Special Planning Board Meeting
Councilman Brian Dougherty announced at last week’s meeting of the Mayor and Council that the Planning Board will hold a special meeting Tuesday, July 18, to hear the application for a second high rise apartment complex on First Ave. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dougherty is the council representative on the Planning Board.
Contrary to what the planning board had indicated earlier, the meeting will be held in Borough Hall in spite of their belief the meeting room might not be able to accommodate the number of residents expected to turn out. At its meeting, the planning board indicated it was seeking larger accommodations because of the anticipate turnout to hear the application.
The application, submitted by the Kalian Company who also owns the adjacent property, if approved would permit a second building adjacent to the current complex under construction at 158 First Avenue. Kalian has also built the apartment complex on Avenue D near the Public Works Department yard.
The property for the planned new construction is currently the location of Mike’s Convenience Store and Scenic Liquors, both of which would not have leases renewed. The building would be demolished and the property cleared to make room for the new mixed-use proposal.
The building plans do not come unexpectedly to borough officials or residents. When construction began on the mixed use four story building currently under construction at 158 First Avenue, there was talk that a second building adjacent to it was a possibility, an idea that explained the fact the building has no windows on the exterior wall facing Route 36 adjacent to 160 First Avenue.
Now both properties belong to Kalian Properties and the application for construction of a more than 40-foot-high building at 160 First Avenue is on the planning board agenda.
Dougherty said at last week’s council meeting the planning board was unable to secure an alternate location for the application presentation. However, the borough is making plans for ZOOM and other accommodations to enable the public to attend and have input.
Unlike the building now under construction where the first floor is dedicated to commercial use, the first floor of the planned construction would provide some tenant parking as well as other parking behind the building. Plans also call for this building to be higher than the 158 First Avenue building but would be built with similar materials to blend in with the first building. Both buildings are across the street from the Elementary School on First Avenue north of Borough Hall.
