West New York residents waited, not always patiently, three hours to have their say about the new 60-unit development proposed for the 500 block of 66th Street between Madison and Polk streets at Wednesday’s Board of Adjustment meeting.
The six-story apartment complex is slated to take over the site of the Immaculate Lace and Embroidery building, a factory that was built in 1915 and is still in operation.
A firm based in Kennelon, 66th Street Associates, sought parking, density, and land use variances at the meeting. The plans for the building, drawn by Salamine and McGlumphy Architects of Riverdale, include 20 one-bedroom apartments, 40 two-bedroom apartments, and a 60-spot parking garage.
Many residents living in the neighborhood surrounding the project voiced their concerns about parking, sewage, and the number of units.
The board’s attorney, Ray Gonzalez, of the firm Bazzani and Gonzalez in Union City, and board chairman Jose Coastal asked the developer to conduct a more in-depth traffic study of the area and suggested the development be scaled down to include fewer units or more parking spaces. The application was carried to the board’s March 27 meeting. However, due to the large number of applications before the board, Coastal said it might not be heard that day.
The developer’s lawyer, Glenn Keinz of the Parsippany-based firm Weiner Lesniak, asked that the hearing be carried to that date to alleviate the need for re-publication and notification to the residents.
Too many cars?
While no one could say that the proposed residential building was not aesthetically pleasing, none of the residents at the meeting wanted the building to be approved as planned.
“I would love to have something like that on my block,” said resident Harry Lorenzo. “But fire engines cannot get around Polk Street without going up on the sidewalk as it is. Where are the cars going to go?”
Using requirements set in the Residential Site Improvement Standards, each one-bedroom apartment requires .8 parking spaces, and each two-bedroom apartment requires 1.3 parking spaces. With these numbers, the new development would require 80 parking spaces for its 20 one-bedroom apartments and 40 two-bedroom apartments.
The plans for the project include a two-tiered interior parking garage that will house 60 parking spaces, including two handicapped parking spaces.
“We have found that people don’t use that many cars,” said the property’s owner, George M. Capodagli. “Sixty indoor parking spaces for sixty units is adequate.”
However, Kenneth Nelson, a professional planner with the Nelson Consulting Group testifying on behalf of the developer, argued that the State Development Redevelopment Plan encourages redevelopment in areas where public transportation exists.
Nelson also said that the Residential Site Improvement Standards include urban vs. suburban developments, and public transportation, as factors that may affect the need for parking spaces in a certain development.
“You have to keep in mind the mix of bedrooms,” said Nelson. “There may be an elderly person or a younger person renting a one-bedroom unit where they may not have a car at all. That will lower the amount of spaces needed.”
“Two-bedroom units generally have no more than one car,” added Nelson. “There will be some cases where they may have two cars, but that will be the rarity.”
Resident Carmen Rosales disagreed. “I work in New York and I take the bus and I have a car,” said Rosales, explaining that public transportation does not eliminate the need for a car.
Residents were also worried about the off-site parking the development would create.
“These people are going to have visitors,” said resident Jacqueline Fuentes, who also asked about holidays. “It is bad enough that we can’t park. Where are these people going to go?”
However, Joe Lawrence of Ridgewood, the son of the current owner of Immaculate Lace and Embroidery, said the neighborhood really isn’t as congested as the residents say it is.
Other concerns
While parking was a major concern, some residents also raised concerns about water pressure and sewerage, as well as the height of the building.
“These people are going to use a lot of water,” said Muriel Rosett-Smith, explaining that the sewer system is old and there are already problems with the flooding at the sewer on nearby Jackson Street. “I don’t think that our sewers can handle it.”
Resident Rudolph Cohen is concerned with the height of the building. At six stories, the development will be the highest building in the area, except for St. Mary’s Church.
“This development is about two stories too high,” said Cohen.
However, the zoning for the property allows the developer to build as high as 12 stories, double the proposed plan.
Coastal nevertheless suggested that the developer downsize his plans. According to the zoning ordinance, the development should only have about 30 units, based on a scale of 80 units per acre. This development has 60 units, 12 on each floor.