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Wheatena

Interest in Wheatena site

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City officials were scheduled to meet last week with a developer interested in the former Wheatena site.

File photos

City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier told the Redevelopment Agency last week that he and Redevelopment Agency attorney Frank Regan were scheduled to meet with American Properties last Thursday. The company, which has several developments around the state, previously had expressed interest in the property, according to Pelissier.

Matzel & Mumford recently terminated a redevelopment agreement for the 8-acre parcel at the corner of Elizabeth and West Grand avenues, where it once had planned as many as 300 units before scaling back to 130 units and ultimately dropping the project.

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Rahway, Redevelopment Agency

Auto parts store seeks renovations

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After a plan to create a park at the site didn’t pan out, a downtown auto parts store is looking to add an apartment to its second floor. Continue reading Auto parts store seeks renovations →

City Council

Council rejects pair of mayoral re-appointments

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The City Council tonight unanimously rejected two re-appointments proposed by Mayor Rick Proctor amid several others that were approved, while also dismissing a local “pay-to-play” ordinance.

Rejected were the re-appointments of George Wagenhoffer, a Republican, to a three-year term on the Alcohol Beverage Control Board and Josh Donovan to a four-year term on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. However, two other re-appointments to the Zoning Board — William Hering (term through 2015) and Paula Braxton (alternate, 2013) — were approved. In a separate resolution, Ray Lopez was approved to fill a vacancy on the Zoning Board through 2012.

City Council members had no comment, not even any comments unrelated to business on the agenda, which they sometimes offer in their end-of-meeting reports. Council President Samson Steinman, who pulled the affected resolutions from the consent agenda, declined to comment on the failed re-appointments following Monday night’s meeting. (The consent agenda allows the governing body to combine routine resolutions into one vote but a council member can pull them out to be voted on separately, as was the case with several tonight).

Among the appointments that gained approval were two to the Parking Authority (James Walker, 2015, and Eric Kabel, 2016), one to the Planning Board (City Councilman Sal Mione, through 2012), and another to the Redevelopment Agency (Matt Dobrowolski, unexpired term through 2014).

When Ordinance O-3-12 (“Pay-to-Play”) came up on the agenda, 3rd Ward Councilman Jerry Scaturo and 4th Ward Councilman David Brown both pulled their sponsorship of the measure, which was set at last week’s pre-meeting conference. Neither addressed the move publicly. A copy of the four-page ordinance can be found in this Google Document file. The mayor had mentioned pay-to-play in his State of the City message last week (another Google Doc).

The mayor and City Council, all Democrats, have been at odds over the last half year or so, over a number of items, including reducing his salary and other staff appointments in the mayor’s office.

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Uncategorized

A year after the big apartment fire

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It was a year ago today that a fire destroyed a three-story, 50-unit apartment complex on St. Georges Avenue. Brookside at Rahway was under construction and nearly completed with leasing was expected to begin later in the year.


Police determined the fire was arson within a few days, but it wasn’t reported as such until one of our follow-up inquiries in March. Police Chief John Rodger said last week that it remains an open investigation.

Demolition of the three-story structure began about three months after the fire and work began anew in late September. In August 2009, trees were cleared at the 5-acre site to make way for construction, which began the first time around in August 2010.

Brookside at Rahway has since been nearly rebuilt, with leasing expected to begin in the spring.

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The idea of public art is always intriguing, so I thought this piece from The Atlantic was pretty cool  about an effort in Budapest, Hungary (“An Artistic X-Ray for Buildings in Budapest”). A local art collective commemorated buildings that had been razed for new construction by painting a mural of what appears to be a black-and-white X-ray of what once stood there.

It reminded me of some of the old artifacts and other signage found when some Main Street properties in Rahway were razed several years (namely a Marks Harris (.pdf) on the side of the building facing Lot B that’s been painted over white). Click the link above to see the images, it’ll really give you a sense of what I’m talking about.

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City Council, taxes

State of the City 2012

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In what could be called dueling State of the City addresses, Mayor Rick Proctor and City Council President Samson Steinman both delivered remarks at tonight’s annual reorganization meeting, assessing the city’s position as it enters a new year.

Continue reading State of the City 2012 →

City Council, City Hall Plaza, library, taxes

Meridia PILOT, redevelopment agreement OK’d

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The developer of the proposed Meridia Water’s Edge will pay $216,000 annually — roughly $2,000 per unit — to the city for 10 years in lieu of regular property taxes that normally would be split among the city, county and school district.

The City Council unanimously approved the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) at its meeting Dec. 12 [Ordinance 29-11], with no comment or discussion among members of the governing body. The lone public comment during the meeting came from Patrick Cassio, the local Republican chairman former mayor candidate, who bemoaned the fact that the PILOT avoids any payments to the school district. Union County will get some portion of the payment.

How much the property would have normally paid in property taxes, or how the $216,000 figure was arrived at, is unclear. Currently, the vacant land is assessed at $161,700 but generates no tax revenue since it’s owned by the Redevelopment Agency, which does not pay taxes. (Theoretically, the assessed value would generate a property tax bill of about $9,322, based on the current overall tax rate of 5.765 per $100 of assessed value).

Capodagli Property Company will acquire the three-quarter acre property (Block 305, Lot 5.04) from the Redevelopment Agency for $1 million, minus a credit for removing soil on the site left from the construction of the library a decade ago. The agency approved a redevelopment agreement at its meeting this month. Principal George Capodagli told the Redevelopment Agency this month that the cost of soil removal was about $160,000, which would make for a final sale price of about $840,000. City Administrator and Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier initially anticipated the cost would be upward of $250,000.

The five-story, 108-unit Water’s Edge will have about 87 parking spaces on the ground floor and will use 21 parking spaces in the adjacent lot owned by the condominium association that operates the library building. The rental development will have 56 two-bedroom units and 52 one-bedroom units.

The Planning Board gave its approval of the plan last month, and the City Council amended the redevelopment plan to include the site. Only one council member objected at the time, based on concerns about not requiring some type of LEED-certified construction.

Water’s Edge will be the second project undertaken by Capodagli Property Company in Rahway. The Pompton Plains-based firm completed Meridia Grand, an 88-unit rental complex last year, which sold for $19 million several months ago. Capodagli also is in negotiations to acquire the former Savoy property, which has been stalled for many years. The firm is expected to present a concept plan for The Savoy site to the Redevelopment Agency early next year.

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Apartments, Wheatena

Wheatena development scrapped

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Due to unfavorable market conditions, the developer of the former Wheatena site on Elizabeth Avenue issued a notice to terminate the redevelopment agreement.

Continue reading Wheatena development scrapped →

Commercial, Downtown, restaurants, Retail

East Cherry Street eatery closes

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After about 18 months in operation, Casa Borinquen on East Cherry Street closed last week. The eatery specializing in Puerto Rican fare opened in March 2010.

Continue reading East Cherry Street eatery closes →