Tag Archives: Lot B

City Council

Interim parking coming soon to Lot B

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The City Council tonight awarded a $30,000 contract for the construction of an interim parking lot on Main Street, which should be completed within several weeks.

Matawan-based Esposito Construction was awarded the contract in the amount of $29,652.95. Funds for the interim lot were included within a $200,000 bond ordinance also approved tonight that also will fund demolition of 65 E. Cherry St. and installation of a fence around The Savoy site at Main and Monroe streets. Mounds of asphalt millings have been staged at the site for the resurfacing, which must be completed in time for next month’s Hot Rods & Harleys event, according to Redevelopment Director and City Administrator Peter Pelissier.

The interim lot is expected to add about 100 spaces to the existing 65, which the Parking Authority will lease from Dornoch Holdings — the developer which originally proposed to build The Westbury — for $1 annually in exchange for property taxes on the site being waived. The idea for an interim lot was proposed in fall 2009 when it became clear the mixed-used development wasn’t coming online anytime soon. [Link in italics added 4/16]

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An advisory issued last week by NJ Transit indicated that construction of the center stairs at the train station — which have been closed for a year — is expected to begin in “mid-April.”

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Uncategorized

Lot B parking project coming soon

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A story in The Star-Ledger/nj.com earlier this month included a couple of tidbits about two downtown projects:

* The plan to add about 100 parking spaces to the existing 65 at Lot B could break ground this month and be ready by October. Dornoch at one point had planned to build The Westbury, a mixed-use, 152-unit residential structure with accompanying parking deck.

While that project is on hold, the Rahway Parking Authority will lease the lot from Dornoch for $1 a year in exchange for property taxes being waived, according to interim RPA director Leonard Bier. The lease is for two years, with an option for a third, but could remain for as long as five years, according to City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier.

Dornoch bought up several Main Street parcels about four years ago that now make up the site. Collectively, the property taxes on the sites were about $25,000 — when occupied by buildings — according to records at PropertyShark.com. Taxes are likely to be considerably lower because the structures have since been demolished.

Pelissier said there is demand for parking and if the Parking Authority can lease each of the 100 spaces at $65 per month, it would more than make up for the property taxes that the city would split with the county and school district. (At $65 per month, 100 spaces would generate $78,000 annually). The Parking Authority sometimes sends money back to the city at the end of the year, he added, in some cases as much as $75,000.

* Glen Fishman of Dornoch said financing is still tough to come by but even if construction financing could be secured for The Savoy, “it would take three to six months before we remobilize.” A July 2009 Ledger story quoted Fishman saying work should begin on The Savoy within a month.

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Apartments, Downtown

Dirt makes way for more parking near Lot B

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Temporary sidewalks have been constructed along The Savoy site in recent weeks. The site has stockpiled some of the dirt from across the street adjacent to Lot B where additional surface parking is planned this summer.

Continue reading Dirt makes way for more parking near Lot B →

Downtown, Parking

Surface lot coming to Lot B area

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That mound of dirt near Lot B on Main Street could be on its way out in the coming weeks. During this month’s Redevelopment Agency meeting, City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier was hopeful that the dirt and sales trailer at The Westbury site on Main Street could start being moved within the month.

Dornoch, which had planned to construct a multideck parking facility with condos, will lease the site to the Parking Authority for surface parking until a deck is constructed. Pelissier said the Parking Authority will work with the city and Union County to create the surface lot, first leveling out the site and laying gravel until it’s resurfaced in the spring. He expects another 100 spaces could be added.

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Worthwhile piece in New Jersey Monthly about hyperlocal Web sites and the evolution of local, online news. Good thing we got in on the ground floor in Rahway — second anniversary (what!?!) just about a week away.

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Bars, Downtown, Planning Board, restaurants

Waiting Room plans patio area

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For those of you looking for more outdoor dining options in Rahway, take heart, there’s something on the way. Rahway’s most popular bar, The Waiting Room received Planning Board approval Tuesday night to build a 1,089-square foot concrete patio behind the building at 66 E. Cherry St.

Owner Chris Wenson said the patio would cover the entire area behind his building on East Cherry Street but only part of it would be used for outdoor dining. He expects it could be open by next spring, with as many as 10 to 15 tables.

The Waiting Room will mark its third year at its new location on Saturday. It relocated from the corner of Lewis and Irving streets to make way for the parking garage.

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Downtown, Parking

Downtown parking options, recommendations

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A four-story, 507-space parking deck, estimated to cost $10.3 million, will be the option pursued for Lot B. It will be a while, however, until it’s built.

Continue reading Downtown parking options, recommendations →

Apartments, Parking

Downtown parking assessment

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I forked over $17.50 to the Parking Authority for a copy of the 45-page final downtown parking assessment by Blue Bell, Pa.-based Tim Haahs and Associates, commissioned last year. I finally got to reviewing it and will present it in two posts: parking needs followed by recommendations tomorrow.

Continue reading Downtown parking assessment →

Downtown, Parking, Rahway

Study to evaluate parking deck, needs

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A consultant will evaluate downtown parking needs, including the feasibility of constructing a deck on Lot B (behind East Cherry Street) and adding two levels to the Main Street deck. A preliminary report to the Parking Authority is expected by the end of the year.

Until the residential housing meltdown of the last several years, the parking deck at Lot B (photo, below left) was to be part of The Westbury by Dornoch, which is also constructing The Savoy. Original plans included a 324-space, five-story parking deck, 150 condos and 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Instead, the Parking Authority and the city will take the lead on the Lot B garage. City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said the developer would be back-charged for each unit that would require a space in the deck. Changes also will require renegotiations to the redevelopment agreement with Dornoch, which could take several months, said Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan.

Developers have spent about $5.5 million in recent years to assemble properties for The Westbury project, according to Regan. That total could surpass $7 million once they acquire the Greek-American Deli on Main Street and a Parking Authority parcel, he added, and so the project has simply become too cost prohibitive to put together at this point.

In an interview after last week’s Parking Authority meeting, Chairman Matt Dobrowolski said there’s already been discussion with the city administration about a possible third location for a parking deck. “We’re looking long-term, not just the Dornoch project,” he said. Adding two levels at the Main Street deck (photo, right) is more difficult with Carriage City Plaza now constructed, he said, but they have the ability to do it although it won’t solve the Lot B issue.

The Main Street deck took about a year to erect and Dobrowolski expects the same timeline with the Lot B deck. Opened in December 2004, the six-story, 524-space deck cost $11 million — $3 million of which is to be paid back to NJ Transit.

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