Apartments Proposed on Park Avenue
A Bayonne company is proposing to create eight apartments above the commercial space in this building at 413-17 Park Avenue.The corporate name is 419 Park LLC, but the building is one of Paramount Property Management's acquisitions. The refurbished storefronts are for rent from Paramount Assets. The property is in the Central Business District zone and the applicant is asking for preliminary site plan approval and relief from the requirement of one parking space for each two-bedroom apartment in order to allow "no parking spaces," according to a legal notice.
The Planning Board is scheduled to hear the matter at its 8 p.m. meeting on Nov. 6 in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.
This writer can't remember what used to be at the location. It is next to the former Eiseman's lighting appliance store, which was also acquired by Paramount. There is an old logo at the top of the facade.
Parking requirements have been reduced over the past few years. The senior center/condo complex on East Front Street was approved with 1.5 parking spaces for each two-bedroom condo, when at the time two spaces were required. The reasoning was that proximity to the main train station brought into play a lesser need for cars. Transit-oriented development around the state has relied on a reduction in parking requirements. The proposed apartments on Park Avenue would be within steps of the train station and is accessible to numerous bus routes. According to the legal notice, only one parking space is required for a two-bedroom apartment in the CBD zone. The Planning Board will have to decide whether eliminating parking requirements altogether is acceptable.--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 3:33 AM
5 Comments:
Bernice, The two coner stores (4th street) are seperate buildingsThe second one in was the site of a fatal apartment fire after WWII, The building towards 5th street acontained an automobile dealership. The second floor was a bowling alley, the site of leagues play. It later housed in the late 50s early 60 a popular model car racing track facility. The original Eisman store was where the vacant lot is just north of 4thst, and then moved into a store between the auto dealership and the corner stores one was a drug store.
A bowling alley? What a concept! Teens and residents have been asking for one for what I have listened at different forums.
As for the parking spaces, Park Avenue and downtown already suffer from lack of poor planning for cars' parking spaces, because regardless of the apartments' short walking distance from the train station, this doesn't guarantee that the occupants won't have SUV's, unless of course the developer thinks of condos and gives away Smart cars to buyers!
Regardless, Park Avenue should be a prime target to make it a one of a kind commercial spot for Plainfield, if only they plan it right.
Maria Pellum
We keep on hearing this term 'transit-oriented development' (TOD). The more I hear this term the more confused I get about it's meaning. I feel potential Developers in Plainfield use the term too often for their own means.
At the last Zoning Board meeting the developer for the building directly across from the Netherwood Train Station used this term effectively to pull the wool over the boards eyes. The Board approved plans that allow for LESS then one parking spot per apartment. Though the towns zoning requires for more than 2 spots for some of the proposed apartments, (and without a single handicap spot). All of this while 800 residents of the town were signing a petition opposing similar unsustainable overdevelopment in that area. The town is also proposing this under that same pretense. . .Transit Oriented.
When 'those' who came up with the term, TOD, they envisioned an area where people could walk to the stores and services they need. As far as I know in the South Avenue area there aren't any Supermarkets or Medical Services facilities planned.
To think that more then half of the people who will live in these venues will do so without a car is just naive!
Jim Spear
Netherwood Heights Neighbors
This proposed apartment project for Park Avenue, in the Eiseman building, is another example of the market place responding to the absence of a redevelopment plan for the core business district. This apartment complex is another form of in-fill construction which will create no tangible economic benefit to the downtown or Plainfield. In-fill housing, in contrast to large scale residential/commercial project - which a redevelopment plan would encourage (Westfield, Cranford, Fanwood, etc.) - is at best expedient planning or worse-bad planning. The need for parking is resolved by permit parking in near-by municipal lot. Now if that is not a short term fix, what is? Who will monitor the number of potential drivers that live in these apartments to insure that enough off-street parking is supplied? Today, there is insufficient on-street metered parking or too many cars. In conclusion, this type of project is indicative of a community where the politicans lack vision and the employees who know better - go along.
I was recently shown an apartment next to Park Station Liquors. I don't know if Paramount is the Landlord to this building, but it was horrible. As you first enter the building there is a strong smell of urine that overwhelms everything. If that's not enough for you, the inside looks like it has never been cleaned, EVER! Everything is run down and disgusting. Getting to the apartment. It wasn't that horrific when I looked at the room and the kitchen but once I got to the bathroom, I turned around and walked out. The price I was offered was $600.00 per month and that's great, but the conditions, plus being next to a liquor store and having to park my car in the vacant lot across the street were not for me and my daughters, so I had no choice to turn it down. As much as I can't wait for the day to get the hell out of Connolly Properties building, this was not the one for us. I am stil looking, so if any of you other readers know of an apartment for rent that is between $600 and $650 a month (studio (not a closet) or one bedroom, and nothing that belongs to Connolly Properties either, PLEASE let me know. I need something better for my children and since our great Mayor of Plainfield nor our great Assemblyman Jerry Green didn't care much to help, maybe the residents of Plainfield can do a better job and help out.
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