All but a handful of temporary certificates of occupancy (TCO) have been issued for the 298-unit first phase of Meridia Brownstones.

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During her engineering report at Wednesday’s Redevelopment Agency meeting, held via Zoom, Jacqueline Dirmann of Collier’s Engineering updated commissioners on the first phase of the 487-unit rental development at the former site of Wheatena on West Grand Avenue.

The city released all but seven of the 114 TCOs still outstanding for The Brownstones, Dirmann said, with the handful held back until a few items needed to be completed. The first phase includes 298 units.

Dirmann said she met with the developer, Capodagli Property Company, on Wednesday and they satisfied most of the requirements. Hopefully they’ll be able to complete the remaining items in the next week, she said, when she plans to meet with the developer to talk about Phase 2 and stormwater management requirements. At some point, she expects they’ll discuss plans with the Redevelopment Agency.

During last month’s Redevelopment Agency meeting, Executive Director Robert Landolfi informed commissioners that the 298 units in phase one of the Brownstones are effectively complete, with TCOs issued for 184 units, and 114 still outstanding, pending some “solvable issues” related to the courtyard configuration and stormwater management regulations.

The second phase of Meridia Brownstones is now under way and will include the remaining 189 units of the 487 units planned across four buildings. The revised redevelopment agreement sets a timeline of December 2022 for completion of the second phase.

As part of the original redevelopment agreement approved in 2013, the Redevelopment Agency would receive $1,000 per unit paid in 25% installments, with the final 25% paid by the developer within 12 months of the issuance of the first Certificate of Occupancy (CO).

The Brownstones first was presented as a concept to the Redevelopment Agency almost a decade ago. In late 2014, the Planning Board granted unanimous approval of preliminary and final major site plans. City Council that year also unanimously approved a 30-year Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) for the project, which is expected to be on average $1 million annually.

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