Planners Pass Child Care Center Expansion

An East Fifth Street child care center won final site plan approval Thursday for an expansion, but must make a financial guarantee that all Planning Board requirements will be met.

Step One Academy currently serves 79 children in five classrooms, but sought permission to expand to 162 children in 10 classrooms. Among the board's concerns were increased traffic for drop-off and pick-up, drainage on the site, signage and lighting.

The facility's entrance is off East Fifth Street and board members wanted to avoid having traffic queue up while dropping off children. Step One Academy owner Ray Joseph said drop-off hours were between 6 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and pick-up was between 4:30 a.m.and 6 p.m. Besides the staggered hours, staff members would receive the children, so parents would not have to stop and escort them in, he said.

Attorney Stephanie Hand had to confer with architect Richard Gascoyne briefly on an engineer's report that the board received just that evening. Although Gascoyne did not feel there would be any drainage problems, Planning Board Chairman Ron Scott Bey said a drainage plan had to be submitted. In addition, Scott Bey said there also had to be a lighting plan for the site.

Signs were an issue because the present ones on the building exceed the 30-inch limit. Building owner Antonio Cardoso said he would reduce them and also remove a sign for In and Out Bail Bonds that is on the building. He also agreed to plant four shade trees and have the front of the building landscaped.

The child care center has a state permit to serve 79 children but will have to apply for a new permit for 162.

Planning Director William Nierstedt said the board will require a "financial guarantee" in an amount yet to be agreed on. The pledge would pave the way for a temporary certificate of occupancy.

The board also began a discussion of a plan for redevelopment of a portion of South Avenue. Planner Jeff Janota of H2M  dubbed it the "South Avenue Gateway." The talk bogged down on the topic of whether to keep Old South Avenue open or add the street to the development parcel. Planning Director William Nierstedt previously said the street should be divided with half going to the small park it borders and half to the developer, but on Thursday he said the park's southern border already extends to the middle of Old South Avenue.

 Board members split over whether it should become part of the developer's acreage, but Scott Bey cut the discussion short, as there was still another application to be heard before the board's 10:30 p.m. cutoff for new hearings.

The board has found the site in need of redevelopment and is now working on a redevelopment plan.Apartment buildings at the east and west ends of the study area were removed from the study. Janota called them "the bookends" of the development. Another issue is the need to acquire the rear part of two properties on East Seventh Street to form a "better building envelope" for the developer.

The next Planning Board meeting is Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.

--Bernice