New Building Plan Draws Crowd

Rendering of "Bella Vista Estates"

An Orange Place homeowner fears a new six-story building will block her sunlight. A Westervelt resident is concerned about lack of parking. Another questions how senior shuttle buses will operate at the age-restricted complex.

During a brief recess while the board discussed hiring an attorney for the year, film maker Alrick Brown told Plaintalker his mother, Doris Halstead, has lived on Orange Place since 1986. The building will rise just south of her home and will cast a large shadow, he said.

The issues came up at a Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing Thursday in City Hall Library, where the board heard testimony on Plainfield Madison Park LLC's application for the 100-apartment structure. The Planning Board initially approved the project as a five-story building with 80 apartments in 2008.

The block bounded by East Front Street, Westervelt and Roosevelt avenues and Orange Place was then part of the Central Business District zone, but is now in the TOD-D (Transit-Oriented Development-Downtown) TD (Transition District). The change sent the case to the Zoning Board.

Construction was delayed as developer Steven Chung sought financing, but now he wants to add 20 units and make it a six-story building. As Attorney Lawrence Vastola explained the change, a man in the audience began shouting, "Too much!" Chairman D. Scott Belin told him to be quiet, but the man kept yelling as Belin banged his gavel. Finally Belin told him he would have to leave or police would be called.

The man stayed on until two officers arrived about ten minutes later and removed him from the meeting.

Architect George Sincox described the building as having commercial space, a community room, a trash room and a lobby on the first floor, with identical layouts of 16 1-bedroom and four 2-bedroom units on each of five upper floors. Citing Thursday's disastrous Edgewater fire, Sincox said the proposed building will have a full sprinkler system and standpipes, and each floor and every unit will be "compartmentalized" to halt the rapid spread of fire for an hour or more.

Enginer Elizabeth Dolan said between commercial and residential use, the building needs 76 parking spaces and the developer is providing 69. Belin came up with different numbers and said the total was off by 65 percent, but Dolan said the formula he cited was developed under the prior plan. A discussion ensued on how much parking might be needed at various times of day and night and on weekends. The building would share parking space with a strip of buildings on East Front Street which has commercial tenants, restaurants and a church.

Planning Director William Nierstedt said there are many ways to look at parking in the case, but it is deficient however one looks at it. One idea to ease the parking burden was to ask employees of the various establishments to park at a nearby city parking lot.

In public comment, resident Lissette Herrera described parking congestion on Westervelt Avenue and called it a "very unsafe and inconvenient place" for the proposed building. Her brother Josue questioned how much extra parking might be needed for parties in the community room.

The board also heard from engineer Robert Gazzale on utility requirements for the site, with Belin suggesting that moving an electric transformer might yield more green space. The discussion continued until about 11 p.m. with more time needed to hear from additional experts. The hearing will continue at the March 4 meeting, 7 p.m. in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.

--Bernice