RUinHamiltonPark wrote:

The "anti-development" crowd wants all the amenities of Jersey City and the character of Mendham.

No one walking down the street is even going to notice. This is not terribly far from the towers around Exchange and Grove.

I'm sure though Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and lord know who else is just chomping at the bit to develop in a place where most current residents have an attitude against any kind of addition of residents.

Oh, and in before someone mentions a stressed park or an overcrowded PATH train.

Don't like it, we have this magical place here in New Jersey called the suburbs. Towns of 3 people with town councils where someone tries to build a shed and 50 neighbors show up and cry crocodile tears. So many of our JC residents would feel at home. What are you waiting for?

RUinHamiltonPark wrote:
15 stories is not high.

Do people realize we live in the 2nd, soon to be first, biggest city in NJ, directly across from the biggest city in America?

The "anti-development" crowd wants all the amenities of Jersey City and the character of Mendham.

No one walking down the street is even going to notice. This is not terribly far from the towers around Exchange and Grove.

I'm sure though Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and lord know who else is just chomping at the bit to develop in a place where most current residents have an attitude against any kind of addition of residents.

Oh, and in before someone mentions a stressed park or an overcrowded PATH train.

Don't like it, we have this magical place here in New Jersey called the suburbs. Towns of 3 people with town councils where someone tries to build a shed and 50 neighbors show up and cry crocodile tears. So many of our JC residents would feel at home. What are you waiting for?

jcman420 wrote:
I'm not arguing that there should be no development on Van Vorst St. What I have a problem with is a *fifteen-story* tower as opposed to a six-story building. Such a giant tower is totally out-of-character for the neighborhood. There is a reason that there's a 6-story max to begin with-- it's an historic district. Exceptions to the height restriction should be exceedingly rare.

Maise wrote:
Was anyone able to make it to the meeting?

jcman420 wrote:
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T-Bird wrote:
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07310 wrote:

I always find it amusing the way people panic at the thought of change.

And I am equally amused when people make grand, sweeping statements with a small percentage of the details.

Well-said. It's as if anyone who doesn't have an "anything goes" attitude toward development in their neighborhood is somehow anti-development.

Hey, there's a nice plot of land situated right next to Paulus Hook Park that is currently being wasted as a parking lot. I bet we could squeeze a 9 or 10 story apartment building there, too. They could even put a Jersey Shore-style nightclub on the ground level.

No? What are you, anti-development?

T-Bird wrote:
Quote:

07310 wrote:

I always find it amusing the way people panic at the thought of change.

And I am equally amused when people make grand, sweeping statements with a small percentage of the details.

07310 wrote:

I always find it amusing the way people panic at the thought of change.

Conformist wrote:

Zoning is not forever.

OneSkirt wrote:
It sounds like you should really get your Gulls Cove neighbors together and speak out against this at the city meetings stat. We were successful in doing this via the Council for the McGinely Sq. Redevelopment Plan. Its worth it.

nyrgravey9 wrote:
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T-Bird wrote:
My understanding is that the Paulus Hook Neighborhood Association blessed this.

That is 100% false. I am on the HPHA and they did not give their consent whatsoever. I will defer to the actual board members (I'm a voting member, but not a board member) on the meetings that took place discussing this development. The long and short of it is that they don't have any legitimate power to stop the city's development office from approving it. That is, unless someone organized ALL of the residents of those streets to petition against it and present it to city hall.

As a result, they're negotiating concessions from the builders to benefit the community (money for the new parks to be built, XYZ number of retail spaces of a certain type, etc.).

Again, I can't speak to all of the specifics, but HPHA did not bless this one. Whomever told you that is ill informed.

PEC0905 wrote:

Atrocious?? Strong comments for someone who probably has not seen renderings and likely does not even live in the neighborhood.
I'm assuming you prefer the vacant lot? Or better yet, you preferred the burnt out factory and desolate side street that used to be there. The one you couldn't park on because every night the cars would be broken into?
This lot backs up to the football field and will not affect the neighborhood any different than a 7 story tower would. It will add retail and parking and change the street scape for the better.
As for Gulls Cove, there is new construction everywhere. The views that didn't get lost from 18 park will now have to worry about the new hotel on Marin that will be 16 stories, and the vacant pest control lot that will be developed. There will also be high rises going up between sussex and morris on the water that will be much higher than 15 stories so any west facing views in Gulls Cove are on borrowed time anyway.

vindication15 wrote:

I accompanied my friend on the tour when he bought in GC and the realtor emphasized to him that the views are not promised, even on the PH levels. Since owners in a newport building won their lawsuit against the developer, I know for sure that realtors are not promising any views of any kind. If you were promised a view, then you have precedent to sue and win that case.

T-Bird wrote:
My understanding is that the Paulus Hook Neighborhood Association blessed this. My complaint is that if you don't live in Paulus Hook, you wouldn't have had any way of knowing about this until now - after it has been introduced to the council and only a couple of days before the vote for final adoption occurs.

I live in Gull's Cove (which is closer to the proposed building than at least half of Paulus Hook), on the 10th floor. I bought my home based on the previously approved zoning and the views it accorded. With a capricious wave of a wand (and a developer's check book for something called the "Four Corners Park" - how you can have a park with two major streets comprising at least half the space is beyond me), that is gone. I can live without seeing the Freedom Tower, but it certainly has a potential impact on my resale value.

PEC0905 wrote:

Atrocious?? Strong comments for someone who probably has not seen renderings and likely does not even live in the neighborhood.
I'm assuming you prefer the vacant lot? Or better yet, you preferred the burnt out factory and desolate side street that used to be there. The one you couldn't park on because every night the cars would be broken into?
This lot backs up to the football field and will not affect the neighborhood any different than a 7 story tower would. It will add retail and parking and change the street scape for the better.
As for Gulls Cove, there is new construction everywhere. The views that didn't get lost from 18 park will now have to worry about the new hotel on Marin that will be 16 stories, and the vacant pest control lot that will be developed. There will also be high rises going up between sussex and morris on the water that will be much higher than 15 stories so any west facing views in Gulls Cove are on borrowed time anyway.

T-Bird wrote:

I live in Gull's Cove (which is closer to the proposed building than at least half of Paulus Hook), on the 10th floor. I bought my home based on the previously approved zoning and the views it accorded. With a capricious wave of a wand (and a developer's check book for something called the "Four Corners Park" - how you can have a park with two major streets comprising at least half the space is beyond me), that is gone. I can live without seeing the Freedom Tower, but it certainly has a potential impact on my resale value.

OneSkirt wrote:
They won't get to the item right at 5:30. It will take them a little while with all the other business (at least an hour, likely). You should just show up as soon as you can if you are interested.

Maise wrote:
Wish I had a job that allowed me to get back to city hall for a 5:30 council meeting.

Hopefully some folks from the neighborhood will be able to make it.

Maise wrote:
bill - I don't think your math is right. They previously needed one parking space for each two housing units. Now they need .6 for each unit or 1.2 parking spaces for each two units, plus a defined amount of parking for the retail square footage. The parking requirements are actually higher in the proposed plan than the current one.

I own a condo around the corner from this site and am 100% for the development. The additional height will have no bearing on the neighborhood and is a huge improvement over the vacant lot and field house.

That being said, it will be important to ensure the community give back items are meaningful. As someone else pointed out, the developer is really just paying for amenities their own tenants will be using. We should be using this approval process as way to exact the most meaningful concessions as possible. I would of liked to have seen more $$ for parks and some sort of flood prevention / drainage system for future Sandy-like storms.



Quote:

bill wrote:

Also currently there needs to be 1 off street parking spot for every 2 units and they want 1 for every 6 .

LOL and expand principal use to include nightclubs among other things

Maise wrote:
bill - I don't think your math is right. They previously needed one parking space for each two housing units. Now they need .6 for each unit or 1.2 parking spaces for each two units, plus a defined amount of parking for the retail square footage. The parking requirements are actually higher in the proposed plan than the current one.

bill wrote:

Also currently there needs to be 1 off street parking spot for every 2 units and they want 1 for every 6 .

LOL and expand principal use to include nightclubs among other things

asny10011 wrote:
Is the issue one of being in a historic neighborhood??? Isn't there a height restriction????

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PEC0905 wrote:
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jcman420 wrote:
Atrocious. *15* stories? This is practically as tall as one of the Portside Towers at the end of Warren St. That is *huge*. This has the potential to change the character of the entire neighborhood. That neighborhood is already becoming overcrowded. Now they're trying to turn it into Newport.

Amazing what writing a big enough check for the proposed park will do for a developer. A lousy $150k contribution to the park? Who knew Paulus Hook could be bought off so cheaply?

Atrocious?? Strong comments for someone who probably has not seen renderings and likely does not even live in the neighborhood.
I'm assuming you prefer the vacant lot? Or better yet, you preferred the burnt out factory and desolate side street that used to be there. The one you couldn't park on because every night the cars would be broken into?
This lot backs up to the football field and will not affect the neighborhood any different than a 7 story tower would. It will add retail and parking and change the street scape for the better.
As for Gulls Cove, there is new construction everywhere. The views that didn't get lost from 18 park will now have to worry about the new hotel on Marin that will be 16 stories, and the vacant pest control lot that will be developed. There will also be high rises going up between sussex and morris on the water that will be much higher than 15 stories so any west facing views in Gulls Cove are on borrowed time anyway.

PEC0905 wrote:
Quote:

jcman420 wrote:
Atrocious. *15* stories? This is practically as tall as one of the Portside Towers at the end of Warren St. That is *huge*. This has the potential to change the character of the entire neighborhood. That neighborhood is already becoming overcrowded. Now they're trying to turn it into Newport.

Amazing what writing a big enough check for the proposed park will do for a developer. A lousy $150k contribution to the park? Who knew Paulus Hook could be bought off so cheaply?

Atrocious?? Strong comments for someone who probably has not seen renderings and likely does not even live in the neighborhood.
I'm assuming you prefer the vacant lot? Or better yet, you preferred the burnt out factory and desolate side street that used to be there. The one you couldn't park on because every night the cars would be broken into?
This lot backs up to the football field and will not affect the neighborhood any different than a 7 story tower would. It will add retail and parking and change the street scape for the better.
As for Gulls Cove, there is new construction everywhere. The views that didn't get lost from 18 park will now have to worry about the new hotel on Marin that will be 16 stories, and the vacant pest control lot that will be developed. There will also be high rises going up between sussex and morris on the water that will be much higher than 15 stories so any west facing views in Gulls Cove are on borrowed time anyway.