The board approved two towers in the Newport area, both located on 14th Street.
Also, they approved a 54,134 square foot industrial warehouse on Communipaw Avenue, which received the backing of City Councilwoman Viola Richardson and Hudson County Freeholder Jeffrey Dublin.
The Planning Board also approved the application for an 8-story, 40-unit building on Baldwin Avenue. But that was only after residents living near the site of the proposed building objected publicly to the height and increased traffic it would bring to the area, which brought about changes to the initial plans.
The Planning Board members at the meeting were Board Chairman Michael Ryan, Leon Yost, Frank DeSando, City Councilman Steve Lipski, Rosanne Petruzelli, Walt Boraczek, Larry Eccleston, and David Ruiz.Keeping a neighborhood intact
Plans originally called for a 9-story, 40-unit building with 32 parking spaces for construction on a lot encompassing both 205-211 Baldwin Ave. and 25 Perrine Ave., located only a few blocks from the Journal Square PATH Train Station. 15 parking spaces on-site would be accessed through Perrine Avenue.
However, residents of Perrine Avenue spoke out at Tuesday's meeting against various elements of the project.
Lifetime Perrine Avenue resident Kevin O'Connell pointed out his block is a one-way street with only one side for parking and for as long as he can remember has been a secluded playground for neighborhood children. Those situations he said will be changed with the presence of the new building, of which he approves.
"Now you're adding an additional 16 cars coming in and out of the street at various times," said O'Connell. "It will get to the point where you will have two-way traffic on Perrine Avenue..."
O'Connell went on to say, "If you are not an aggressive driver, then you can find yourself stuck in traffic."
Another longtime Perrine Avenue resident, Kathy Diamantopoulos, said she was opposed to the height of the building as it would overshadow a block filled with three-story houses, and will be "blocking the view of the New York skyline". She was still unhappy after the board approved the project.
Longtime Journal Square area resident Richard Boggiano said he would like to have seen the issue discussed early in the meeting to accommodate residents, and said Perrine Avenue is "one of the last quiet blocks in Jersey City".
Attorney George Garcia, representing the developer of 205-211 Baldwin Ave., George Sacks, said Sacks was willing to eliminate the parking spaces on Perrine Avenue and would eliminate one less floor from the building. The zoning of the area permits 11 stories.
The "compromise" as Garcia referred to this project's changes led to the board approving the project. The project construction will begin later this year. The Herbert Hoover and the Savoy
Coming to Newport - two more residential towers.
The board approved first the Herbert Hoover at 75 14th St., a 29-story, 341-unit building to be built on top of a one-story retail base. Then it approved the Savoy at 45 14th St., a 17-story, 146-unit building with ground floor retail. There will be parking for both buildings in an existing garage located the proposed buildings.
Both buildings will be located between 14th Street and Washington Boulevard, in the Newport Redevelopment Area Northeast Quadrant. That is the last underdeveloped section of the Newport, the Jersey City community that has grown into 600 acres of waterfront land, nearly 4,000 residential units, and over 10,000 residents, all between Sixth Street and 18th Street. It marked the 20th anniversary of its groundbreaking last year.
It is expected it would take 15 to 20 years to completely develop Newport as Richard LeFrak, chairman and president of the LeFrak Organization, made a public promise at their 20th anniversary event last year to do so.
When Board Commissioner Yost asked William Wissemann of Newport Development Associates about green space at the Herbert Hoover, Wissemann said it was not possible. The "Ideal" project
A new warehouse for industrial supply may not be everyone's ideal but for the Jersey City-based Ideal Supply Company; it is their "ideal" project.
The 54,134 square-foot warehouse with a rear parking lot will be built at 437 and 453 Communipaw Avenue, known as the Summergrade building that has been abandoned for a number of years and will be demolished.
The new warehouse would serve as a new distribution and warehouse facility for the company, which has operated out of their current location of 441-445 Communipaw Avenue for approximately 45 years. Ideal is a supplier of pipe valves and fitting to construction projects in New York and New Jersey since 1930.
The new warehouse would be used in conjunction with Ideal's existing warehouse, expanding their business .8 acres to 2.5 acres.
The developers of the new warehouse were looking for deviations from what is allowed in the Morris Canal Redevelopment Plan (I-A Subdistrict) in regards to lot size, front yard and side yard setback.
Attorney Dan Keo, representative for Ideal Supply said at the meeting the new project "will increase jobs in the area and overall frankly beautify the area."
Donald Strittmatter, the president of Ideal Supply, pointed out the rationale for expansion since the company's business has grown from 35 employees and $2.5 million in inventory doing $13 million in business in 1991 to 64 employees and $5 million in inventory with $40 million in business projected for August of this year.
"We have a great opportunity to become a major factor not just in New Jersey but in all of New York City," said Strittmatter.
Strittmatter also said expansion will also allow the company to hire new employees, especially from the immediate area as he answered to the board that he met with various community leaders about the project, saying they were "favorably impressed".
Strittmatter said 34 employees reside in Hudson County, 26 from Jersey City.
A number of elected officials and department directors were in attendance to hear the project discussed including Richardson, Dublin and Jersey City Redevelopment Agency head Robert Antonicello, all of whom speaking favorably on the project to the board about Ideal staying in the neighborhood and continuing to employ local residents. Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com
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