Tag Archives: St. Georges Avenue

Demolition of fire-damaged apartments to begin

Almost three months after a fire gutted the nearly-completed Brookside at Rahway apartments on St. Georges Avenue, demolition is scheduled to begin Thursday on the three-story structure.

The plan is to demolish down to the foundation and steel and eventually start the process of rebuilding, according to Jim Sisto of Fanwood-based United Excavating, the firm behind the development of the 50-unit rental complex. Once demolition gets under way, he expects it could take about a month, weather permitting, to take down the structure. If anyone is able to take some photos or video of the demolition, feel free to share.

A four-alarm blaze tore through the building on the morning of Jan. 4. The cause of the fire is still unclear. Police John Rodger said as recently as today he had no new information that he could share. Sisto said he hasn’t gotten any answers from authorities or insurance companies as to the cause of the fire. He believes the cause must be arson given how meticulous he said he keeps his job sites, and there was nothing on site that would have sparked a fire.
UPDATED 3/24: Updated portions in italics.

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A pretty cool idea recently reported in The Wall Street Journal: “Construction info on the go — New codes on building permits provide Smartphone users with city data”. New York City’s Department of Buildings has started to bring “Quick Response,” or QR codes, similar to bar codes, on all permits for buildings undergoing any type of construction in the city. The information already is available on the city’s website but the QR codes will provide instant access to “a condense mobile version of the Buildings Department webpage, which provides permit and violation history for every building, and already received more than one million views a day.

Beware of red light cameras coming soon

Red light cameras could be up and in use sometime next month at two Rahway intersections: Routes 1&9 and East Milton Avenue, and St. Georges and Maple avenues. There would be a 30-day “warning phase” after installation, to get the public accustomed to them before tickets are issued, according to Police Chief John Rodger. He expects them to be installed at some point next month.

Continue reading Beware of red light cameras coming soon

Blaze rips through apartments under construction

A four-alarm blaze that drew firefighters from many neighboring towns this morning tore through a three-story apartment building that was under construction since early last year.

At least three helicopters hovered overhead this morning, capturing video of the roof fire and some reports indicated reached as far as Manhattan’s West Side Highway. St. Georges Avenue was closed for most of the day from West Hazelwood Avenue and/or West Milton Avenue to West Grand Avenue, with traffic jamming side streets during the morning rush.

This story from Patch.com quotes the fire chief as calling the building “finished” after Tuesday’s fire. Mayor Rick Proctor, who was sworn in Monday night, told MyCentralJersey.com: “I’ve got to figure it’s a total loss.”

We posted an update about the project in October and in August, when Jim Sisto, president of Fanwood-based Sisto Realty, said he expected it would be mostly done by October and completed by the new year. In recent weeks, the building took on a new look, with the dark-colored mansard-type roof. Many of the initial reports called the building a condo complex but it was actually planned as rental apartments. Of the 5o units, 37 were planned as two-bedrooms, with 13 one-bedrooms.

The 5-acre site was a wooded area for years before trees were cleared in summer 2009 to make way for construction. Plans to build there go back even farther though, when the Zoning Board rejected a 60-unit application for the site in March 2003 (.pdf). The builder appealed before 50 units were approved in 2004. The Zoning Board granted extensions each year through September 2009 as the developer awaited approvals from the state departments of environmental protection and transportation (St. Georges/Route 27 being a state highway).

For more photos or video of the blaze, keep an eye on Facebook or our Twitter updates (top of the page on the right).

St. Georges Avenue apartments take shape

The 50-unit development on St. Georges Avenue has taken shape over the past month, adding the third floor and some curbing within the complex.

Continue reading St. Georges Avenue apartments take shape

Salon fills former gallery, frame shop

A new hair salon took up the space formerly occupied by Debbie’s Grand Gallery. The gallery, at the corner of West Grand Avenue and Fernote Street, closed earlier this year.

Beyond Perfection Total Hair Care is only about a block away from Rahway Barber Shop, which opened last summer. If you’re wondering how a salon could open so close to a barber shop, you’re not alone. Almost two years ago, the Redevelopment Agency rejected a zoning overlay request to allow a full service salon on Irving Street, within the Arts District and within 1,000 feet of a similar business.

The city prohibits personal service businesses within 1,000 feet of each other, but that only applies to the B-4 (Service Business) zone, which is where the Irving Street space is located.

The West Grand Avenue salon is in a B-1 zone (Neighborhood Business), while Rahway Barber Shop is located in an R-2 zone (Medium Density Single-Family Residential). The salon also is a pre-existing non-conforming use, which is allowed, according to Richard Watkins, city construction official.

A couple of other retail/commercial moves to catch up on this summer:
* Def Def, what appears to be an urban men’s clothing store, opened on Main Street in June, replacing Charlie’s Flowers, which closed and left the space in February.
* Shake It Up Nutrition Club opened in a space on Elizabeth Avenue.

Anyone notice any others? Check back next week for an update on some tenants coming to downtown later this year.

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Not related to redevelopment, but it’s pretty cool when a local resident plays in the NFL. Check out this training camp story on Antonio Garay with the San Diego Chargers.

St. Georges Avenue apartments update

The snowy winter and wet spring slowed the apartment complex project going up on St. Georges Avenue by at least three months, according to Jim Sisto, president of Westfield-based Sisto Realty, along with some changes with contractors.

Sisto said the 50-unit project should be 80 percent completed by mid-October and “ready to go” by the new year. The 37 two-bedroom units will be about 1,100 square feet and the other 13 one-bedroom units about 800 square feet in the three-story structure.

It was last summer that dozens of trees were cleared on the St. Georges Avenue site to make way for the development. At that time, Sisto anticipated about a year for construction.

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