In a small, established town like Guttenberg, the chances for new development, either commercial or residential, seem few and far between. The only ongoing housing development is the Bulls Ferry condominium complex, located along the Hudson River waterfront.
So when the township gets the opportunity to welcome possible new developers, bringing new tax ratables with them, one would figure that the developers would be accepted with open arms.
But that is not necessarily the case.
The township’s Planning Board was scheduled to meet Thursday night to determine whether to approve the application from a Cliffside Park developer to turn the burned out remnants of an old Laundromat into two new three-story homes on the site.
The location, 331-333 68th St., between Hudson and Palisades avenues, was purchased by a firm called Guttenberg Partners, headed by Nick Raketic. The firm was seeking variances for a minor subdivision on the site, along with bulk and parking variances.
If Guttenberg Mayor Robert Sabello had his way, he would encourage the development project, but it appears as if the board, as well as other residents of the area, has concerns about traffic flow and parking woes.
“The problems stem when the builders want to go to three stories,” Sabello said. “And that would be consistent with the neighborhood. But these three-story buildings take away the sidewalks for parking, and I don’t know if that’s going to work out.”
Sabello added, “I try to discourage the three-story buildings for that reason. People have to walk out into the street to get around the cars that are parked there. And it’s a narrow street, not a major thoroughfare. The Planning Board is going to discuss it further and make a decision.”
Sabello has maintained that he has always supported development in the township and has few problems with this proposed plan.
“Sure, I encourage development, but I can’t encourage this one if it causes too many problems for the residents,” Sabello said. “They want to design the property to include sidewalk parking. That’s what causes the problem.” Possible parking problems have been the reason why the board has declined development opportunities in the past.
Last year, a developer purchased the site of the old Sokol Hall on 70th Street and proposed to turn the location into a 72-unit senior citizen complex. The project was to be financed with state and county funding, and all of the necessary steps were made to develop the site.
But the board nixed the plan, citing the severe traffic problems a development such as the one proposed would cause. The plan has now been officially scrapped.
“That plan all got knocked down by the Planning Board because of traffic and parking,” Sabello said. “They’re very serious about that.”
The developer has yet to determine whether he will sell the units or turn them into rentals.