A proposal to build a five-story structure with 148 apartments and 12,300 square feet of retail space will be heard by the Planning Board on Sept. 2. The driveway above, currently one-way, will be converted for two-way traffic.
For those unfamiliar with the location, this is the view exiting drivers currently have on Park Avenue. 
This is the historic building that the developer plans to relocate to a nearby site. Owned by PNC Bank, it currently houses Angels in Action, a group that includes several members of the Plainfield Advisory Commission on Hispanic Affairs.
A sub-committee of the Historic Preservation Commission will check the condition of the pre-Civil War Titsworth-Sutphen House as well as how this modern addition is connected to the historic building.
Does anybody know the proper terminology for this neighboring structure? Is it a power station?
It does not have high towers with wires that one associates with electric power lines.
But it does have these warning signs.The original proposal was for 100 apartments and 11,500 square feet of commercial space. The project is named "West Second Street Commons Urban Renewal II." In various talks over the past couple of years, officials have spoken of the need for a certain density of population to invigorate the central business district.
Most of the block now consists of a bank-owned parking lot between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue. The PNC Bank anchors the northeast corner of the block and is also slated
for redevelopment to retail and nightclub use. Plans on file in the Planning Division show the bank relocated to the ground floor of the proposed new apartment building.
for redevelopment to retail and nightclub use. Plans on file in the Planning Division show the bank relocated to the ground floor of the proposed new apartment building.
The Planning Board meeting will be 8 p.m. Thursday in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice Paglia
Thanks for posting the pics - very helpful!!
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a sub-station. It must contain large transformers.
ReplyDeleteI'm concerned because that is not a good area, 2nd Street is very busy there and these apartments will just make that area more congested. Has the city done anything to correct the problems they had with Connolly and has our "do-nothing" mayor reinstated the protections for renters she removed the day after she got into office. I wonder about this woman and hope our planning board has a brain and makes changes to 2nd to handle all the traffic.
ReplyDeleteWill anyone rent in that area? I wonder if any one did a study to see if this is a feasible idea. After Monarch we need to be more careful.
Reader Michael Townley is having trouble posting comments for some reason. He sent the following information to me by GMail:
ReplyDelete"My last was about the substation on West Second that you inquired about. It is an electrical substation, most likely fed by underground cables. Normally, these substations step-down the voltage to that which is usable in the area - 120v. or 240 v. for most homes and businesses, larger voltages for others. The large green structures are the transformers. This particular substation probably serves all or most of the downtown and surrounding area."
Are any other readers posting comments that are not going through? As moderator, I have the right to reject comments, but I did not even see the one mentioned above.
That is a PSE&G substation which feeds the underground electric distribution system. It basically serves most of the downtown area. Conventional underground systems are typically stepped down from 4 thousand volts to 120/208 volts. I hope this helps. Substations like the one downtown can typically cost tens of millions of dollars.
ReplyDelete