties with a five-story residential development likely will have to go back to the drawing board to find more parking, among other concerns from the Redevelopment Agency.

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Proposal would put 250 units on Center Circle site

Three, five-story buildings containing almost 250 rental apartments would replace The Center Circle and reconfigure parking and access around City Hall Plaza, according to a concept plan presented to the Redevelopment Agency last week.

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Metro Rahway: $72k v. $265k v. $430k

The 15-year Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) requested by Metro Rahway would be $265,000 annually, according to a revised ordinance (O-35-13) that the City Council is expected to approve tonight. The council will meet for a combined conference agenda/regular meeting at 7 p.m.

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PILOT considered for Metro Rahway project

City Council is slated to approve the fourth Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) for a new development in the last 18 months. The governing body last month introduced an ordinance for a PILOT for Metro Rahway and will have a public hearing and final vote at its meeting on Monday night.

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Redevelopment agreement OK’d for Wheatena site

The Redevelopment Agency last month authorized a redevelopment agreement with Meridia Brownstones Urban Renewal as redeveloper of the Wheatena and Quinn & Boden properties along Elizabeth Avenue.

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Metro Rahway adds 13 parking spaces

A new plan for Metro Rahway will net an additional 13 parking spaces after acquiring an adjacent lot and adding a fitness center and leasing office to the original proposal. The Planning Board on Tuesday night unanimously approved an amended site plan, relaxing the parking requirements under the city’s redevelopment plan.

Building to left was acquired.

With the addition of 20 spaces as a result of acquiring 91 W. Cherry St., a leasing office and fitness center was added to the Campbell Street side, eliminating seven spaces from the parking garage, according to Clay Bonny, managing member of Heartstone Development. He told the Planning Board  that the project probably would be completed by about August 2014.

The 116-unit rental project on Campbell Street between Elm Avenue and West Cherry Street originally had about 107 on-site parking spaces in a ground-floor parking garage and another 18 on-street spaces (a ratio of 1.07 per unit). The additional 13 spaces will bring the total spaces provided to 138 (120 on-site), for a ratio of 1.18 — closer to the 1.25 required in the redevelopment plan. The added parcel also reduces the impervious coverage from 75 percent to 72 percent.

The addition of Lot 6 also allowed for moving the West Cherry Street entrance a little further away from Campbell Street as well as increasing the side setbacks, reducing the building’s footprint. Another adjacent property is for sale by owner but Bonny said it would not affect his project enough to acquire it.

Metro Rahway acquired 91 W. Cherry St. (Lot 149, Block 6) in May for $157,500, according to property transaction records. The property, assessed at about $110,700, paid almost $6,700 in property taxes last year. In all, The developer has spent almost $3.5 million to acquire the six parcels that make up the 1.6-acre Metro Rahway site. The six lots were most recently assessed for a total $1.285 million, generating property taxes of about $77,750.

One longtime West Cherry Street resident spoke during the public session of the meeting, supporting the project but raising concerns about the lack of on-street parking.

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