Borough & Redev. Info. 4-30-07
Keyport Neighbors
Re: 5/1/07 Borough Council Meeting
The next Keyport Borough Council (KBC) meeting will be this Tuesday 5/1/07 at 8:00PM. The major item on the agenda is a resolution to adopt the 2007 Borough budget.
Re: 5/7/07 Special Planning Board Meeting
K. Hovnanian at Keyport, LLC has applied to the Keyport Unified Planning Board (KUPB) to approve an amended preliminary and final site plan and a bulk variance for a four-story building. This hearing will address issues resulting from the project not being built per Woodmont concept drawings and site plans. These Woodmont plans previously presented to the KUPB were the basis for the use-variance and bulk variances required for this project. This application will be heard at a Special KUPB meeting scheduled for Monday 5/7/07 at 7:30 PM at Borough Hall.
Re: Report on 4/26/07 Planning Board Informal Meeting
At the 4/26/07 Keyport Unified Planning Board (KUPB) informal meeting, Raritan View Partners (RVP) indicated that they plan to modify their application to build 8 townhouses to replace a single-family home at 310 First Street. RVP did not present any additional information regarding their future plans. Residents from the neighborhood indicated they would oppose anything more than two single-family homes at this site.
Re: Report on 4/25/07 Manchester Redevelopment Planning Meeting
A special KBC-Redevelopment Committee meeting was held on 4/25/07 to hear resident input regarding plans for the redevelopment of the old factory site on Manchester at the east end of Maple Place. The meeting was well attended by residents from the area. The following is my perception of this meeting.
The meeting was dominated by a three-person team from Maser Consulting (funded by the developer) and an attorney for the owner. Their message was:
- The owner, 75 Manchester, LLC (Mr. Gross of Brooklyn) is out to make a profit and that single-family housing at this site would not be profitable. Thus single-family homes for the site will not be an option considered by the owner. No financial information was presented to validate this assertion.
- Area residents were informed multiple times by both these consultants and Mayor Bergen that they had only two choices. They could continue to live next to an expanded light-industry site or they could accept the owners plans for a high-density condo development (45 units on the Lots 48-52 Block 130).
- Maser Consulting presented the redevelopment plans that they have developed with Mayor Bergen's input. During the meeting Mayor Bergen was a major champion of this plan featuring 20 flats, 15 townhouses, and 10 duplexes on about 2.4 acres of land (Lots 48-52). At 45-units on ~ 2.4 acres, the density would exceed 18 units/acre. The developer also plans to place two single-family homes outside of the core site (one on Seventh Street and one on the west side of Manchester Street). According to the County tax records, the lots bordering this site contain 34 single-family homes. Further the surrounding area is zoned for less than 6units/ acre (a RA district density).
The 4/26/07 Asbury Park Press article "Keyport Council considers plan for old factory" provides an excellent summary of the meeting. Regarding this high-density condo plan, Mayor Bergen is quoted in this article "I want this done yesterday".
The residents had no opportunity to shape a rehabilitation-redevelopment plan other than the developer's proposal for a high-density multifamily project. Based on this first meeting, it sure looks like Rehabilitation-Redevelopment process is being used as a by-pass of the KUPB for this developer's high-density condo project.
All comments and corrections are appreciated.
Regards
Michael Lane
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