Some History on Front Street Lots

Two vacant lots on the Tepper's block are now the proposed site for an adult day care facility, but in 2007 developer Clay Bonny had received approvals to put 12 condos on the lots. After he dropped that plan, the lots were transformed with volunteer labor into a pocket park for a time.

To read a Plaintalker post on Bonny's Heartstone project, click here.

As noted in this post, there had been a historic music hall, later a theater, on the site. After the city took ownership of the building, the roof collapsed and fell through lower floors, causing the need for it to be demolished. The city later contracted with Oliver Brown's company to clear the site.

Developer Frank Cretella had projected his proposal for the site as offices and retail uses, although the adult day care center was outlined in documents submitted in 2009. Now the adult day care center appears to be the most viable aspect of the project.

There used to be a lot of talk about the "highest and best use" of property in the central business district. The Tepper's building was slated to be 75 luxury condos for active seniors until it switched to moderate income apartments due to financing issues. An adult medical day care center is a permitted use, but whether it is the highest and best use for new construction downtown is debatable.

As on the Dornoch site, the city has spent money to prepare the Front Street site for development. Will it be turned over to the developer for a token fee? Now that Cretella's seven projects are the only development on the horizon, it may well be that the city will be generous again.

--Bernice

 

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Wishing Recovery to All

Whether your loss from Tropical Storm Irene was minor or major, Plaintalker wishes you recovery and renewal over the long weekend.

Block 832 was largely spared from damage and power outages. Other residents were not so fortunate, as the many videos made by Plainfielders attest. Travel was difficult and shopping for food or supplies was hindered by store closings and power failures. Things taken for granted became impossible for the moment.

There is a children's book that has the refrain, "It could have been worse." If you look around the storm's path, there are many examples of worse problems than what we experienced here. Pockets of disaster are still being uncovered in rural Vermont and some services such as the Port Jervis train line will be down for months.

So take heart in what you have been able to do so far to re-establish normality and enjoy the weekend.

--Bernice

Front Street Project Reduced

Developer Frank Cretella received preliminary approval Thursday to reduce the scope of a proposal for offices and an adult day care center on West Front Street.

In 2009, the Planning Board granted initial approvals to add a floor to the Appliance Arama warehouse and construct a new four-story building next door on two lots currently owned by the city. In the new application, the warehouse will remain at three stories and the new building will be two stories.

Cretella did not appear at Thursday's hearing, but attorney Jay Bohn and architect Jose Carballo explained that the change was needed for economic reasons.

"Rather than mothball the project, he wants to proceed with what is economically viable," Bohn said.

Each of Cretella's seven projects has a unique name and this one is called "Front Street Offices Urban Renewal LLC." The three-story warehouse would be renovated for offices, with some of the brick facade opened up for a glass treatment that would match the facade of the proposed new buildings housing the adult day care center. The center, which has preliminary state approvals, would accommodate 175 clients and would provide jobs for about 50 people, Carballo said. No tenants have yet been identified for the office space that would occupy the two upper floors of the Appliance Arama building.

The Planning Board stipulated that the developer must use materials for the project that will allow for future expansion. Member Ron Scott Bey raised questions about how the developer will create unloading and loading areas at the rear of the buildings on a city-owned parking lot, but that issue was covered in conditions imposed in the initial application, board attorney Michele Donato said.

Because the applicant has not met all the original conditions, the board gave only preliminary approval to the revised project. The applicant will have to return to the board to seek final approvals.

Plaintalker questioned the original office conversion in this January 2009 post, due to a high amount of vacant office space already existing in the city. At the time, Cretella said he had tenants for the proposed offices, but on Thursday his representatives said there were no tenants for the space.

--Bernice

Storm und Dang!

This reporter on a New York beach seemed to be in a perfect reverie of disgust as he wandered in and out of camera range during Hurricane Irene. Thought balloons: "This job sucks!" "It's raining. Duh." "For this I went to J-school?" "I am so getting wasted after this."

A Mexican glass vase made an impromptu rain gauge in our back yard.

Yep, sunflowers vs. 50-mph winds is not a fair match.

A bin-ful of mess, but a trifle compared to Manville and Paterson.

So this leak that I have had for 10 years? The plastic with binder clips has a hole to let the rain fall into the window box, which then gets bailed out. Better than having soggy tile collapse in every storm.

Finally in Connecticut! Good night, Irene.

For all too many Jerseyans, the storm's effects are far from over. Floods, power outages, stranded people and downed trees are still requiring a massive response here and all up and down the East Coast. Our thoughts are with those whose lives are on hold as a result of the storm, and also with the thousands of responders toiling to set things right.

--Bernice

Keep Calm and Carry On

Hurricane-blasted mushroom

We had a brief power failure Monday, a small inconvenience compared to what was being reported elsewhere along the trail of Hurricane Irene. I spent some time cleaning up storm litter and tying up wind-dashed plants. It was nice to be out in the sun for a change.

Not having a car, I did not get around to see what Irene wreaked, but there was plenty of coverage by others in the city. With power off at lots of stores, I hope people will be careful with food purchases. If something smells funny, take it back or discard it.

From all accounts, city employees did a great job of clearing the streets of fallen trees, though there were detours due to flooding. It would be interesting to get a summary of how things went in the overall storm response by the city, maybe at the Sept. 6 City Council meeting. UPDATE: A summary is posted on the city web site.

Some odd accommodations had to be made during the hurricane. Because the WBAI radio studio was in Zone A in New York City, it was shut down and programming originated from Los Angeles at a sister station. Information on local East Coast conditions was collected and disseminated and the moderator took calls from people in the hurricane's path, including one from a Plainfielder.

For many householders, the after-effects of the hurricane will continue for days to come. Certainly the commentary on whether it was overblown or understated in the news will continue. The best use of the media after it passed, we thought, was giving practical information on storm assistance and travel. Many lives were turned upside down by the lack of public transportation and updates were invaluable.

Calamity, past and present, is dominating the public discourse this week with the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and plans to commemorate 9-11, world turmoil, and the East Coast earthquake followed by Irene. The 1939 call to "keep calm and carry on" still has relevance for us today.

--Bernice

A Hopeful Sight

Made a quick trip to Twin City, which was dark inside but welcoming customers. Happily surprised to see this beautiful rainbow on my way back. Still lots of wind to contend with, but tomorrow will be sunny!

--Bernice

Hurricane Aftermath at Park & Seventh

The overnight assault by Hurricane Irene left Park & Seventh without power. The Twin City parking lot that was jammed yesterday was empty except for an electrician's truck. Around 3 p.m., a worker came outside the market and told a couple of passersby the store might be open later.

Traffic lights were out at Park & Seventh and drivers had to be polite or play chicken to get through. Further north, two one-way intersections had police blocking roads. Makes one think the auxiliary police would have come in handy to direct traffic.

Without power, businesses were closed, including most eateries up and down Park Avenue. Given the large number of local residents who depend on takeout or weekly meal plans due to lack of cooking facilities, food was scarce. Peering inside one Chinese restaurant, one could see a cook doing his best in the dark to serve up meals. It made me feel grateful for having both power and a lot of leftovers in the fridge.

A spitting light rain and high wind gusts reminded pedestrians that the storm was not finished and cleanup would have to wait until next week's sunny days. Another reminder was the lack of public transportation - no trains, buses or light rail until things simmer down.

--Bernice