In a 26 page report, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s Planning Review Board approved the request for two variances that will allow the construction of 212 town houses on a 16-acre piece of property called the Shiptank property in the north end of Secaucus.
NJMC completed its review of the application minutes before the legal deadline on Sept. 24, granting Baker Industries’ newly renamed Riverwalk Townhouse Development a variance permitting higher than usual buildings in one portion of the property and an exemption from building a required marina on the site of the development.
Baker industries requested that several structures in a Low-Density Residential zone to exceed the 35-foot maximum by three feet and half feet. Baker asked that it be allowed to construct the marina at a newly created public park at Mill Creek Point at the end of Mill Ridge Road.
The project will consist of 28 residential structures containing 212 townhouse units. These will be located on a series of internal roadways.
The property, according to Charles Thomas, an engineer for the project, was used as a ship container repair center in the 1970s, but has lain vacant since. The nearest property owners reside along Paulanne Terrace, Julianne Terrace, Hagan Place and Village Place, and own predominantly single family homes.
According to the approval by the Meadowlands Commission, the Riverwalk Townhouse Development will be accessed by a gate off of Meadowlands Parkway at the south end of the property and not through any of the residential streets. An emergency access will be constructed into the property at the end of Village Place, allowing fire and other public service vehicles to the development.
Baker is also required to construct a 25-foot wide buffer between its residential units and the existing neighborhood. This buffer will have a variety of plants and trees such as spruces, green aches and red twig dogwoods, screening the neighborhood from the development all year round.
The property will have an on-site storm water management system with all collected water send to two water basins on site, for eventual discharge into the river.
While regulations require the developer to construct 424 parking spaces for use of residents and their guests, Bakers plans show 524 spaces.
The approval also recognizes Baker’s promise to do waterfront improvements that include the construction of an eight-foot wide river walk that will be open to the general public. This will run the length of the property along the river and have a parking lot near the main gate the public can use. Benches, trash receptacles and lighting will be installed along the walkway. Baker has also agreed to construct another segment of walkway from Trolley Park at the end of Paterson Plank Road along the Hackensack River to meet up with the existing walkway near the high school.
Registered public comments
In response to hearing about the approval, Mayor Dennis Elwell said the Meadowlands Commission had included several additional items in its approval, based on comments from the public at both the public hearing on July 30 and through mailings and personal contact with residents in the area.
“We sent these concerns to Meadowlands Commissioner and they agreed to look at them and address some if they could,” Elwell said. “One major concern was parking by residents in the development on the streets in the neighborhood. As part of the developers agreement, the property between the townhouses and the residential streets will be fenced if this becomes a problem in the future.”
Among the other issues addressed in the ruling was the request for a fence around the water retention basin. Some residents were concerned about children possibly wandering into it and getting hurt.
“The developer has also agreed to provide parking for residents on Village Place,” Elwell said. “For a long time people on that street were parking on the Shiptank property. We understand there is a shortage of parking in that area. So the developer agreed to set aside a piece of property to construct a gated parking area for Village Place residents.”
Approval also noted a list of concerns
The Meadowlands Commission acknowledged public comments both by mail and at the July 30 hearing by residents who opposed the project. It received one letter before the July 30 hearing, noted about two dozen residents at the hearing, and then received 162 letters from residents, excerpts of which they’ve compiled in a report.
Concerns included: the influx of buildings and people into Secaucus as a result of the project, a possible traffic increase, drainage problems, the price of luxury units, building height, 24-hour monitoring during construction, whether police, fire and ambulance services are enough to handle the new development, flood insurance, walkway design and access, fencing, loss of views, installing fences around the water basins, and the NJMC’s authority over zoning.
One resident proposed that walkways be constructed that would allow residents of the development to access local streets, so children would walk to the nearby school and residents could have access to local bus service as well as local stores.
Council concerns about the Marina
At the council caucus on Sept. 24, Councilman John Bueckner raised concerns about the marina at Mill Creek Point, asking whether or not a boat launch would be located there.
“When a marina and boat launch was proposed for that property years ago, we were against it because we did not want large boats being hauled along the narrow roads leading up to it,” Bueckner said. “I do not want to see those boats now.”
But according to the developer’s agreement, boat slips will be constructed at the park, but there will be no boat launch, leaving boaters to get to the area by water, using existing boat launches at Laurel Hill Park, or behind several local hotels.
Councilman John Reilly said there are enough boat launches in the area without needing to install one in the park as well.
At the public portion of the town council meeting, Harry Reshitnyk objected to the Shiptank project, saying that it would have a detrimental effect on the quality of life for residents of the area, and urged the council to seek some way to fight the project. He said the project could interfere with migratory birds and other animals that use the property. He also asked if the town had sought out politicians at higher levels of government to assist in the fight against the project, especially in reversing what he believed were unfair zoning practices.
“What is the point of having a vote if the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has the final say?” he asked.
Elwell informed Reshitnyk that numerous towns had used the courts to try to block the zoning regulations when the commission was first formed in the late 1960s, many of the cases going all the way to the state Supreme Court.
“Those towns lost,” Elwell said. “This is like trying to fight a cigarette tax. It will take an act of the legislature to change it.”
In a related matter, the council voted to award a $468,000 contract to Atlantic Subsea, Inc. to begin bulkhead work at the Mill Creek Point, a project largely funded by the Meadowlands Commission. This will make possible future work in changing the area into a park.