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Re: We need your help in the village!
#1
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Quote:

Tino wrote:
Not really the point I was going for, but sure I guess it does. The developer/lawyer's main points were that the building is practically in the Newark Ave. zone and should be zoned accordingly, the adjacent building heights are in line with what they're trying to build, adding a garage for parking would kill 2 permanent street parking spots and only net gain a couple spots.


I was at that VNA meeting - and you are correct that the developer's point was that since his building was close to those that are zoned NC, he shouldn't have to comply with the R1 that he is zoned. That is classic zoning by variance, and I am concerned about the success of an argument about being "NC adjacent" being the same thing as NC.

Also - all he wanted was the height and density goodies of an NC, but not the other parts of that zoning that can make the added height and density more palatable - commercial space or parking.

Posted on: 2016/4/7 16:17
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Re: We need your help in the village!
#2
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk



Wishful_Thinking wrote:
Quote:

...so that when the City caves to their demand for no development you get situations like this - a parcel that can't practically be built on, unless the waivers are granted.


In this case, there is little economic hardship in the development - a 6 apartment building currently exists, although in bad shape - and it has been owned by the same family for decades. This is not the case of someone paying so much money for the property that developing within the zoning rules is impossible.

With apartments in the Village going for between $650 and $700 a square foot, even if they tore down and re-created the existing building it would make profit.

And if the zoning rules were enforced, the market would keep the prices in check. Land where one can build only 3 stories is going to be less expensive than land where 6 stories are permitted.

Part of the problem in the Village is that height and lot coverage variances started to be handed out with such frequency that developers started paying more for parcels than a conforming R1 building could sustain. But I don't think the community is under any obligation to make good on their gambles.

Posted on: 2016/4/5 23:27
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Re: proposal for changing R1 zoning to R5 in Downtown JC
#3
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


It has been withdrawn from the Planning Board meeting.

As for the Village having so much influence - the Village is the neighborhood most affected. With the exception of a few blocks in the western section of Hamilton Park, virtually all of the current R1 in Downtown is in the Village.


Posted on: 2016/4/4 16:40
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Re: proposal for changing R1 zoning to R5 in Downtown JC
#4
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


The Planning Board meeting is tomorrow night (Tuesday, April 5, 5:30pm at City Hall) and the R1 to R5 is on the agenda, though significantly different than it was last month.

The Planning Department found a lot of resistance to the original proposed changes among the residents of the Village, and worked extensively with the Village Neighborhood Association to reach a compromise that allows for greater density, less parking and slightly more height.

The current R1s north of Newark Ave will be restricted to 41 feet (plus flood elevation) and 4 stories. The R1s south of Newark Avenue will be 31 feet (plus flood) and 3 stories.

Developers who have been using variances to bypass the R1 zoning over the last several years are apparently planning to fight this.

We need everyone to attend and have their voices heard! Whether you agree with the new zoning or not - this could hugely affect the future of the entire Village neighborhood.

Here is the proposed zoning:
http://data.jerseycitynj.gov/dataset/bb9...

Here is the Planning Board agenda: http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploaded...

Posted on: 2016/4/4 15:53
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Re: We need your help in the village!
#5
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


the variances the developer is going for are both height (5 stories where 3 is allowed) and building coverage (90+% rather than the 65% allowed) - it is currently an R1, and will still be an R1 on April 7th.

The lot coverage that is the biggest problem for the balconies.




Posted on: 2016/3/22 23:46
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Re: proposal for changing R1 zoning to R5 in Downtown JC
#6
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


They have postponed the hearing on the R5 zoning change - not going to be on March 22nd.

Now not sure when it will be brought before the Planning Board - or in what form.


Posted on: 2016/3/18 19:38
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Re: proposal for changing R1 zoning to R5 in Downtown JC
#7
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Here is the R5 proposal - it will be presented to the Planning Board this coming Tuesday (March 22, 5:30pm)

http://data.jerseycitynj.gov./dataset ... c7-42a7-bc0e-8d836b94607f

The Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association got the presentation a couple of weeks ago - their discussions are restricted to their members, so not sure what their reactions were.

At the Village Neighborhood Association there was a lively discussion for about an hour and a half about it. The Village is the area most impacted by it, and one of the biggest concerns was that it wouldn't address the biggest problem that the Village has faced in recent years - the zoning by variance that has been affecting the Village building by building, as developers request (and usually get) much more height and density than currently allowed. The developers who routinely ask for 5 and 6 stories in a 3-story zone may not be satisfied with the increase to 4 stories.


Posted on: 2016/3/17 11:20
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proposal for changing R1 zoning to R5 in Downtown JC
#8
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


On March 22 the Planning Board will hear a proposal to eliminate the R1 zoning downtown, replacing it with R5. R1 is 1- and 2-family housing with 3 stories, R5 will be 4 stories, 4-family buildings. There are also changes to parking requirements, lot size and commercial use on some streets.

the proposal can be read here:
http://hpnajc.org/resources/Documents ... %20R-5%20PB%20Version.pdf

The Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association heard the presentation from Planning about this a week ago. The Village Neighborhood Association will hear it this Thursday.

If you live in the Village (area between the Turnpike extension and Coles, and between Columbus and 7th Street) and are interested in hearing the details and asking questions - the VNA meeting is 7:30 pm on March 10 at 365 Second Street (between Monmouth & Brunswick Streets).


Posted on: 2016/3/8 18:33
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#9
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


here is the latest:

the proposed zoning changes will be presented to the Planning Committee on this coming Tuesday, February 23.

Instead of R-1 will be changed to R-5 - same as the R-E mentioned below (ie 4-family, 4 stories instead of 2-family, 3 stories), with these tweaks:

- Parking is prohibited on lots less than 40 ft wide, unless they have access to a rear alley, and they can park in the back.
- Parking standards are min of .5 and max of 1
- The height is limited to 45 ft
- Anything that goes over 45 ft has to setback or change materials

I do wonder about restricting height to 45 feet, except for change of materials or a setback - doesn't sound like anyone who hires an even barely competent architect needs to worry about the 45 feet restriction at all.

the Planning Board meets at 5:30pm on Tuesday in the City Council chambers on the second floor of City Hall.

the re-zoning is no.10 on the agenda - pretty early
http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploa ... a%20Feb%2023rd%202016.pdf

Posted on: 2016/2/20 20:46
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#10
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Quote:

ProdigalSon wrote:
Quote:

Erobinsonh wrote:

There are proposed zoning changes coming to the Village - no more R-1s, but what would be replacing the R1s in this case would allow 375 Fifth Street to be 8 units, with 4 parking spaces, instead of the 14 units, 0 parking requested. (Under current zoning it would be 4 units, 4 parking)

One of the reasons to re-zone the Village is to stop this game of escalating variances, but I don't know whether 375 Fifth Street would scale back if the City Council had already voted on this - asking for variances for height and density has historically been a successful strategy.



Can you go into the details on the zoning changes? Will all current R-1's be rezoned? I'm curious if my current R-1 will then allow me to build more/higher then is already existing.


At the moment the proposed changes are just for the Village - and details are still being discussed.

R-1 would become R-E, which would change the 1 or 2 family, 3-story with parking R1 into a 4-family, 4-story, no parking RE.
Also, on certain streets the former R1s would be allowed to have retail on the ground floor.



Posted on: 2015/11/30 16:54
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#11
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


for the third time in 2015, 375 Fifth Street is on the agenda for the Board of Adjustment - which is having a special meeting tonight (Mon, Nov 30) at City Hall at 6:30.

Earlier this year they proposed a 7-story, 19 unit, no parking building on an R1 lot (3-story, 1 or 2 family allowed). After much community opposition, they withdrew their proposal.

A revised building was proposed last month - still requiring multiple variances. This time they want 5-stories and 14 units (again, no parking).

Based on the presentation of the architect to the VNA, the justification for ignoring the zoning designation is that the proposed building is more aesthetically pleasing than the current one (a low bar), and that since the buildings behind it on Newark Avenue are NC, then it should be allowed to transform into the zoning designation of the structures that are behind the back yard.

There are proposed zoning changes coming to the Village - no more R-1s, but what would be replacing the R1s in this case would allow 375 Fifth Street to be 8 units, with 4 parking spaces, instead of the 14 units, 0 parking requested. (Under current zoning it would be 4 units, 4 parking)

One of the reasons to re-zone the Village is to stop this game of escalating variances, but I don't know whether 375 Fifth Street would scale back if the City Council had already voted on this - asking for variances for height and density has historically been a successful strategy.

Last month this project was adjourned, because the developer had brought out so many people to support it that the Board was concerned that the presentation would stretch after midnight.

It is possible that some of the supporters were actual community members who felt so strongly about adding 14 new neighbors to the area that they independently showed up - but I sat next to a woman during that meeting who described herself as "a friend of a friend" of the developer, and she had been given a helpful "fact sheet" to clarify the reasons for supporting the project.

There were also a number of people in the audience who were there to ask that the project be scaled back - and, I know, it is exhausting to be asked to come out to these meetings every other week, but if you feel that development in the Village needs to be more closely checked, please show up tonight!

Posted on: 2015/11/30 12:43
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#12
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


For the 3rd Thursday in the last 5 weeks - there's a Board of Adjustment meeting!

And, again, there are properties in the Village seeking height, density and parking variances - because building within the existing zoning rules is for chumps.

There are 3 Village buildings requesting variances on the agenda (no link to the agenda, as of this posting, on the official site - http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/zoningboardagenda/).

The one case that is going to bring out people to speak against the request for variances is at 416 1st Street - an R1 (1 or 2 family home, 3 stories) which the developer wants, according to the agenda, to turn into a 5-story, 6 unit building with 2 parking spaces.

If you want to voice your opposition (or approval) for another building that basically wants to turn an R1 into and R3 by using variances, then please come out to City Hall, City Council chamber, 280 Grove Street at 6:30pm on Thursday.

If you can't make it this time - I am sure there will be plenty more opportunities to oppose (or support) similar projects in the coming months.

Posted on: 2015/11/11 19:04
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#13
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Here is tonight's Board of Adjustment agenda (6:30pm at City Council chambers in City Hall)

http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/uploa ... d_Agenda/zb102915.agn.pdf

The second and third buildings on the agenda are in the Village and are asking for variances - 2 extra stories each.

20 parking spaces for 45 units at 380 Newark (NC zoning), 0 parking spaces for 14 units at 375 Fifth Street (R1 zoning)



Posted on: 2015/10/29 21:23
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#14
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Quote:

JCGuys wrote:
Anything that can block the view and noise from the overpass is a positive in my books.



Anything? A nuclear power plant? A 24-hour beer garden/disco/casino? Another Goldman Sachs tower?

Why not a 5-story building? Given the current real estate boom, I doubt it's really a choice of 7 stories or nothing at all.

Should we even have zoning? Should we try to preserve the character of the Village, or just let the developers do whatever they want and just let this place turn into Houston?

Posted on: 2015/10/15 19:59
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#15
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Quote:

dtjcview wrote:

Buildings that hide the ugly overpass and insulate the sound are a plus imo.


You may be closer to the overpass than I am - I am two blocks away from it and can see it clearly from my bedroom window. Although it's not exactly a Roman Aqueduct, I don't find it to be that ugly. It's relatively low profile, so what I mostly see are the trees and foliage behind on on the hill and palisade, as well as Dickinson HS, which is a good-looking building.

As for the noise, I can hear it, but the traffic heading toward the Holland Tunnel is usually so slow that it makes very little noise, and even when traffic is moving, it's not that bad.

Just me, but I'd rather look at the school and the green hillside than another generic building.

Also - I don't have a problem with an empty lot having a building, but why do there need to be more than the 5 stories allowed in the NC zoning? And under the new regulations, the "community center" on top makes it technically a 7-story building.

It's not just this specific building - almost every new development in the Village seems to take for granted now that zoning means almost nothing - extra floors are available for the asking, and with sales at $600 and $700 a square foot, I guess it doesn't hurt to ask. Why not grab as much money as the community will tolerate. In this case, with a foot print of 15,000 square feet - an extra floor is a LOT of money.

Posted on: 2015/10/15 16:11
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#16
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


It's a busy week in development news in the Village.

There are at least three Village items on the current agenda for this Thursday's meeting of the Board of Adjustment (link to the schedule and agenda for the Board hasn't been updated at the time of this posting - http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/zoningboardagenda/ - but it is meeting in two days, on Thursday, Oct 15 at 6:30pm)

One item (on 1st Street, mentioned in earlier posts) tried to sneak in without presenting to the Village Neighborhood Association during the August session, but it was persuaded to make a presentation to the community last month, and received a lot of criticism when it did so. Reportedly it has decided to shrink from 5 stories to 4 stories, but that's still more than allowed by current zoning, not to mention the lot coverage. There are a number of us planning to show up at the Zoning meeting on Thursday to voice our opposition to their plan.

Two other buildings on the agenda also decided to initially bypass the Village Neighborhood Association.

One is a proposed 6-story, 45-unit building on Newark Avenue and 6th Street (20 parking spaces). The VNA is having an emergency meeting at 7:30pm tonight to discuss it - concerned Villagers should attend if possible, or write to the Board about your concerns if you can't make it. Here is the VNA website: http://www.jcvillage.org/

The other building proposal is now almost certainly going to be postponed on the Zoning agenda until the next meeting. This is a development at 375 5th Street (between Brunswick and Newark) which earlier this year proposed a 7-story, 19 unit, no parking building on an R1 lot (3-story, 1 or 2 family allowed). After much community opposition, they withdrew their proposal, and then it popped up again last week when the immediate neighbors received their legal notifications about it. This time they want 5-stories and 14 units (again, no parking).

They initially decided not to go before the VNA, and a few days ago sent out to the immediate neighbors a "community meeting" notice at their offices for tonight. Two meetings actually - one for the surrounding buildings, the other for the building next door. Apparently, the VNA has persuaded them to present instead at the next regular VNA meeting next Thursday.

It seems that the default for developers now in the Village is just to add another floor or two beyond what they are allowed, ignoring the existing zoning in favor of begging the community for variances. They make extra millions, and what do they give us in return, other than more crowded streets?

Posted on: 2015/10/13 15:42
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#17
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Quote:

sillyscorp wrote:
I was at the VNA meeting last night and I am very concerned - there were 4 different developers there all trying to squeeze bigger buildings (mainly 5 & 6 stories) into spot where 2-3 stories now stand.

I want to be very clear - I am in no way against improving the area and I agree that there are some building that are eye sores and would benefit from a total tear down but I am worried about what this says. If every developer who asks for a variance gets one then the current neighbors will be dwarfed, our light blocked out, our neighborhoods density doubled, and our right to enjoy the homes that we have bought, invested and taken care of taken away overnight. I won't even go into the potential damage to our homes from the construction that will involve pile driving inches from our foundations.....and the release of toxic dust and debris into our air etc.

I am not sure why it should be a given that the zoning rules are ignored and exceptions are the standard. There are zoning rules for a reason and that is to preserve the character of the area and maintain a standard of living for the actual people who live here not maximize developer profits.

We aren't talking about squeezing in an extra unit here or there or a few feet of height - but in some cases 3x the number of units and more than 2x the size of the neighboring buildings... plus eliminating set backs etc

where do we draw the line?


I was there at the meeting as well. And what I thought was most distinctive about the 1st St project was that variances were being asked for without even the smallest pretense of hardship reasons - which used to be why variances were necessary, to ameliorate when making a conforming building was too difficult (because of lot configuration, or whatever). The only things mentioned were that tearing down the existing building would cost money, and that putting in pilings to build a new building would cost money.

In this case, it seems that the developer bought an R-1 zoned building, but replacing it with a new R-1 wouldn't be profitable enough, so he asked for the variance to make it into an R-3 building instead.

The fact that 4 projects were presented last night - plus numerous others in the past year or so (and many more in the pipeline) would seem to indicate that the Village has plenty of development opportunities now, and we don't have to accede to the boldest requests of the developers. I heard last night that a newly built 2-family on Brunswick sold both apartments for $899,000 each! Having watched that wood-framed building go up over the last year or so, I think that a decent profit was probably made. Of course, the developer may be kicking himself (or herself) that he didn't try to make it 6 stories.

Posted on: 2015/9/25 19:07
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Re: the game of escalating variances in The Village
#18
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


jrsygrl - and other Village residents who are interested - the Visioning meeting is on Thursday at 7:30pm at Studio 365, 365 Second Street (between Monmouth and Brunswick)

http://www.jcvillage.org



Posted on: 2015/6/22 12:38
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Re: the game of escalating variances in The Village
#19
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


For anyone who wants a voice in what is going to happen in the future in the Village, or just wants to learn what the city has planned for the neighborhood - the Village Neighborhood Association meeting this coming Thursday (June 25 at 7:30pm) will be a discussion of the recent "Visioning" session.

There was originally going to be a separate meeting 2 days later with the City Council, but those meetings are now combined on Thursday evening.


Posted on: 2015/6/21 14:51
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Re: the game of escalating variances in The Village
#20
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


well, the developer won - the vote was 5-2.

the first of likely many 8 story buildings will now go up in the Village

but he was able to mobilize a lot of supporters - so if that's what the Village truly wants, then fair enough



Posted on: 2015/6/19 10:36
 Top 


Re: the game of escalating variances in The Village
#21
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Tonight is the night - 6:30 in the City Council chamber, second floor of City Hall, 280 Grove Street.

Whether you like the look of the building or not, whether you think the Village should stay with its current group of 3 to 5 story buildings or start building high rises - please show up! Participation matters, numbers matter.

If approved, this will change the Village forever. Make sure you had a voice in the decision!

The opinions of the community definitely have an effect on projects like this - I've been attending Board of Adjustment meetings for the last several months, and I see how thoughtfully they listen to neighborhood feedback.

Posted on: 2015/6/18 14:31
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Re: the game of escalating variances in The Village
#22
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Quote:

bodhipooh wrote:

Yet another person looking to encase in amber the neighborhood they have only known for a few years so it stays the way THEY like it. Progress, improvements and gentrification are GREAT, until *they* get there, then it is "hands off!"


Not really - I just want the community as a whole to decide what they would like their neighborhood to become, rather than letting it be up to developers whose primary objective is making money.

I have a small business here, and for the success of that, I would love it if lots and lots of people with disposable income moved in. But I also think the Village is a special place and I would hate to see it become another generic urban neighborhood. Plenty of those out there right now.

Posted on: 2015/6/16 20:55
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Re: the game of escalating variances in The Village
#23
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


I'm all for thriving local businesses - but if you add thousands of people to the tiny Village neighborhood (Ben Torrei said at a VNA meeting this winter that more than 1000 potential apartments are in some stage of development in the Village right now), then you better hope that the taxes generated are enough for the city to deal with the added infrastructure needs of these people - water, sewage, schools, parking etc.

With increased business for these local shops may inevitably come higher rents and expenses. As the streets get clogged with traffic, deliveries and supplies take longer.

I used to live in on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village - when I moved there about a decade ago, it was filled with funky stand-alone shops: antique shops, boutiques, a grocery store, the infamous Condomania - now they are all gone and that stretch of Bleecker is all Marc Jacobs and Coach and Mulberry - you can no longer buy a carton of milk, but you have an extraordinary amount of choice if you are looking to spend at least $6000 on a handbag.

At the moment The Village is a sleepy little neighborhood, relatively quiet at night and on the weekends. And a lot of people want to keep it as an oasis in this city, a place where people feel like they are part of a small community. At the "Vision" meeting for the Village last month, the suggestion about opening another PATH station on the south side of the Village drew some strong objections from residents who like it quiet and don't want floods of people going in and out of a PATH station.

As I said in my original post - lets decide on density and height by community consensus and a change to zoning codes if need be, not by having developer after developer push the variance envelope.

By the way - Dog and Cat mentioned the banners around the lot on Newark and Brunswick, which made it look like every business in the neighborhood was embracing the project - those were taken down this morning. Apparently the logos were used without permission (though some people I talked to didn't mind the free advertising, others were mad).

Posted on: 2015/6/16 17:47
 Top 


the game of escalating variances in The Village
#24
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Another month, another call to fight a developer who wants more stories than he has by right in The Village. I know we're all getting tired of this, but until we cease zoning via variance, here we go again.

For the last several months our concern was a proposed 7-story building on 5th Street on a lot zoned for 3 stories - we fought that one, so far successfully, and the project has been withdrawn.

Now behind that building (on Newark and Brunswick) is another proposed project - this time it is in an NC (Neighborhood Commercial) zone, which is allowed 5 stories.

The original proposal was for 8 stories, it has been slightly scaled back to 7 official stories, but since there is a 1000 sq foot enclosed structure on the roof which is as tall as an 8th story (and then an elevator tower above that, which will put the total height of this building at more than 90'), it still looks almost identical to the behemoth originally proposed.

BGT, the developer, is proposing 50 apartments - all 1-bedroom, except for the top floor, which will have two 3-bedrooms and three 2-bedrooms. The ground floor will be commercial space, including garage space for 3 Zip cars. Here is the rendering of the original proposal - http://villagewestgallery.com/temp/zoning/galleon.jpg
- the glass level on the top in this case is actually the 7th and 8th floors together, in the new plan (no color rendering available to me, BGT's website also still has the old one) the 8th floor has a recessed structure surrounded by a large roof deck.

Ben Torrei, the developer at BGT, has told me that I am the only one in the neighborhood who is against this project, and I hear from several sources that he is recruiting numerous people to come to the meeting on Thursday and put their endorsements of the project on the record.

The Village is developing quickly, you can see construction underway all over the neighborhood. But the vast majority of these projects conform to the current zoning.

*****
If the community wants to change from being an R1 neighborhood (3-story) with a strip of NC (5-story) down Newark Avenue (and I don't know that we do) - then let's do it the right way, with consensus and a change to zoning codes, not by having individual developers play the game of escalating variances.

****

I hope Ben Torrei is wrong and that I'm not the only one who wants this to be a 5 story building - if you agree, I hope you'll join me at the Board of Adjustment meeting this Thursday, June 18, at 6:30 p.m., in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 280 Grove Street.


Further discussion of attempts by developers to get variances for tall buildings in the low-zoned Village neighborhood is on this JC List thread - "fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village":
http://jclist.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=34038


Posted on: 2015/6/15 15:01
 Top 


Re: Where are all the food trucks parked now?
#25
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


Food trucks weren't in the lot at Newark and Brunswick yesterday - so that "every Saturday" experiment may be over, or maybe now it's just occasional Saturdays



Posted on: 2015/6/14 12:16
 Top 


Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#26
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


For Village residents who want their opinions heard on the future of our neighborhood - there is a Vision meeting at City Hall tomorrow (Saturday, May 30).

It's from 9am to noon - but you can drop by anytime during that three hour window. There will be 5 work stations you can go around and discuss what you like/don't like about The Village, and what you hope/fear for the future.

It's important for Village residents to participate - the next few years will probably see a lot of development, and possibly zoning changes, so we should try to build as large a consensus as we can.

280 Grove Street - City Council chambers on the second floor - 9am through 12pm on Saturday, May 30
Coffee, light refreshments, and stickers (!) will be provided.

Posted on: 2015/5/29 18:24
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#27
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


CORRECTION!

Apparently the owner/developer of 375 5th Street has withdrawn his application for variances altogether - no adjournment.

This means that they will either just keep the existing building until it falls down (which might not be that far in the future from the looks of it) or they will rebuild according to existing R1 zoning regulations, or they will regroup and start all over again with a different plan.

Posted on: 2015/5/21 18:32
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#28
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


The developers at 375 5th Street have asked for their 3rd adjournment on this project - so we will take up the fight again at the next Board of Adjustment meeting on Thursday, June 18.

Posted on: 2015/5/21 15:11
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#29
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


The matter of 375 Fifth Street is back before the Zoning Board this week - 2 days from now, on Thursday evening. They haven't posted their agenda online yet - http://www.cityofjerseycity.com/zoningboardagenda/ - but the meeting is scheduled for Thursday (May 21) at 6:30pm at City Hall.

After a bad start to last month's proposal for a 7-story, 19-apartment building on an R1 lot, the owner of 375 5th St has a month to regroup, and has submitted a 6-story, 17 apartment proposal, still with no parking.

They are entitled to 3 stories, 65% lot coverage - they are asking for twice the number of stories and approximately 90% lot coverage (the other 10% is for space around the the windows of the adjoining building).

When they met with the Village Neighborhood Association, they were told that the VNA was willing to compromise and support a 4-story, 90% coverage building, but they chose to go ahead with their 6-story request.

So several of us from the VNA are planning to attend the Zoning meeting on Thursday - and anyone else who wants to oppose this proposal (or support it!) should come to the 2nd floor of City Hall as well. The participation of the neighborhood can really make a difference.

Please join us! Showing up in great numbers has a huge impact, and is the key to defeating this proposal.

Posted on: 2015/5/19 12:15
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Re: fighting to keep existing height and density zoning in The Village
#30
Not too shy to talk
Not too shy to talk


huge appreciation for everyone who came out last night! the size of the crowd was definitely noted.

the 5th Street presentation definitely had several problems - including a rendering showing the proposed 7-story building looking identical in height to the 5 story next to it. When questioned by one of the Board of Adjustment members, they had to admit that it was "not to scale"

Because they had changed the design of the building on Monday - bigger setbacks around the existing windows of the next-door building, removing a bedroom and bathroom from a 7th floor apartment among other tweaks - the Board stopped the presentation and said that they hadn't had a chance to study the final design - and neither had the community.

It was a very fair move by the Board - but a bit of a bummer, because I think if it had come to a vote that the proposal would have been defeated.

So they will be back with their presentation on Thursday, May 21st. And I'll be there - hope everyone else can make it as well.


Posted on: 2015/4/17 13:11
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