Saturday, February 22, 2014

Planners Want Review of Boarded Homes, Redevelopment

I heard a lot of hopeful things at Thursday's Planning Board meeting, but hesitated to write about them because I wanted to get more details, However, even an overview will let readers see that 2014 will be a year for progress on several fronts.

Boarded-up homes

Planning Director Bill Nierstedt noted that Plainfield has more than its share of foreclosures in recent years. The board will work on a plan to "make them viable and restore them to neighborhoods." He said the Housing Authority of Plainfield or neighborhood organizations may have a role in the plan. In addition, the city will encourage banks holding properties to do more than just maintain them and cut the grass.

(Residents including Councilman William Reid have deplored the effect vacant houses have on a neighborhood. Reid said his small St. Mark's Place block has several vacant properties.)

Nierstedt also warned that if a property goes to sheriff's sale, the city will not be able to recoup liens on it. As council watchers know, recent agendas have included long lists of cleanups at vacant properties, the cost of which becomes a lien to be paid at the time of sale to a new owner.

The city also has an ordinance addressing the problem of abandoned houses and it will be brought to bear on the current situation.

Open space

The city needs more open space. One possible location is East Ninth Street, where two city-owned lots flank a privately-owned parcel that the city hopes to acquire.

Nierstedt said there is also a notion to restore a pond in the East End that was filled in. Tier's Pond was the subject of many a 19th Century photograph. Click here to see one.

The Lampkin House site is still being explored as open space. Nierstedt said the city does not own the site but is in talks with the owner over a land swap and the city is still pursuing funding that relies on the site being eligible for inclusion on state and national historic registers. The city would not ultimately own the site, but is seeking a 501(c)3 entity to take charge of the acreage off Terrill Road.

Old Redevelopment Plans

To those who have tried to keep track of more than a dozen old redevelopment "Marino's" refers to a former car dealership site off West Front Street that was targeted for a supermarket about a decade ago. Nierstedt said the redevelopment plan is 14 years old and needs review.

Plans for redevelopment on East Third Street fell through way back in 2008 (see Plaintalker post here), and Nierstedt recommended a review for that site also.

The Union County Improvement Authority's downtown office and commercial building never got a formal name, but is known as "Park-Madison" for a plan dating back many years. The UCIA recently settled unresolved issues with the city (see post here) and Nierstedt said the redevelopment plan "needs to end." Across West Front Street, the Tepper's block still has city-owned parcels, but Nierstedt said redevelopment plans have "gone nowhere" for ten years, meaning developers "are not interested." That site also needs review.

Joint Board Meeting

Land use boards including the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Historic Preservation Commission will hold a joint meeting, tentatively scheduled for March 15. For the first time, the Shade Tree Commission will be invited as well. The commission closely coordinates its tree planting efforts with the Planning Division and has review powers over redevelopment applications. Nierstedt said he hopes Mayor Adrian O. Mapp will be able to attend as well.

The boards have held joint meetings at times in the past, but with a new administration after eight years, it seems especially timely and in order for the city's future.

--Bernice

14 comments:

  1. one of the benefits of being a community activist, it allows you to be in touch with reality, case and point on east 2nd st between garfield and netherwood there is vacant city owned property that is not boarded up unsafe and dangerous then within 300 feet there is a abandoned building on the corner of 2nd and garfield, rutgers did a study of that east 2nd st corridor restanio and mr howard talked about grandiose plans for that area and nothing bill reid rides by buildings everyday they are in his ward whats his position bill nierstedt knows about these buildings code enforcement cant miss them but its evident they do, june is near Time for strong leadeship in Ward 1

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    1. Your comments would be easier to read if you used periods at the ends of sentences.

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  2. March 15 is a Saturday.

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    1. In the past, these meetings have been held on Saturdays. To my knowledge, they are public, just like BOE retreats on Saturdays.

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  3. It would take a miracle or a major catastrophe to restore Tier's Pond. It occupied the area behind the Strand Theater which is now parking lots plus perhaps some of the Watchung Ave stores. There was an ice cream pavilion that was popular according to my mother. A typical 19th Century municipal pleasure place. I am sure Nancy P has lots of pictures.

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  4. The house would be easy to sell to fix it uppers, EXCEPT Plainfield is accurately known as a VIOLENT town.

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    1. Not so accurate. Perhaps has an undesirable section, but I am a single woman, walk my dog at 10pm, and have never had a problem. So please stop spreading untruths. It is this kind of exaggerated talk that is harmful to this city.

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    2. Send your kids to public schools some day to find out ....

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  5. I just assume Bill N. will be as vigilant with the boarded up homes as he was with the missing building facing the train station that slowly collapsed over a 5-6yr period.. and I quote, " No, the taxes are paid up on the building, we just couldn't find the owner...." ( HUH ??? ) .. My response," So, the owner guessed the proper amount of taxes he owed every year??"

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  6. " No, the taxes are paid up on the building, we just couldn't find the owner...."

    Are you kidding me? This was actually said? Really, will someone walk me through that logic?

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    1. Have you and Rob not yet heard of the newest tech sensation, the P.O. box? You can have your bills sent there but you don't actually live there. It's like MAGIC! If you need a more amazing trick to impress your date there's third party property managers so you never have to actually visit your property. If you want to go low tech just don't answer your mail or your phone. That works like a charm. And if all else fails have Sharon as the chief rule enforcer.

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  7. To 10:24AM - My understanding is that a PO box is not acceptable as an address. If we do have them, I believe it is another one of Sharon's legacy of crud that we are left to clean up.

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    1. Many years ago the city was going to require property owners to give a valid street address. But absentee landlords still use the addresses of their properties instead of their own, and some use P.O. box numbers. This means Inspections has a hard time locating them. Maybe in 2014-2017 this will be remedied.

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  8. to 1:21 PM - sorry to hear about that. What are parents doing about this, and where are they.

    I hope you are not one of the parents who could care less about the school, but please, let's put another recreation center in Plainfield. That will help educate our children for a great future.

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