A charter school's Zoning Board application to make a Central Avenue mansion its future home will not be heard until Oct. 5, due to a glitch uncovered Wednesday.
The Barack Obama Green Charter High School proposes to construct a two-story addition to property at 1038-1040 Central Avenue, currently owned by Malcolm Dunn, to house 240 students, 30 staff members and two administrators. The use is not permitted on the residential-zoned site. The school also seeks permission for five parking spaces in front of the building and 40 more leased from an adjacent art school. Variances are also needed for fences, signs and more.
The board decided Wednesday to hold the application and move the meeting to a larger venue, due to confusion caused by a meeting Monday between school representatives and neighbors of the proposed site. School co-founder and leader Steven King said Monday's meeting took place at the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield and was called to "talk about the project and the school." Apparently attendees got the impression that the matter would not be heard Wednesday. Attorney Richard Angowski, who is representing the school in the Zoning Board case, denied any knowledge Monday's meeting.
The board had been prepared to hear the case and those who arrived early expecting a large crowd were the only members of the public to learn it will be held in October. Because proper notice had been given for Wednesday, no further notice is required. Part of the reason for not hearing it Wednesday was to accommodate interested parties who may have been misled.
The desire to reschedule resulted in a lengthy weighing of the choices. First, four dates in August were considered, but none accommodated board members as well Angowski's anticipated four expert witnesses. The board considered adding the application to the Sept. 7 regular meeting, but member Jim Spear suggested Oct. 5. Angowski alluded to "confidential matters between my client and the property owner" regarding the delay, but the board settled on 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Senior Center at 400 East Front Street.
Anyone interested in the case should mark their calendars now, as no further notice is required. Plaintalker will check for any updates on the date or venue.
The school is currently located downtown in the Union Building at Watchung Avenue and East Front Street. Before that, it occupied a former special school building on Berckman Street, and space at the Boys & Girls Club on West Seventh Street.
--Bernice
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Definitely a case of "Who's on First?"
ReplyDeleteBernice, the lawyer, at the end of the meeting, mumbled something about not being there in Oct. and I could not understand why. By any chance were you able to understand what he said?
ReplyDeleteHe said, "There's a good chance we won't be in front of you anyway."
DeleteMaybe a delay of eight or nine weeks will affect the transaction. Stay tuned.
It's doubtful the attorney was not aware of the meeting. It seems more like a strategy on their part to force re-scheduling in hopes that the new meeting date will fail to attract the same number opponents. This all smells of games, trickery and manipulation of the process -- something lawyers do regularly within the judicial system when they postpone hearings for a variety of factors that may tend to favor their case.
ReplyDeleteAlthough there is a certain degree of empathy one can have for property tax burden on the homeowners, this deal is yet another self-serving move on the part of this infamous Plainfield family.
Based on the fact that this organization has moved numerous times, it seems the administrators of this school lack the credentials to adequately plan and execute the business of this organization. They don't have a healthy track record and could care less about how all of this will impact their neighbors and the community as a whole.
Why this property?
This all seems nothing more than a ploy by all parties to score a financial win while destroying a historic neighborhood and leaving the residents of Plainfield on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax dollars, over time.
This is unacceptable!
OH BUT GIVING EVERY DEVELOPER THAT COMES TO PLAINFIELD A PILOT IS ACCEPTABLE. AS IF THEIR PROJECTS WAS NOT FOR PROFIT. PLAINFIELD HAS SOME OF THE HIGHEST TAXES IN THE COUNTY AND WHAT DO WE GET FOR IT, ROADS THAT CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR CAR, 7 MURDERS IN 7 MONTHS IN A CITY THAT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY OVER POPULATED.
DeletePILOTS are not always acceptable, however, it is a means of jump-starting development in areas, where it's warranted, whether it's Transit Oriented areas such as Plainfield, Westfield, Garwood and Harrison or areas designated as "in need of redevelopment" because of the blight that has come to be.
DeleteThere is no comparison between what is being proposed at the Central Avenue property, a preserved and historic community and, the South Avenue commercial strip.
You may be correct that Painfield's population is increasing, however, it will eventually level off; as the economy and development in Plainfield continues to improve, attracting a varying and diverse demographic that will attract commercial businesses, one can be hopeful that homes which were illegally converted into rooming houses and multi-families will attract new blood that will revert them into residences that accommodate the number of persons for which they were intended, in which case that would start decreasing the population.
It's known that the walking wallets which tend to move into Transit Oriented developments move their as a convenience and tend to move once they start to grow a family. The impact these residents will have on city services is minimal.
The proposal for Central Avenue property is absurd and, if it were to receive approval in any form, would set an incredibly bad precedent for neighboring communities in Plainfield.
The rash of murders is unfortunate, but places like Jersey City, Hoboken, Asbury Park and New Brunswick have seen worst and they are all experiencing a renaissance -- Plainfield is in good company.
The "Art" Charter school on South Avenue was funded by Bonds issued by a County Agency. Who thinks of these things?
ReplyDeleteSomeone is stuck; either the Bond Holders or the County. The County are the taxpayers. How is this proposed development to be funded? Is more public money being put at risk or is the money coming from private investors? If the latter, who are they? Are Charter schools tax exempt? Muhlenberg lies fallow..decaying. The Armory on 7th and Leland remains unoccupied....wasn't there supposed to be a Charter school operating there? The Art school on South Avenue has a "For Lease" or Sale sign displayed. As a condition of any approval for the Dunn project, it would seem that a Bond should be required guaranteeing that in the event of a failure the Bond will be forfeited and the funds used to restore the site to its present pristine residential status.
All this aside from the fact that should the developers receive approval, and proceed, the neighborhood will be irrevocably altered. The charming residential ambience diminished.
Bill Kruse
The armory will be occupied by a child care agency. See my post http://ptalker2.blogspot.com/2016/06/hopes-group-ready-to-renovate-armory.html
DeleteBernice..It may happen, but its been a long time a coming. Is the student population increasing or are the Charter School pupils fleeing the public schools?
ReplyDeleteAnybody know? BK