Image: Utility work in front of a Cretella building.One of the "Year in Review" stories I had hoped to do pertained to redevelopment projects in Plainfield. In 2010, little was heard from any developer except Frank Cretella, who received multiple approvals from land use boards and the governing body for various projects.
Cretella has set in motion seven projects, so many that the Planning Division drew up a fine-print chart to keep track of them all. He had purchased various parcels under individual limited liability company names, but all came under the aegis of Landmark Developers, the approved developer for the North Avenue Commercial Historic District about four years ago. In 2010, the city formally allowed him to change the thrust of his plan from new, high-rise construction behind existing historic buildings to rehabilitation of some sites.
His properties include the former Mirons furniture warehouse and the Romonds Jeep building on East Second Street, two buildings south of the PNC Bank on Park Avenue and the Appliance Arama warehouse on East Front Street. His plans include acquisition of the PNC Bank and other bank-owned property on the block bounded by the Raritan Valley Line, Park Avenue, West Front Street and the PSE&G power station on West Front Street.
Plaintalker has reported on most of Cretella's applications, which include residential, commercial, hospitality and cultural uses. The most ambitious is West Second Street Commons, which is slated to bring 148 residential units to the bank block and which has been described as the "critical mass" downtown necessary to kick off transit-oriented development. The City Council in late 2010 approved a "payment in lieu of taxes" plan that Cretella said was necessary to obtain financing for the project.
Recently there has been new talk of the need for a parking structure downtown. A six-story parking deck had been envisioned years ago to replace Municipal Parking Lot 6 on East Second Street, but then Cretella himself said there was ample ground parking in city lots. Now the notion of a deck or garage has resurfaced.
During the early years of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' first term, officials gave updates on more than a dozen other development proposals, but not much has been heard since. No doubt the economic downturn has put many in abeyance or just sunk them. Cretella has emerged as the city's best hope at present.
Plaintalker followed applications through the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Historic Preservation Commission, but a comprehensive presentation on where all these projects stand would be of interest. In the mayor's first term, Public Works & Urban Development Director Jennifer Wenson Maier was in charge of economic development. She continued briefly in the mayor's second term that began Jan. 1, 2010, but since then her successor, David Brown II, left the city. Jacques Howard is currently the acting department head.
Maybe between the administration and the council's Economic Growth Committee, a presentation can be made on the status of the seven projects in coming weeks or months. Meanwhile, Plaintalker will endeavor to keep up with any news on the projects.
--Bernice
Don't we already have a parking deck downtown ?? Oh...that's right, Charlotte won't let us use it.
ReplyDeleteWhen Charlotte speaks, Jerry and Sharon listen.
I'm sorry but this whole transit oriented village stuff is ridiculous. Why do we insist on building more and more low income or other housing units which only add to the congestion and crime in town? What we need are businesses and industry. Why is it that Piscataway and South Plainfield are able pull in big name companies and shopping malls while all we can manage are Mom and Pop stores and bodegas? There is no reason for people who live outside of Plainfield to come here and spend their money.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to make use of the train station, knock down everything from Park Ave to Plainfield Ave (especially the housing projects), from the RR tracks to West Front St. Close off that section of West 2nd St and build a mall with a movie theater and some nice restaurants and a parking garage. People from all over can come in on the train or drive in and park safely, spend the day shopping, and then go home.
By continually building more and more housing only increases the population which leads to more crime, the need for more police and fire which cost the homeowners more in taxes. Let's bring in more commerce so we can lower our taxes and increase our home values.
7:21 AM AMEN!!
ReplyDeleteRob, we all know that queen Charlotte wont let us have access to park in the garage. The county offices are just "too important" to let the common folk use it. Just think of the security that is needed to protect the unemployment and welfare offices from the terrorists. And to anon at 721, have you even followed any of the Landmark plans?? No affordable housing, only market rate units. Not every developer in Plainfield believes in building ghetto units. Business and industry in Plfd?? Are you kidding? Who in their right mind wants to move into Plfd when it is one big cesspool of filth and crime. Movie theater, in Plfd? Are you nuts? No movie chain is interested in Plfd. Why open here? So the gang-bangers can kill someone watching a movie and have it shut down before recouping the millions spent to open? Look at Newark, they opened a movie complex and right away had shootings. They shut down and sold to another company at a loss. Clean up the ghetto image and problems first, then you can dream of visions of Piscataway and South Plainfield. Get rid of Jerry and Sharon for starters, then you might be able to move forward.
ReplyDeleteNeed to hire a con$ultant to make a propo$al, tho$e POOR folk$ are not getting much work in thi$ economy.
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous at 11:16 from anonymous at 7:21. I guess you missed the phrase "low income or other housing units". The point is there are too many people here and not enough real commerce. In case you haven't noticed nobody wants to move into Plainfield unless it is in low income housing (take the Monarch for example). There are far too many homeowners who are already stuck in Plainfield because no one will buy their home for a fair price and get stuck paying outrageously high taxes. We need real businesses to take some of the tax load off of the rest of us and make our properties worth something.
ReplyDeleteAs far as no one wanting to watch a movie in a mall in Plainfield, maybe you should take a look at the very successful Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth (another Union County City with a bad reputation). Somehow, even with their bad rep, they were able build the biggest mall in the state with people coming from all over to shop there. It's people like you who only see the "ghetto image" of Plainfield that keep us where we are, stuck in the ghetto!
Back in 2005 I had Clearview Cinema looking seriously at turning the Strand Theatre on Front St. into a four-plex. They were in expansion mode and interested due to the existing theatre structure and adjacent city parking lot. Their business model was when they contemplated moving into a more economically distressed community they asked for local financial assistance to share the risk of the capital investment. As an Urban Enterprise Zone we would have been able to apply for an estimated $900,000 in necessary project funds. A movie theatre or a department store are the best anchors you can have in your downtown as they attract users.Other businesses then follow the money and patron stream. This would have been an excellent use of UEZ seed money. Like the broken record of so many other attempts to do economic development in this city there was no political will to execute the deal. There was a developer who proposed building townhouses in the city owned parking lot adjacent to the theatre. I was told to drop the discussion with Clearview and that was that. As of 2011 still no townhouses built in the parking lot, the Strand has been empty for years and everyone still has to go out of town to the movies.
ReplyDelete320, what you fail to realize is that Plainfield is by no means Elizabeth. The success there started in the late 80's early 90's with the construction of IKEA. It helped to turn a toxic wasteland into one of the most successful retail locations on the east coast. The proximity to the major transportation hubs connecting North Jersey and NYC are what make it successful. It is what made Jersey Gardens possible. The success of Jersey Gardens has developers now proposing high rise residential units along the waterfront surrounding the mall. Look at all the hotels outside of Jersey Gardens. All part of the redevelopment that is now an extension of the airport, with much more to come in the upcoming years. Plainfield is not a destination and does not have the roadways or transportation to make that remotely possible. Unless you plan on demolishing entire neighborhoods, which in some parts of town, might not be a bad idea, we just don't have the land either. The best thing at this point is to start with the rentals that Landmark is proposing. Once the units go up and people start moving in, then the new business will come into town, and not until then. Pat saw first hand what happens, or doesn't happen in this town when it comes to construction. Its a lot of what you know and who you know. And look what it gets us. A whole lot of nothing!
ReplyDelete