More than 35 people came out to hear Stuart Portney of The Metro Company LLC present a draft of the Dunnell Road Police Station Redevelopment Plan to the Maplewood Planning Board last night.

The meeting, which began at 8 p.m., was adjourned at 11 p.m. although many residents still had not had an opportunity to address the consultant. In order to accommodate those residents, Planning Chair Tom Carlson announced that the public commentary would continue at the next Planning Board meeting on November 10.

The Township's plans for the property have been the source of much discussion and, according to Mayor Vic DeLuca, misinformation. The presentation of the redevelopment plan last night was intended to address those concerns and also move the redevelopment plan forward.

The draft plan, which Portney said utilized information from a public consensus-building process and several proposals submitted by developers, outlined a potential future for the site—now occupied by the abandoned former police building—that would include a multi-level residential development. The draft plan followed goals and objectives to create a new ratable for the Township, generate a project that would make it possible for the Township to apply for "Transit Village" status from the State, foster a pedestrian-friendly environment where people can "live, work and play" and follow smart growth principles.

Residents who questioned the consultant were largely concerned about the guidelines for the size of the project which would allow for a building up to 50 feet in height and that could have a zero-foot setback (though a setback of up to 20 feet would be allowed). Portney said that the height and footprint guidelines were partially driven by economics but also by considerations such as the possible need to create a roof large enough to accommodate solar power or another green energy option.

Several commenters, including Planning Board member John Branigan, questioned whether the building was out of character with the surrounding area where other structures do not exceed 2-1/2 stories or 30 ft. Portney responded, "We understood that the governing body was looking at this area as changing and saw that the area could become an area of 4-5 story buildings. This is the first step. Frankly, I think this is a good thing."

Other concerns included flooding, tree shade removal, and the possible need for a retaining wall. All of these concerns, said Portney, would need to be resolved during a site plan approval process. He stressed that he was not a civil engineer.

David Huemer asked if there would be public parking at the site since it currently accommodates a number of public spaces. "No," said Portney.

Local planning consultant Peter Steck was also in attendance in the audience. Steck was hired by residents of two single-family homes on Maplewood Avenue to perform an analysis of the proposed redevelopment plan. Steck delivered a memorandum to the Planning Board on October 8 recommending against the plan. In the memo, he argued that the redevelopment plan runs counter to the Maplewood Master Plan of 2004. One objection is that the Master Plan shows the site to be located in an area designated as R-1-7 zoning, which allows for buildings not to exceed 2 stories and 35 feet in height.

Offline, a number of the residents present told Patch that they were concerned that the plan was "tipped on the side of the developers" and that the development—far from being smart growth—would overburden Township facilities such as the library and the schools, while providing little tax benefit.

These residents and others will have another chance to relate these concerns at 8 p.m., Tuesday, November 10, when the Planning Board convenes its next meeting.