Thursday, April 7, 2016

South Second Street Development Gains Final Approval

By the end of the year, a thriving city business will have a new, expanded location in the West End, with construction of 90 apartments to follow in 2017 on the five-acre site.
The development team dubbed the residential portion "The Muse at Grant Avenue Station" in hopes that it will be the muse, or inspiration, for other developers.

The Planning Board granted preliminary and final site plan approval Thursday to South Second Street Redevelopment LLC for the mixed use project that was unveiled in November 2015.

The commercial tenant will be ABC Supply Co. Inc., currently on West Third Street. The company has many other locations and Plainfield Economic Director Carlos Sanchez said, "The way they maintain these facilities is impeccable." 

Early on, a community meeting in Rev. Tracey Brown's church nearby garnered support for the project. A November 2015 draft agreement included these terms:

The developer will pay the city $250,000 for the five-acre plot and the city is selling it "as-is."
The developer will have to deal with any environmental issues.
The developer can terminate if there is no PILOT agreement within 90 days.
There will be a $50,000 donation to Hannah Atkins Community Center
A 20 percent goal for minority employment is part of the deal.

The development team worked closely with the Planning Division to reduce waivers and variances, shrinking a 40-page report to just seven pages that were addressed in the final resolution that passed Thursday. Sanchez praised the process as well as the outcome, which he said will retain jobs and produce Urban Enterprise Zone funds.

"As far as design, we asked a lot," Sanchez said.

Even on Thursday, the board was discussing final details of the commercial building's exterior and re-sizing of balconies that will provide outdoor space for the apartments.

The project's progress also required many City Council approvals, including passage of financial agreements and amendments to a redevelopment plan that dates back to 1999.

--Bernice

8 comments:

  1. beautiful design... that alone will cause a problem with the NO CHANGE crowd

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  2. So next is the reopening of the grant ave train station? Mr. X

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    1. That would be fantastic, however it would be a tough sell. Not impossible, but tough. I would rather see Clinton Ave.

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    2. The Grant Ave, corridor is a through passage to Rt.22 as well as South Plainfield. Clinton Ave can be serviced by both Grant Ave. and the Dunellen station.

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    3. That is true Olddoc - however that would cause a congestive traffic concern at the corners of second, front and Grant. Opening up Clinton would provide an opportunity for a train station that would service Plainfield, South Plainfield, Piscataway, N. Plainfield and there is a large warehouse area that could be transit and commercial growth for that end of the city. There is room for a parking garage as well. Such a development would be a major boost to a part of town that could use the development and progress. Rt 22 is also accessible by traveling north on Clinton. What is important is attention being paid to the western part of Plainfield. Let's keep improving the whole city and grow to our full potential.

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  3. Yes, there is word on the street that:

    Mack Truck
    Muhlenberg Hospital
    Macy's

    Will all be reopening soon.

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    1. Everything is cyclical - I would not be surprised.

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  4. That is a beautiful looking building. Lets hope it actually happens. Congrats to Plainfield.

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