A decade after originally granting approval for a 487-unit development on the former Wheatena property, the Planning Board approved revised plans for a second phase that will substantially increase parking ratios.
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After about an hour of testimony and some questions at its Nov. 26 meeting, the Planning Board unanimously (7-0) approved Application #12/24 by Meridia Rahway 2000 Urban Renewal, LLC, granting preliminary and final major site plan, along with variance relief to the redevelopment plan.
The Meridia Brownstones development originally received Planning Board approval 10 years ago this month for 487 units across five buildings and 624 parking spaces, a concept plan that dates back several years earlier. A revised timeline of milestones for the Brownstones established in 2020 had pegged completion of Phase 2 by the end of 2022.
At a Glance
Project: Meridia Brownstones – Phase 2
Address: 199 Elizabeth Ave. (Block 226, Lot 1; Block 228, Lot 1.02)
Developer: Capodagli Property Company
Stories: 5
Units: 200 (6 designated as affordable housing)
Parking: 493 spaces
The first phase of Meridia Brownstones, completed in 2021, included 298 units with 219 parking spaces along Elizabeth Avenue at the corner of West Grand Avenue. Months after the first phase was completed, City Council enacted parking permit regulations in the neighborhood because residents of the Brownstones were parking on the street rather than paying for parking in the building’s garage.
The second phase approved last week will include 200 units — 108 one-bedroom units; 90 two-bedrooms, and 2 three-bedrooms — along with 493 parking spaces in two levels of parking (250 on the ground floor and 243 on the second floor). Six units will be deed-restricted for affordable housing: the three 2-bedroom units, two 3-bedroom, and one one-bedroom.
The five-story building would have a central courtyard with two wing buildings with at-grade parking between, similar to the Phase 1 building. Access to parking would be via the center courtyard and into the parking garage along with a driveway on West Scott. There also would be an as-yet-determined commercial space of 2,000 square feet on the ground floor.
Planters and stoops to match the frontage carry the “rhythm” of the existing Brownstones building and will mimic other aspects of the Phase 1 building, such as lighting, John Burgdorfer of Mountainside-based Netta Architects testified.
Parking, parking, parking
Parking was designed based on the redevelopment plan standard of 1.58 spaces per unit, which would require 787 spaces across the 498 units in both phases of the development. Fifteen percent (119) are required to be electric vehicle (EV) spaces, which provides a credit of 10 percent, reducing the required total to 708 spaces.
Continuing a condition under prior approval, rents for Phases 1 and 2 will include at least one parking space for each apartment. A second parking space runs $80 per month for outdoor and $120 for indoor, according to Craig Ryno, vice president of real estate for Capodagli.
A temporary parking lot of 163 spaces also was constructed along Elizabeth Avenue where previous industrial buildings were demolished in 2021 to alleviate the parking issue with Brownstones residents parking on local streets. That lot will be maintained during construction at which point the parking garage will be built, with parking moving to the garage.
A 53-space parking lot at Jackson and Elizabeth avenues will remain, as required by the redevelopment plan, until such time that it’s not required. The intent is for it to ultimately be developed into a commercial building. There also will be 23 parking spaces available along the street (11 in Phase 1 and 12 in Phase 2) plus 79 spaces in the lot at the corner of Elizabeth and West Scott avenues (Block 226, Lot 1).
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Theresa Feria of Elizabeth Avenue said parking is still a problem, noting people still parking in resident-only areas and bus stops, from late night to early morning. “I’m all for making the community nice and better,” she said but questioned whether there are any plans for guest parking and suggested the sidewalk along the West Scott lot be improved.
Ryno of Capodagli said once the building opens, the lot at West Scott Avenue, which is not included in calculations for Phase 2, will be open for any guests.
A variance is necessary for bedroom distribution because three-bedroom units are not permitted under the redevelopment plan, however, 20 percent of affordable housing units are required to be three bedrooms, Planner Kathryn Gregory of Fort Lee-based Gregory Associates testified.
A variance also is necessary for shade trees along West Scott. There are some constraints located within the neighborhood between utility wires and such because of a much more narrow right of way. “We believe we’re balancing lack of typical street trees by wealth of landscaping described,” she said.
“Housing is a actually a great need,” Gregory said, noting that construction slowed down after the Great Recession in 2008. She cited a 2019 study by Fannie Mae that there’s a shortage of some 3.8 million housing units in the United States.
Editor’s note: This post was based on an audio recording and review of the Nov. 26 Planning Board meeting.
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