Category Archives: Downtown

Arts District, Downtown, Redevelopment Agency

Site for artist housing under contract

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The Redevelopment Agency has entered into a contract for the purchase of the Elizabethtown Gas Building, where affordable housing for artists is planned. About 60 units are planned for the 219 Central Ave. site.

A contract was entered into in December and a redevelopment agreement is being drafted, Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier told the Redevelopment Agency at its meeting last month.  The Redevelopment Agency in May authorized the acquisition for $1 million, with $400,000 held in escrow for remediation.

The final redevelopment agreement will address typical issues plus certain funding and financing issues, according to Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan, who said the sale was executed Dec. 6.

The Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation (AFHDC) last year was replaced on the project by TRF Development Partners, a nonprofit support organization of The Reinvestment Fund. The redevelopment team now includes Crawford Street Partners, Ingerman Development CorpElizabethtown Gas building., and TRF Development Partners.

AFHDC’s parent organization, The Actors Fund, wanted to redirect its financial resources toward the delivery of social services and is “best positioned to champion projects through public promotion and marketing assistance,” according to Steve Burns of Crawford Street Partners.

TRF Development Partners has developed City Arts in Baltimore, Md., a 69-unit tax credit project plus 15 market townhomes for sale and rent, and is currently raising funds for City Arts 2, a 62-unit building with 12 market rate townhomes,  Burns said.

The New Jersey Multiple Housing Financing Agency (NJMHFA) is expected to release draft regulations for the 2014 Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs and once those are published, the development team will “be in a position to form a strategy and timetable for securing financing,” Pelissier said.

Approvals by the NJHMFA for the tax credits and financing could come during the first quarter of this year, and once construction financing is closed, construction could begin several weeks after that.

City Council, Downtown, Redevelopment Agency

‘What’s going on here?’

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The annual State of the City address, typically delivered during the City Council’s annual reorganization at its first meeting of the year in January, will instead this year be delivered by Interim Mayor Samson Steinman on Feb. 5 at Hamilton Stage for Performing Arts.

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Apartments, Downtown, Redevelopment Agency

Commissioners debate Lafayette Village facade

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Presented with an update on Meridia Lafayette Village, Redevelopment Agency commissioners discussed pros and cons of the new design during their meeting this month, ultimately asking that the developer tone down the stark white on parts of the facade.

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Apartments, Downtown, Redevelopment Agency

Plan for Mangos shifts farther down Fulton

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A plan for 88 rental apartments centered around the Mangos Grill property has been revised to move the project off the corner of East Milton Avenue and farther south on Fulton Street.

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Downtown, restaurants

Flynn’s Irish Pub closes

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It looks like you’ll have to find another stop on your St. Patrick’s Day parade route. Flynn’s Irish Pub & Steakhouse closed this past weekend after almost 15 years at its Main Street location.

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City Council, City Hall Plaza, Downtown, library, office space, tax appeals

Office center settles for 25% tax appeal reduction

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Due to “popular demand,” our “Tax appeal week” posts have been extended into another week. OK, the real reason is I couldn’t get it done last week.

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Apartments, Downtown

Mack-Cali acquires Park Square for $46.5M

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Seven years after breaking ground on its first phase, Park Square has been acquired for $46.5 million.

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Downtown, Police, Traffic

‘Zero tolerance’ for parking under railroad tracks

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In an effort to improve traffic safety as well as security around the train station, the Police Department has startd installing lane barriers along Milton Avenue, beneath the train trestle.

Illegal parking under the railroad has been an issue for some time. “This is something we have put a lot of thought into, and we have tried enforcement with negligible results,” Police Chief John Rodger said. “When we issue summons or chase cars out they come back pretty quickly and we just don’t have the ability to be there every moment.”

A layout was tested two weeks ago and the east side of the street was installed on Monday, with the other side pending weather and manpower, the chief said.

It’s always been illegal to park under the bridge and with the alert system in place post-9/11 the area was specifically designated a problem, Rodger said. Police also get a lot of complaints that motorists trying to turn left from Broad Street onto Milton Avenue can’t see and have to pull out into the intersection.

“We are hopeful that this solution will deter parking in that area, and eliminate the mid-block pedestrian crossings to get to vehicles previously parked under the bridge, while at the same time providing line of sight for vehicles trying to enter the intersection,” he said.

Once both sides of the street are completed, Rodger said there will be zero tolerance for vehicles parked in the bus stop or taxi stand on West Milton Avenue.

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