Dear readers, thanks for your patience as I await resolution to my computer problems. I will probably not be able to file Sunday or Monday.
Among items up for City Council approval are the controversial gunshot location system, which is likely to be rejected for fiscal reasons. Also up are budget introduction for the 2011 fiscal year and accompanying layoff and furlough items. In addition, there are land use changes and a "payment in lieu of taxes" plan for Landmark Developers.
The administration put off the budget introduction last week, but council members urged doing whatever it would take to get the item up for a vote Tuesday. The city is also asking approval of the governing body to submit layoff and furlough plans to the state Civil Service Commission. Details were submitted only to officials under separate cover and were not made public.
The "payment in lieu of taxes" or PILOT proposal would benefit developer Frank Cretella's plan for West Second Street Commons, a 148-unit apartment complex on the PNC Bank block. Cretella has stated that funding hinges on having such an agreement. The proposal, which is the largest downtown residential plan ever proposed, is expected to produce the increased density necessary for success of transit-oriented development in the city.
The land use changes include permitting adult day care facilities in several zones, including medium/high density and high density residential and mixed-use zones. Cretella envisioned an adult day care center as part of his plan to convert the Appliance Arama warehouse for commercial use, but after receiving approvals, the plan has not moved forward.
Cretella has also proposed outdoor dining at one of his sites, the former Mirons furniture warehouse. The outdoor portion on what is now a parking lot would augment an indoor restaurant. He also wants to have an entertainment/hospitality venue at the former Romonds Jeep site across Gavett Place from the warehouse.
The permits for outdoor restaurants and sidewalk cafes would be reviewed by a committee consisting of representatives of the Planning, Fire, Police and Health divisions instead of being part of site plan reviews.
In addition, the amendments to the land use ordinance would include increasing the minimum floor area for two-bedroom units from 900 to 1,000 square feet and the minimum for three-bedroom units from 1,000 s.f. with an additional 150 s.f. for each extra bedroom to 1,100 s.f. with 150 additional s.f.
Those are some of the items on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting, which will be 8 p.m. in Municipal Court, 325 Watchung Ave.
--Bernice Paglia
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PILOTS are made to be used primarily with commercial development and NOT apartments, as this Council will do.
ReplyDeleteIt is the same thinking that got us all the housing projects in the first place.
Developers would not dare do this in Watchung, Westfield or Summit.
We dont't want more apartments. Condos..maybe. Apartments..no.
ReplyDeleteto 631, this is the same post and same towns you listed before. You are jealous because you are not getting part of the "handout" It is done in towns all across the state, not just Plainfield. It is what helps to spur development, especially in this economy. Housing projects came because of a lack of funding and vision. The developer here is not building a project, it is market rate housing and will also include for sale condos in the later phase.
ReplyDeletefor 818, I would love to see more condos, but before you can do condos and do them successfully, you have to show the need for the type of housing. Look at the Monarch, nice units, but bad location and bad timing = slow sales. If people will rent the market rate units, then the sale units will follow. All in time my friends...