Elmwood Gardens Redux

Courier News reporter Mark Spivey's "In the Field" blog post on a legal notice referring to the likely demolition and need for replacement of the Elmwood Gardens complex gave me a pang, as I had also seen the notice and regretted that I had not written up a portion of the Sept. 16 Planning Board meeting where options for alternatives were discussed.

My main focus at that meeting had been the West Second Street Commons proposal, and alas, when there are multiple stories possible from a meeting, some may get sidelined.

As had been expressed in the past, the housing complex has been an "albatross" to the Housing Authority of Plainfield and HUD authorities have agreed. Click here to see a 2008 Plaintalker post on a conceptual hearing on the issue.

On Sept. 16, architect Scott Abramowitz described three options for renewal of the troubled complex, which authorities said had been deemed by HUD in need of being taken down.

Of five initial options, three were eventually recommended. One was a townhouse option, with two-story buildings consisting of two-or three-bedroom settings.

The second was 70 apartments and the third was for three-family units (as I glean from my notes).

All three options had issues of density and parking, but the second option was favored by the HAP.

The presentation did not get a kindly reception from the Planning Board, as any application would have to seek relief from density requirements from the existing R-4 to the greater density R-7 zones.

Planning Board members also expressed disbelief that approvals for the conversion could take place before the end of the year, which was the HAP's stated goal.

The reason for the legal notice is not clear, unless it has to do with bidding practices, but if the HAP can get an acceptable proposal by Oct. 26, it is possible that a proposal can come before the Zoning Board of Adjustment at its Nov. 3 meeting. The Planning Board would meet on Nov. 4 and Nov. 18. Perhaps the end-of-year deadline could be met.

The issue of what to do about Elmwood Gardens is complicated, as outsiders still use the premises to do drug deals and other mischief. It's not about the residents who legitimately live there because they need housing. It seems that part of the problem is the actual physical setup of the complex, which allows intruders to overlay their illicit activities on them.

Among the positives of a renewal, presenters cited improvement in the residents' quality of life as well as increased compliance with federal energy requirements.

Let us hope that housing needs will prevail and outlaw uses of the premises will fail, whatever the new model will turn out to be.

--Bernice Paglia