The community meetings are part of a planning study approved by the City Council in October 2013. JFK Health System had proposed 600 apartments for the 17-acre site where Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center closed in 2008. Residents largely rejected that idea, though JFK said a community group led by clergy endorsed it. The concept of a city study drew high interest on the blog when it was proposed, and residents applauded when the council approved it.
From an October 2013 post:
The planning firm up for consideration Monday for the Muhlenberg study projects a six-month process that includes four community meetings, two of which will broadly involve the public and stakeholders in a visioning process.
Public outreach is named as "Task 1" in the scope of services proposed by Heyer Gruel & Associates. A kickoff meeting with city planning staff will have three goals, according to documents in the packet for Monday's meeting: "to refine and confirm the work program and schedule; to define the community participation including preliminary identification of stakeholders; and to preliminarily identify key issues as the city and community sees them."
The early work will also include "a tour of the site and surrounding area with city officials and key project personnel to get a sense of the issues in the field."
--Bernice
Hope surrounding communities get involved too.
ReplyDeleteThis study and series of meeting just doesn’t pass the smell test with me. For Jerry Greens city council to have approved this study without question, that in itself is reason to be suspicious. Jerry Green continues to say he has a developer interest in the property but has never introduce the developer at any of the other public meetings that was held, nor has he publicly disclose the intent of this developer for this property. Why is it that JFK and their group of clergy followers all of sudden go quit? What does Ron West and his appointment have to do with this? What if the study, based on community input come back and say something similar to JFK? Coincidence or planning?
ReplyDeleteI guess my biggest concern is why 3 community meetings spread throughout Plainfield? Why would someone living in the 4,1 or even the 2 ward dictate what they feel the best use of the property should be. I can see certain politicians going around to tenants in the 4 & 1 ward promising to put them in new luxury apartments if they advocate for them. Am I stretching, not hardly. Every single apartment complex in this city was new and affordable (according to your income) at some point. So when Council women Brown and Taylor claims we need more affordable housing in Plainfield. What exactly is that? I live where I can afford as most of us do. Affordable housing is another way to say government subsides housing. The rent could be $100 but if you have no income that could seem like $10, 000. My point is, we all live where we can afford. If I could afford to live in a bigger house, I would, but I can’t . So my life goal now is to NOT sit idle and allow JFK and some greedy self-serving politicians to destroy my neighborhood with a 600 unit project for affordable housing disguised and promoted as luxury apartments. We may have a new Mayor but we have the same old Jerry Green controlled city council and this city is extremely far from being the city we would need to advertise and attract luxury renters. We need more than a state of the art emergency room on that property. We need full medical facilities or we need nothing on that property, especially NO 600 unit apartment complex!
3 ward residents we need to come out to this meeting tonight and to the remaining two meetings. NO to JFK and NO to any politician that sympathize with them.
Robin