Planning Board - Special Planning Board

PLANNING BOARD CITY OF BAYONNE MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING JANUARY 4, 2017 A special meeting of the City of Bayonne Planning Board was held on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 in the Dorothy E. Harrington Municipal Council Chambers, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, New Jersey. Chairman Garelick called the meeting to order at 6:09 p.m. and led all in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Chairman Garelick advised that the Board has complied with the Open Public Meetings Act/Sunshine Law. Secretary Marsella called the roll. Present at the meeting were Chairman Garelick, Commissioners Perez, Marsella, Malloy, Lawandy, Quintela and Becker. Mayor Davis, and Commissioner Fiermonte were absent. Also present were James Clarkin, PP, consulting City Planner, Robert Russo, PE, consulting City Engineer, Richard N. Campisano, Esq., Board Counsel and Lillian Glazewski, Land Use Administrator. Communications: • Municipal Council resolution designating property located at 16-18-20 Bayview Court in Block 333.01, Lots 1 and 2 as a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment and authorizing the Planning to prepare an amendment to the Redevelopment Plan pursuant to the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law, N.J.S.A. ❖ Informal update of Master Plan and creation of Master Plan Subcommittee by Francis Reiner, Redevelopment Consultant, DMR Architects. Mr. Reiner asked Chairman Garelick to appoint four to five board members to sit on steering committee to review the draft Master Plan document. He said that once the draft is reviewed and revised, a public workshop will be held. Planning Board Minutes January 4, 2017 Regular Meeting Page 2 Chairman Garelick said that he, along with Commissioners Becker, Marsella and Malloy will be the members of the steering committee. Public Hearing: P-16-046 PARKVIEW REALTY HOLDINGS – Site: 101-105 East 23rd Street; 102-106 East 24th Street; 162-170 Avenue F in City Block 445, Lots 1-5 & 7 [The applicant is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval to construct a mixed use building containing 3,000 square feet of commercial space and 180 residential units.] Michael Miceli, Esq., attorney for applicant gave a brief overview of the proposed development. He entered his exhibits into evidence and called his first witness. Witness: Bruce Stieve, Architect was sworn as an expert witness to testify in support of the application. Through a power point presentation, Mr. Stieve described location of the site, discussed security measures for the parking area which would include security cameras as well as trash location and collection. His presented a three dimensional view of how this project compared to other projects in the area that have received Board approval. He said that the 22nd Street Light Rail Station located in close proximity to this project makes this a perfect development for this area. Mr. Stieve showed a video of how the mechanical parking lot would work and he reviewed the safety and operation of the parking system, noting that it is expandable and has a compliant number of bicycle parking spaces. He further testified that there will be one hundred eighty-nine (189) parking spaces which will include the required number of full-sized parking stalls and 35% compact parking spaces. It will also contain the required number of handicap parking spaces. Mr. Stieve testified further that the proposed application meets the Redevelopment Plan criteria and that signage will be subject to same. Planning Board Minutes January 4, 2017 Regular Meeting Page 3 Board questions: Chairman Garelick asked Mr. Stieve questions about the proposed amenities, open space use, number of handicapped spaces in the parking garage and how interior window treatments would be handled. He also questioned if there is a need for remedial testing in the area. Commissioner Lawandy asked for additional clarification with regard to the mechanical stacking of the cars and the safety of the system. Consulting City Engineer Russo asked if there is any way to add additional stackers. Mr. Stieve confirmed that they could be increased. Consulting City Planner Clarkin asked if the applicant was proposing any signage for the new development. Mr. Stieve said that no signage is being proposed at this time. Audience questions: Residents, Melanie Flora, Louise Ruiz, Rosemarie Bond, Gary LaPelusa, Joe Wisniewski and Mary Curtis questioned Mr. Stieve. Witness: Joseph Sparone, PE of Dynamic Engineering was sworn to provide expert testimony in support of the application. He described the existing site conditions using an aerial map. Mr. Sparone said that an updated survey will be provided to the Board. He also said that a 63,570- square foot building with 3,000 square feet of retail space is being proposed. He reminded the Board that the proposed plan is fully compliant with the Redevelopment Plan. Mr. Sparone testified that the parking area layout would operate in a safe and efficient manner near the mechanical parking system and would not create any traffic issues in the garage. He described the lighting, landscaping, open space and streetscape requirements and emphasized that all are in compliance with the Redevelopment Plan. He described the outside lighting, streetscape and plaza area, noting that the open space provided for 10,364 square Planning Board Minutes January 4, 2017 Regular Meeting Page 4 feet and again pointed out that this is in compliance with the Redevelopment Plan. He discussed site grading and drainage and testified that the applicant will comply with requirements relative to same. He said that the applicant will also comply with all Department of Environment Protection (DEP) requirements regarding any existing environmental conditions of the property. Mr. Sparone testified that he reviewed the City Planner and Engineer’s reports as well as our Sub Code Official’s comments which would be complied with from an engineering perspective. Board questions: Chairman Garelick suggested changing the texture / color in the driveway for safety and possibly having a visual warning such as mirrors. Chairman Garelick also reminded Mr. Sparone that the applicant should comply with the City Fire Sub Code Official’s comment about the need to provide for additional fire hydrants at the sight. Commissioner Lawandy questioned the location of the detention basin, number of curb cuts requested, if the entrance and exits count as one or two and elevation differences. Audience questions: Residents Connie DiVincent, Richard Dewland, Joe Wisniewski, Mary Curtis, Rosemarie Bond, Judy Burns, Melanie Flora, Peter Franco questioned Mr. Sparone. A short break was taken at 8:08 p.m. and the meeting resumed at 8:22 p.m. The roll was called by secretary Marsella. Witness: Craig Peregoy, PE, traffic engineering was sworn to provide expert testimony. Mr. Peregoy described the traffic counts listed in the traffic study prepared by his firm. He said that a detailed inspection was conducted, existing traffic data was collected, projections of traffic to be generated by the proposed development were prepared, capacity analyses was conducted for the “no build” and Planning Board Minutes January 4, 2017 Regular Meeting Page 5 “build” conditions and proposed site driveways were inspected for adequacy of geometric design. He concluded that based on the Traffic Impact Study the adjacent street system of the City will not experience any significant degradation in operating conditions with the construction of the project. The site driveway is located to provide safe and efficient access to the adjacent roadway system. Board questions: Chairman Garelick, consulting City Engineer Russo and City Planner Suzanne Mack questioned Mr. Peregoy. Audience questions: Residents Jodi Markey, Gary La Pelusa, Melanie Flora, Michael Morris, Joe Wisniewski, Osvaldo Ruiz, Mary Curtis, Peter Franco, Ralph Pelliccio and Stanley Drzewiecki questioned Mr. Peregoy. Witness: Paul Ricci, PP, was sworn and recognized as an expert witness. He talked about the projected occupancy of the proposed building. He said, based upon a study by the Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR) this project would generate approximately three hundred twenty-one (321) individuals with eight to nine (8 to 9) school-aged children. Board questions: There were no questions from the Board of Mr. Ricci. Audience questions: Residents Peter Franco, Joe Wisniewski, Diane Rajkowski, Michael Morris and Melanie Flora questioned Mr. Ricci. Planning Board Minutes January 4, 2017 Regular Meeting Page 6 Closing Remarks: Residents Peter Franco, Joe Wisniewski, Gary LaPelusa, Michael Morris, Melanie Flora and Jodi Markey gave closing remarks against this project. Michael Miceli, Esq., said that the applicant is trying to take a rundown depilated site and turn it into a vibrant piece of property bringing ratables to the City. He said that the applicant is in full compliance with the guidelines of the Redevelopment Plan without any variances being requested. He respectfully requested the Board look favorably upon this application. Board Comments: Chairman Garelick pointed out that this project comes under the umbrella of the Redevelopment Plan with no variances requested. He understands that people do not like change, however, development is needed in the City. Commissioner Marsella thanked the residents who attended the meeting. She said that the City is and has been evolving for centuries and people have not been pleased with the changes over the years. She said the entire country is changing. She also pointed out that this application is variance free and conforms to the Redevelopment Plan. Commissioner Perez concurred with Commissioner Marsella. Commissioner Malloy said that when the Light Rail came to Bayonne, this was one of the visions of what would happen in that area. He said that at the end of the day developers drive the process of what gets built. There has been no construction in this neighborhood for some time. He said that what is needed are people with disposable cash to move into the city. He agreed that to some level there will be an impact to the schools requiring redistricting of school districts. This type of project will produce over one million dollars in tax ratables. Planning Board Minutes January 4, 2017 Regular Meeting Page 7 Commissioner Becker said that his fellow commissioners hit all of the major points and the benefits outweigh the negatives. Commissioners Quintela and Lawandy concurred. Commissioner Marsella made a motion to approve the application subject to any conditions agreed to and spread across the record. Commissioner Perez seconded the motion and a unanimous vote followed. Adoption of Resolutions • P-16-045 – 191 BROADWAY, LLC (amended application) Site: 191 Broadway in City Block 318, Lot 20 o Commissioner Perez made a motion to approve the resolution and Commissioner Marsella seconded the motion. A unanimous vote followed. • P-16-039 SUZANNE NEARY and JOAN BRUNNER – Site: 665 Avenue E in City Block 98, Lot 18 o Commissioner Garelick made a motion to approve the resolution and Commissioner Marsella seconded the motion. A unanimous vote followed. • P-16-036 PIER VIEW LOFTS, LLC – Site: 676-688 Avenue E in City Block 402, Lots 4-7 o Commissioner Garelick made a motion to approve the resolution and Commissioner Marsella seconded the motion. A unanimous vote followed. • P-16-037 JINCO, INC. – Site: 175 West 7th Street in City Block 304, Lot 1 o Commissioner Garelick made a motion to approve the resolution and Commissioner Marsella seconded the motion. A unanimous vote followed. A motion was made to close the meeting at 10:10 p.m. Susan Bischopff, Certified Shorthand Reporter, 449 Columbia Boulevard, Wood-Ridge, NJ 07075 took a transcript of the meeting. /lg