Tag Archives: Matzel and Mumford

Interest in Wheatena site

City officials were scheduled to meet last week with a developer interested in the former Wheatena site.

File photos

City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier told the Redevelopment Agency last week that he and Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan were scheduled to meet with American Properties last Thursday. The company, which has several developments around the state, previously had expressed interest in the property, according to Pelissier.

Matzel & Mumford recently terminated a redevelopment agreement for the 8-acre parcel at the corner of Elizabeth and West Grand avenues, where it once had planned as many as 300 units before scaling back to 130 units and ultimately dropping the project.

Wheatena development scrapped

Due to unfavorable market conditions, the developer of the former Wheatena site on Elizabeth Avenue issued a notice to terminate the redevelopment agreement.

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Irving St. side of Park Square 90% leased

About 90 percent of the units at Park Square are occupied with 57 of the 63 units in the Irving Street building leased, according to rental manager Nilyne Fields.

 

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Wheatena project ‘economically infeasible’

Developers of the proposed 130 units at the former Wheatena/Quinn & Boden facilities on Elizabeth Avenue want to build the project — just not in this real estate market.

Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan emphasized to commissioners at their meeting Wednesday night that Matzel & Mumford is still committed to the project as approved but could not sell the condos for what they needed to. The city will continue to update the redevelopment study for that redevelopment area, which they hired an consultant for last fall, funded by Matzel & Mumford.

Market conditions, “coupled with the continued unrealistic expectations of the property owners within the redevelopment area, as well as other prohibitive costs and constraints have, unfortunately, rendered this project economically infeasible at this time,” wrote Carl Erler, attorney for Matzel & Mumford, in a Dec. 4 letter to City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier.

A market study for Matzel & Mumford by East Brunswick-based Otteau Valuation Group in November pegged the average overall selling price at $294,000, with condos ranging from 1,646 to 2,306 square feet, with an average 2,041. Carriage Park at Rahway would consist of 72 “stacked” and 58 “traditional” townhouses. The plan was scaled down in 2007 from 300 units (264 condos/36 townhouses).

Representatives of Matzel & Mumford met last month with Mayor James Kennedy, Pelissier and Regan to discuss the timing of the project and current conditions of the real estate market.

“We have a significant amount invested in this project and we remain confident that the project will be viable when the market conditions improve,” Erler said in his letter.

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MyCentralJersey.com had a writeup of tomorrow’s First Thursday (Jan. 7), including an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Rahway Art Hive on East Cherry Street.

Wheatena developers meet with city

Developers of the project proposed at the former Wheatena factory at Elizabeth and West Grand avenues are scheduled to meet with city officials this week.

Continue reading Wheatena developers meet with city

More losses for builder

Hovnanian Enterprises — the parent company of Matzel & Mumford, developers of the Wheatena site on Elizabeth and Grand avenues — reported more bad news from the last quarter.

The Rahway Redevelopment Agency last year accepted a revised concept for the former oatmeal factory site adjacent to the railroad tracks and Rahway River Park. Instead of the 264 condominium flats and 36 townhouses, M&M plans 130 townhouse units with clubhouse amenities. (The image above is from the city’s Web site).

Negotiations with the largest property owner have been going on for an extended period of time, according to Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan, with the sticking point being environment issues. “The environmental issues are not nearly as bad as all had expected,” he said at last week’s RRA meeting, so some concessions are being sought from the property owners.

City Administrator/Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier mentioned at a previous RRA meeting that the project could be done in phases, starting with the parking lots.