50 Residential Units Proposed for Old Police Station
The Township entered into a 60-day exclusive negotiating period with Petrucci Co. for the development of 125 Dunnell Road as 50 rental apartment units.
By unanimous vote, the Maplewood Township Committee resolved last night to select J.G. Petrucci Company, Inc. of Asbury, N.J. for exclusive negotiations for the redevelopment of the former police station site at 125 Dunnell Road.
Petrucci proposes to build a 50-unit apartment building that will include a mix of one and two bedroom units. The plan is for 46 market rate units and four affordable housing units. The proposed building is four stories high, with ground floor parking and three residential stories above.
There will be 60 on-site parking spaces — meeting the 1.2 per housing unit requirement in the redevelopment plan approved for the site. The building will be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.
At the Township Committee meeting on June 21, Mayor Vic DeLuca stated that no tax abatement will be granted for the development, and that, as a rental property, the building will pay an assessment as part of the Maplewood Village Alliance Special Improvement District.
While negotiations are ongoing, DeLuca added, discussions will take place regarding the final design of the building and the site plan. (A conceptual design and site plan are attached here.) DeLuca said to expect that "both will be modified as architectural and engineering work move forward." He also said that the purchase price for the property has been agreed to but is not being made public until the negotiations are concluded. Said the Mayor: "The Township Committee wants to protect its negotiating position in the event a final deal is not reached with Petrucci." He added that, after a agreement is reached, the town would announce the sale price and all the particulars of the deal.
DeLuca briefly recapped the recent history of the site. After ending exclusive negotiations with Mark Built Home, the Township published a request for qualifications two months ago. Three developers responded and were interviewed twice each by the Economic Development Committee, which then made a recommendation to the Township Committee last Thursday.
Mark Built had twice had its exclusive negotiation period with the town extended before reaching an agreement in principle in summer 2010 for the purchase of the property. But the developer and the town had difficulty resolving issues related to responsibility for environmental cleanup of the site, which featured underground oil tanks and asbestos in the basement of the 1930s-era main building. DeLuca has stated that the town "walked away" from the negotiations when it became apparent to town leaders that Mark Built's intention was to flip the property. The town has appropriated more than $500,000 for environmental remediation and demolition at the site.
The old police station site has been a point of interest and controversy in town dating back to at least 2009 when some nearby residents took issue with the potential scale of development allowed by the redevelopment plan for the site.
mark slade
8:25 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I think this is a Great Idea! and it should greatly benefit the township!
Lee Navlen
8:45 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Yes, this is exactly what we need on the site. Hopefully, we can close the deal because this will be very good for Maplewood.
Lauren Bright Pacheco
10:01 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
My question: where, exactly, will the kids living in these apartments be attending school?
Joy Yagid
11:10 am on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
I second Lauren's question...will the builder also build an addition onto the school the families are zoned for?
Lee Navlen
3:27 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
There won't be many families with children moving into 1 and 2 bedroom high end rentals. I would imagine at most, the building could wind up housing no more than 10-12 school aged children. For the most part, the building will include local empty-nesters and young professionals.
I'm a little surprised the Mayor hasn't at least given us a ball park figure regarding the sale price. While in theory, it's the right thing to do during a negotiation, it's still a little surprising since this property has generated such public outcry. I mean, are we selling the property for $1.00, or are we selling it for $500,000 to cover the cleanup costs, or are we selling it for 3 million dollars? Looking forward to learning more.
Lauren Bright Pacheco
10:22 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Lee, Tuscan was rezoned for what, in the end, amounted to less than that number (10-12) of kids... which is probably why people are questioning where the potential students are going to be placed.
If that 50 unit building is going to being zoned for Tuscan it would make about as much sense as the fact that three new kids appeared in one of my children's classes - two AFTER the school year started.
Allison Kalsched
7:58 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Where will those 10-12 school aged children go? What district is this zoned for?
Darryl H
10:00 pm on Wednesday, June 22, 2011
When I think of a high end rental it doesn't include an active train line in my backyard, what are the property values of the existing houses along that route ? Initially people would show interest because it's new but that would fade quick once they heard those trains barreling down the tracks at all hours of the night. I live on the other side of town and can hear the whistle on the trains blow , I could only imagine how loud it would be living right on top of it. How about using that property for some kind of civic center like the one in DeHart Park or is it always about the money .........
Allison Kalsched
7:39 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
Lee, I do think it's naive to say that there won't be many children in the rentals. Apartments that size, especially if they are "high end", as you state, are well suited for families of people who are new to the area due to employment transfers, for example. Don't forget, many of us lived in 1- and 2- bedrooms with children before moving here.
Lee Navlen
9:25 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
I'm not suggesting that the building won't house children. What I am saying is that I just believe 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with rather high rents won't be ideal for large families. I have rarely seen families with children that can afford to upgrade stick it out in apartments that are not large enough.
To think that 50, 1 and 2 bedroom luxury apartments will add let's say 50 or more children to the school doesn't make much sense. These apartments will target empty-nesters and young professionals who feel they're being priced out of NYC, Brooklyn, Hoboken, Jersey City, etc.
PandP
10:25 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
how will this impact the parking situation for the train station? I normally park in or near the lot next door to the old Police Station - as do a lot of other people. There are probably about 50 - 100 cars that park in this lot or along that part of Dunnel Road. When this apartment complex is built, I assume this will impact these parking spots. Where else are we going to find space to park cars in the future?
Lee Navlen
11:20 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
From what I'm reading there should be 60 parking spots for tenets so hopefully the impact on current parking is minimal. That said, it's a good question.
Mayor De Luca, Jerry Ryan, anyone out there care to answer that one?