New 7-Eleven Coming to South Avenue

A 24-hour 7-Eleven may occupy the corner of South Avenue and Terrill Road by next spring.

The Planning Board heard the application of Plainfield Chai LLC Thursday and granted preliminary and final site plan approval after about two hours of presentation and discussion. Memorialization is expected in October, and owner Kenneth Mandelbaum said he hoped to see construction start in a couple of months for a spring opening.

According to its web site, 7-Eleven has 6,850 stores in the United States and about 29,600 internationally and is "the world’s largest operator, franchisor and licensor of convenience stores."

The Plainfield site was formerly a gas station which has been cleared of underground tanks and now has monitoring wells as required by the state Department of Environmental Protection, attorney Glenn Kienz said. Kienz said because the applicant received staff reports from the Planning Division well ahead of time, many of the issues were ironed out with city staff before Thursday’s meeting. The main sticking points at the meeting turned out to be about signage, but all were resolved Thursday.

Kienz called only one witness to testify on the application. Engineer Peter Wilner, president of Thor Engineers, described traffic plans for the proposed 28,000-square-foot store, which will have entrances and exits both on the South Avenue and Terrill Road sides of the lot. Store deliveries will be controlled by the company and will take place in traffic off-hours.

Eleven parking spaces will be provided. The applicant had proposed only one tree on the lot, where the city requires one for every 5 spaces. Kienz said another tree will be added. In addition, the city required five street trees for the site, but after consultation with April Stefel, a landscape architect in the Planning Division, Kienz said, it was decided the corner location was suitable for only one street tree. The applicant agreed to furnish four more for the city to use elsewhere on South Avenue.

Similarly, land use rules call for street lights every 60 feet, but staff agreed to have one at the corner location, matching South Avenue’s existing lamp style, and will use a second one elsewhere on the street.

Wilner said the building will be “washed with its own light.” Later in the meeting, it was explained that cornices will contain lighting across the front and eight feet back on each side of the building.

When it came to signage, the Planning Division had already advised the applicant that a 54-foot pylon sign would not be permitted. The applicant agreed to have a seven-foot podium sign on the ground, but Planning Director Bill Nierstedt argued against internal lighting for it. Kienz pointed out the need to meet 7-Eleven signage standards, but Planning Board Chairman Ken Robertson noted the board had successfully held another national chain, White Castle, to Plainfield’s standards for the South Avenue business corridor. After Kienz and Wilner explained that the corner ground sign really needed to be visible as well as distinctive, the board agreed to permit internal lighting instead of external spotlights.

In other concessions, the applicant agreed to reduce a 7-Eleven sign on the side of the building from 9 by 3 feet to 8 by 3 feet to meet the city limit of 24 square feet for building signs. An ATM sign was also reduced from 10 square feet to 6 square feet. But the main 7-Eleven sign on the front of the building was allowed to stay at 17 by 3 feet after members agreed a truncated sign might not look right.

Of two “panel boxes” proposed for the front of the building, one will be relocated inside and the other will be moved to where it will be hidden by landscaping.

Planning Board member Bill Toth, an architect, asked that the applicant do something to make the store entrance “look like a door rather than an emergency exit.” He suggested a canopy or other door treatment to improve the appearance of the entry.

With all issues resolved, the board approved the application.

Councilman Cory Storch, the City Council’s liaison to the Planning Board, explained that the city has “invested a lot of money” in South Avenue, most recently approving $1.7 million to repave the street. He also mentioned the efforts of the Plainwood Square merchants’ association to improve the corridor, suggesting “we should be very respectful” of South Avenue.

Storch also put in a pitch for a new Economic Growth Committee established by the council.

“We’re trying to make Plainfield business-friendly,” he said.

The South Avenue corridor is home to the Netherwood train station as well as numerous restaurants, Walgreens and a variety of specialty stores. The central business district and the South Avenue comprise the Special Improvement District, where an extra tax is collected and used for amenities and events to attract diners and shoppers.

--Bernice Paglia

About the Slide Show

To see the lot numbers, run the cursor along the bottom of the slide. I laboriously put them up in numerical order, but the Slide thing rejiggered them to the order in which they were taken.

I started with Lot 7, on East Seventh Street between Park & Watchung. Two churches rely on this lot for parking on Sundays and it may also serve a new state office building that is under construction at 110 East Fifth Street. Next is the long, narrow Lot 5 along the railroad tracks across from the Police Division. Lot 6 is behind Bill's Luncheonette, across East Second Street from the old Miron's warehouse (now aka "Luxury Condos"). Landmark Developers has purchased the Romond Jeep building across the street. Click here to read about his plans and his views on parking needs downtown, especially his opinion that a proposed six-story parking deck on Lot 6 is no longer needed.

Lot 1 is behind the former Strand Theater. The theater's last major use was to show Indian films, but the lot was very dark and lighting had to be added for the crowds that parked there. Eventually the shows stopped. A man who was walking his dog there told me a group of homeless men live under the nearby bridge over the Green Brook. On to Lot 8 across Watchung Avenue. This is a very busy lot behind stores and restaurants on the north side of the block between Somerset and Watchung. Edison Garcia, chairman of Latinos Promoting Plainfield, has received city permission to have the lot closed from noon to 7 p.m. (Correction: Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20 - incorrect dates were on agenda-fixing session information) on Sept. 20 and 21 for the city's first "Downtown Fiesta Day" celebrating the independence of Central America. It's possible that people can park in Lot 1 those days either to go shopping or to go to the fiesta, although Lot 1 only has 14 metered spaces and 152 permit spaces.

Lot 4 is along the Green Brook between Somerset and Madison. Some of the spaces appear to be reserved for residents of Horizons at Plainfield, 75 apartments in the former Tepper's building. There is a memorial closer to the Madison Avenue side for a young man who was killed in the lot.

Moving along the Central and West Front, there is quite a large lot listed as having 113 permit spaces and 25 metered spaces. Most people know it as a gathering place for day laborers.

Across West Second Street, there is a newly-constructed lot alongside a very nice little park, with lovely landscaping and new playground equipment. It is Lot 2, but has no markings as such.

Going south and east to West Fourth Street, one comes up on Lot 10. The Parking Bureau building is adjacent to the lot, which spans the block to West Fifth Street.

There is no Lot 3 and Lot 8A is a small section off Lot 8. A chart in the Planning Division lists Madison Park and Cleveland & 4th as two other lots, but there is now a county office building on the Madison Park lot. A parking garage was also constructed, but it is not open to the public.

I may do a separate post on Cleveland & 4th, a small lot listed as having just 29 permit spaces, presumably attractive to commuters using the main train station.

When I first came to Plainfield, lots had booths with parking attendants. As I recall, there was a self-sustaining Parking Authority that was disbanded at some point. The Parking Bureau now issues permits and checks meters on the street. On a breakdown of revenues in the SFY 2009 budget, an item titled "Parking Meter Permits" is listed as bringing in $294,310.62, but is unclear whether it means all revenues from meters and permits, or something else.
Any parking fines would be lumped under the $1 million or so in miscellaneous fines and penalties collected by Municipal Court.

Among reasons why I looked into this subject, I was checking the Downtown Westfield Corporation web site and noticed that there was good information on where to park. Even though I been here 26 years and was a reporter for 16 years with assignments all over the city, I really had to wrack my brain to identify the Plainfield lots. Most are just a few steps off the main drags, but not obvious to visitors or even residents. About one-third of the spaces are metered and permits are currently required for the rest, except for a handful of handicap spaces.

I am hoping to get more information on the number of permits currently held and other data that would help illuminate the subject of Plainfield parking lots. Dating back to the days of razing for urban renewal, numerous parking studies were done. I am not advocating another formal study, just a commonsense look at what we have and how things are going.

--Bernice Paglia

Planners Endorse Intersection Upgrade

A proposed makeover of a traffic island where three streets meet won Planning Board support Thursday (Feb. 1, 2007).

Residents near the intersection of East Ninth Street, Park Avenue and Prospect Avenue wanted the Union County redesign of a traffic island to include trees, grassy plots, floral plantings and benches along with pedestrian walkways. April Stefel of the city Planning Division and Union County engineer Paul Leso presented the plans and Crescent Area Historic District resident Maria Pellum explained how the concept was developed with the goal of adding green space to the neighborhood.

The intersection abuts both the Crescent district and the Van Wyck Brooks Historic District. It was up for a redesign to improve traffic flow and safety and residents asked to add the esthetic changes. The board’s decision on the capital project is advisory only, Planning Board Chairman Ken Robertson said.

Leso said the project is part of a proposal to improve nine “signalized intersections” from South End Parkway up to Front Street. The county was approved for federal funding to pay part of the cost. The entire project is estimated to cost $2.7 million and the federal “earmark” of $1,255,206 would pay for the first phase, from South End Parkway to Ninth Street, Leso said..

The intersection now has only a concrete island, which would be replaced by a peninsula with the improvements sought by the community. Pellum said residents would take care of the plantings and would make sure proposed benches did not lead to loitering or illicit activity.

Pellum said she moved to the neighborhood about 20 months ago and has since organized a block association in the district. (Click here for map.) She said residents worked with Library Director Joe Da Rold and Police Chief Edward Santiago to rid Library Park of drug activity, with extra lighting being a key factor.

Stefel said the city could supply two benches left over from a downtown streetscape project. The peninsula would not be a park, she said but “a nice-looking pass-through.”
The county agreed to provide light poles in black to blend with those at Park and Seventh.

Leso said the county will use traffic control cameras to monitor traffic flow and will install LED lights that require less maintenance than other street lights. The traffic lights will have battery backup for emergencies. The county’s goal is “to get traffic to move more efficiently and increase the safety of the corridor,” he said.

In agreeing to the concept, the board asked for stamped concrete portions of the peninsula to be colored and textured to look like slate. Board member William Toth suggested finding a way to get a water spigot on the site for plant maintenance. Stefel requested conduits to be installed for such time as the city can purchase six decorative street lamps. Pellum said walkways should be wide enough to accommodate the many students who pass through the intersection. The county will provide enough Belgian block to edge the central landscaped spaces.

The board unanimously approved the stipulations. The improved intersection will become an “entrance to the district,” Stefel said.

--Bernice Paglia

Council Introduces Budget Amendments

The City Council voted Monday to introduce budget amendments that will reduce the municipal tax levy by $3.2 million, a 6.6 percent decrease from $48 million when the budget was introduced back in September.

City Administrator Marc Dashield explained each amendment and the council voted on them as a whole, instead of a voice vote on every line, as in the past. The next step is for the amendments to be published before a hearing set for 8 p.m. on April 27 in Municipal Court. The council may then pass the amended budget.

Taxpayers should see a "dramatic decrease" in their next tax bills, Dashield said, because estimated bills had been set at "5 percent." Dashield said the city needs to "do a PR campaign" to publicize the new rate. But when Council President Rashid Burney asked whether residents had been "overbilled," Dashield said "yes."

The total budget for FY 2009, as amended, is $68 million, down from $72 million.

Among the changes, the "other expenses" category for the Corporation Counsel's office increased 65 percent, from $270,000 to $445,000, due to anticipated legal costs for several pending lawsuits, including the city's appeal of the Muhlenberg closing. Public Information costs dropped from $110,000 to zero, because the office was collapsed into Information Technology, which in turn saw an increase from $75,000 in other expenses to $210,000. Gasoline costs went up 22 percent to $414,000. and street lighting went up 9.4 percent to $635,000.

Many other categories were reduced, including a $100,000 cut to the Plainfield Public Library.

The amendments included changing a payment in lieu of taxes for the Allen-Young Apartments from $1,847,266.20 to $184,266.20, to cure a typo. But another one crept in, when a capital improvements figure went from $560,000 to $5,600,000.

The net budget change went from a proposed tax increase of 9.5 percent to just a 2.2 percent increase in the local tax levy over last year.

Besides having to wait on the state for budget information, the city also saw shifts in personnel that slowed things down. Finance Director Douglas Peck left in December and for the second time in the past three years, Dashield had to serve in that role in addition to his own. The city also had to wait for state legislation allowing pension deferral for tax relief.

--Bernice Paglia

New Charter School Approvals Expected in April

A new “green” charter high school seeking to locate in the Boys & Girls Club building on West Seventh Street fell short of getting speedy approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment Monday and will have to finish up on April 7.

Representatives for the Barack Obama Green Charter School and the Boys & Girls Club of Union County appeared at the special meeting Monday, giving testimony and answering questions for about two hours before ZBOA Chairman Scott Belin said the board still needed to hear from a planner. Belin recognized the applicants’ wish to expedite the approval, but denied their wish for a second special meeting and told them to find a way to wrap it up at the board’s next regular meeting.

In addition, Planning Director Bill Nierstedt said an expected report from the engineering firm T&M Associates had not arrived by the close of business Monday and board members needed to review it before making a decision.

The Boys & Girls Club building is in a former school connected to a synagogue on West Seventh Street. Sal Dovi, executive director of the organization, said the club carried out a $960,000 renovation of the dilapidated premises in 2001. The club now serves 45 to 50 “tweens and teens” per day in after-school and evening hours, but saw the school as a good fit for use in daytime.

The charter school expects enrollment of 6o students each in grades 9 and 10 in September and founder and principal Safiyah Sadiq said there would be no overlap in the usage, as school hours would be from 7:30 to 3 p.m. In keeping with the school’s philosophy of sustainability, students would walk to school and bring their own lunches. After school, the program calls for students to take part in internships with various higher education institutions.

The board questioned the use of the building, including where students would eat lunch, adequacy of toilet facilities, handicap accessibility, emergency issues, parking, traffic considerations and possible expansion of enrollment. Sadiq said there was a lunchroom space, but lunch storage would require an upgrade to a commercial refrigerator.

According to testimony, there are no separate toilet facilities for students and staff, but they are adequate for the projected population. Concerns about a handicap ramp exiting to a driveway could be resolved by a proposed repositioning of handicap spaces. Parking is sufficient for 18 vehicles, which would accommodate both uses.

The board also discussed parking space lighting and even roof access for planting. A lighting plan will be required so that neighbors in nearby residences are not affected, but Sadiq said there is no plan to use the roof for planting.

The Barack Obama Green Charter School already has 86 students signed up, Sadiq said. To learn more about the school and its concepts, click here.

--Bernice Paglia

New Building Proposed for West Front Street

Developer Steven Eleftheriou won preliminary approval Wednesday for a three-story new building with four retail spaces and eight apartments on a West Front Street vacant lot between Liberty and New streets.

The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the application after about three hours of testimony and questioning. Attorney Bob Smith and a team of professional experts gave details of the application and responded to points in reports by T&M Associates and Planning Director Bill Nierstedt, along with innumerable “what-ifs” from board members. The session lived up to newly-reelected ZBA Chairman Scott Belin’s promise that every application will be thoroughly vetted during his tenure.

Eleftheriou said he hoped to have legal or accounting offices or perhaps nail or hair salons on the first floor, but said he was open to suggestions. Board members said they did not want to see late-night uses such as pool halls or taverns, in consideration of tenants in the two-bedroom apartments upstairs. But Smith said the size of the retail spaces would preclude many of the uses permitted under the mixed-use zone designation the applicant sought.

The lot is in a medium-density residential zone, but is slated to be re-zoned for mixed retail and residential use when the City Council approves a revised zoning ordinance, possibly as soon as next summer. At present, the neighborhood is in fact a combination of multi-family buildings, restaurants and other business uses.

A recurring question in the discussion was what hours of operation would be imposed on retail tenants. The board finally settled on 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Early on, Belin asked how downstairs noise would be compatible with tenants trying to put children to sleep, but expert planning witness Kevin O’Brien suggested tenants would most likely be couples who would use the second bedrooms as home offices.

The site will have 31 parking spaces, with 16 dedicated for residents.

Among the what-ifs:

What if someone came home sick from work and found their parking space taken? Spaces will be numbered and the lot will be posted with warnings that violators will be towed.

What if someone wanted to see the sky or a back yard? This after O’Brien said there would be negative impact from the project. Belin argued there could be an “esthetic detriment.”

“Some people like to see green. I would be very careful if I say there would be no detriment,” he said.

To an observer not schooled in the fine points of land use law, some of the evening’s more interesting revelations were the proposed use of solar panels, energy-efficient lighting and a plan to pump water from a detention basin to water vegetation on the site. Each apartment will have its own washer, dryer, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator and radiant baseboard gas heating. Common areas will have remotely-monitored surveillance cameras and solar panel-powered utilities. Balconies will provide open space.

Each 13-by-16 square foot master bedroom with a walk-in closet and one other closet, while each 11.5-by-11 square feet bedrooms will have a sliding-door closet.

Eleftheriou projected a fair market rent rate of from $1,100 to $1,400 for the apartments. Once final approvals are granted, he said, he hopes to start construction in the spring. The estimated cost for the new construction is $1.5 to $1.8 million.

At the hearing’s conclusion, board members commented favorably before voting. Melvin Cody said the proposal “brings a lot to the city of Plainfield,” while Robert Scott hailed it as “one less vacant lot” and Alex Ruiz said he was “in favor of filling in the gaps.”

Originally offered as a modern-looking structure, the building was recast with traditional architectural details, which Ruiz said gave it “character.”

Belin called it “an interesting project” before the board voted unanimous approval.

--Bernice Paglia

Lights, Action ...

"Let there be light!" my neighbor proclaimed as she called to say a Signal Bureau team was in Lot 7, fixing the lamps that have been out for months.

We began guessing why action was being taken now, after so many months of darkness. She thought it was because I had pointed out the non-working lamps when I blogged about the weedy sidewalk to Park Avenue from Lot 7. I had seen two state government cars on Cleveland Avenue today and guessed that officials were checking up on Lot 7 per a plan announced many months ago for employees of a new state office at 110 East Fifth Street to park in Lot 7.

Tonight it dawned on me that the lights were fixed just in time for the opening night of a theater production of "Steel Magnolias" at First Unitarian Society of Plainfield, where the Act IV group is based. Maybe church officials sought the change. This theater group is well-known and attracts out-of-town patrons who might otherwise be put off by a pitch-dark parking lot.

Whatever the reason, I'm sure the one overnight permit holder appreciates it. She leaves for her work at JFK Medical Center in the wee hours and the improved lighting must give her a sense of greater personal safety.

So thanks to the Signal Bureau for whatever the reason you took action today.

I must say I am looking forward to see the opening of the Cleveland Avenue/East Fifth Street building, which will include retail outlets as well as offices. It is in sort of a byway, between Park and Watchung, but also a logical destination for commuters from the main train station, City Hall employees and the many tenants of Connolly buildings on Block 832 and environs. I can't wait to see what the retail businesses will be. It is one of the first major overhauls by Paramount Assets, which has acquired nearly all the downtown commercial property including the former Pittis Estate.

The only downside is the loss of an Art Deco historic facade featuring a Ford logo that is now buried under some kind of modern building material.

This building is right across from E&A Bar & Restaurant Supply, famous in its own right, but which still may benefit from extra traffic at the refurbished building.

--Bernice Paglia

Parking, Back Taxes Sink Church Plan

The application of a South Avenue church to relocate to a nearby building was denied Thursday over lack of parking and back taxes owed by the owner.

New Visions Ministries sought to bring its 40-member congregation to 504 South Avenue, a newly-renovated building on the corner at Richmond Street. The building takes up virtually the entire lot, leaving no room for parking, trash containers or landscaping. New Visions sought waivers for everything on a long Planning Division checklist, but the board did not accept a proposal for parking at a nearby car wash because it is not laid out for parking. The board has also made it a rule not to consider applications where owners owe the city taxes, members said.

New Visions representatives balked at the board's suggestion that the cement be opened to make room for trees. The church was only seeking to occupy a portion of the building for three years, using portable chairs and making no permanent alterations to the interior. The church would comply with lighting and signage regualtions, attorney Warren Smith said.

The owner, Paramount Property Management, agreed to let the church make the application. But even after some of the requirements were resolved through discussion, the board voted to dismiss the application without prejudice, meaning the church can come back without having to pay fees for a new application once the outstanding issues are addressed.

--Bernice Paglia

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

Apartment Plan Wins First Approval

The Planning Board granted preliminary site plan approval Thursday (Nov. 6, 2008) for a proposal to create eight two-bedroom apartments in vacant space over the former Eiseman’s lighting store on Park Avenue.

The applicant, 419 Park LLC, faced tough questions from Planning Board members regarding how parking, waste removal and open space would be provided. Company representatives said offsite permit parking in a nearby city parking lot would be included in the lease. Each apartment would have a storage closet for garbage and recycling, and there would be a common collection point alongside a stairwell to the second floor. Waste and recycling would only be placed on the street immediately before a scheduled pickup, company representatives said.

“We understand the appearance of Plainfield is very important,” said Richard Dunn, the company’s vice president of operations.

The property, one of many acquired by Paramount Property Management under various separate corporate names, has modernized retail space on the first floor.

The board discussed the possibility of balconies or other means of providing open space, but nothing was resolved. Balconies, if created, would merely look out onto brick walls next door, company representatives said. The newly-refurbished Madison Avenue playground, about three blocks away, was mentioned as an alternative play source for children.

Another concern was emergency escape. The company said a proposed rear fire escape could be augmented by restoration of a front fire escape that would serve two of the apartments, thus reducing possible crowding at the rear in case of a fire or other emergency.

Asked why they settled on two bedrooms, company officials said one-bedroom apartments attracted transients and three bedrooms tended to become overcrowded. The two-bedroom apartments were ideal for families, their target tenants, they said.

Board members pressed for amenities such as a laundry room and community room, but company official Maurice Levy said, “I’m not in the Laundromat business.” Later, Levy agreed to place a washer and dryer in each apartment, deemed a safer alternative than a common laundry room.

The applicant must return to the board later for final site plan approval.

--Bernice Paglia