The Planning Board approved a site plan and variances for a 58-unit senior affordable housing complex on Esterbrook Avenue, contingent upon securing the use of 18 parking spaces at a neighboring church.

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After about 2 hours and 15 minutes of testimony on Tuesday night, the board voted 7-1 in favor of the application by Esterbrook Senior Housing, LLC. The 4-story building would be restricted to residents 62 and older earning no more than 60 percent of the median annual income in Union County ($98,000 per the latest Census data).

The application for 1410 Esterbrook Ave. proposed a rear parking lot with 23 spaces, and an additional 17 spaces to be provided through an agreement with adjacent Zion Lutheran Church — which would be 1 short of the required 41 spaces — or a Payment In Lieu Of Parking (PILOP) of $150,000 for the 18-space deficiency, to meet the requirement of 41 spaces.

Esterbrook’s attorney, Timothy Arch of Piscataway-based Bob Smith & Associates, told commissioners that the agreement for 17 spaces is imminent but they were bound by timing related to state financing that required them to come before the board. The state financing application is due Aug. 9. He said they will find an additional space by some means, whether through the agreement with the church, negotiating with the city, or other means.

If the board approves the application with parking as a condition but there’s ultimately no agreement with the church, Board attorney Karl Kemm said the applicant would have to return to the board.

The PILOP would not be needed if an agreement can be finalized with the church, according to Bruce Morgan, senior vice president of The Michaels Organization, which is developing the project. City Council this month had introduced a PILOP of $150,000 for Esterbrook’s 18-space deficiency. The payment to the city’s Parking Utility Fund would be used to provide additional parking in town, whether communal parking, additional parking somewhere, or a parking deck.

Parking

The 23 spaces on site and the 17 at the adjacent church would not be restricted in anyway, available to handicapped, visitors, employees, and on a first-come, first-serve basis. Of the 23 on site, 4 will be electric vehicle-ready with a port and another five would be built later. Both of the required handicapped spaces are EV capable but open to any type of vehicle.

Morgan testified that he expects a large majority of seniors to not have their own cars and comparable projects he’s been involved with had about 25 to 35 percent of residents who have cars. Rents would run between $1,300 to $1,600 per month for 52 1-bedroom units. There would be 6 2-bedroom units. He helped to build The Willows on Central Avenue as well as six other projects in Woodbridge.

Esterbrook also will enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the city to provide “point-to-point transportation with 48-hour notice” for residents, according to Morgan.

The building will have 2.5 employees, including a full-time property manager and property maintenance during business hours, who also will be on call 24/7. There also will be a part-time social worker whose hours will vary.

Several commissioners were skeptical that so few seniors would not have cars. Commissioner Karla Timmons doubted that 41 parking spaces would suffice given the number of residents, employees, and vendors at the site. “We’re not accounting for couples, living assistants. Seniors can have a live-in aide based on their condition,” she said, suggesting the applicant pursue both the agreement with the adjacent church as well as the PILOP.

The developer is free to pursue more spaces but the board can’t require more than the what’s required by zoning, Kemm said.

Resident James Huezo of Elm Avenue expressed frustration over the current parking situation, with driveways blocked and commercial vehicles parking in the area. He was unconvinced that those 62 and older would not have vehicles, pointing to his own parents who still drive at that age. “It’s not necessary,” he said of the senior housing building. “We don’t need it. Put houses there, they’ll sell quick.”

Commissioner Comments

Before the vote was taken, several commissioners offered their comments. “We should’t be too fixated on parking. Any time you can get affordable housing, senior or not, it’s something we should,” Chairman Jeff Robinson said.

Commissioner Alex Shipley, the city’s historian, noted that the property was once the site of the William Esterbrook mansion. “I wish we could build another mansion on that property. If that could be done, that would be wonderful, but that’s not going to be done,” he said. Over the years, the mansion was split into multiple units and eventually became an eyesore. “Something had to be done. Anyone who had the wherewithal could have bought the property and built two houses. That didn’t happen and probably wouldn’t happen. Now we have the opportunity to build a building for seniors,” he said.

“As far as parking, I don’t care what anybody says, there’s going to be too many cars on the street. They don’t like cars, they say they don’t need them yet we’re mobbed with cars. That’s part of the problem. I don’t know if we’ll ever solve that. It’s an old city, it was not built for cars. I don’t know what we’re gonna do,” Shipley said.

“We make a big fuss” when applications come forward that are a few parking spaces short of what’s required. “Here, we’re talking about 20 spots short. I hope Zion Lutheran comes through with parking. There’s gonna be street parking, on Elm, on Campbell, there are problems all over, but the project should go forward,” he said.

Commissioner Christopher Brown said he would only support something that’s conforming. “Our city right now does not have parking to accommodate projects that we have. You will not get my support without parking conforming – it’s just that close,” he said. Senior housing, he said, is absolutely needed but “you don’t need another situation where we have a lack of parking and we could have done something about that.”

In a brief telephone interview on Friday, Commissioner William Cladek said his vote against the application was out of frustration that the parking situation wasn’t settled before the application was put to the board. “Provide the legitimate agreement with someone, don’t tell me you’re in negotiations,” he said. “I’ve heard that too many times over the years.”

A resident of Esterbook Avenue, Cladek said he’s happy that senior housing will be built. “I’m all for it when you’re not in negotiations but when you get those spots,” he said. “It’s not just us, every town has parking problems.”

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