Officials in Union City are putting out a call for residents interested in zoning and development to serve on a newly created Zoning Committee, which will help advise the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The Zoning Board votes on development projects that differ from the already instituted guidelines on height, density and other factors. The board also helps set rules for how high and wide structures can be built, what they can be used for, parking spot requirements, and other matters.
The newly created Zoning Committee is open to all Union City residents.
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“It’s part of an effort to encourage residents to be involved in government,” said Mark Albiez, spokesman for Union City.
The committee is open to all Union City residents and there are no particular limitations based on education or experience. The only requirement is that interested parties have “constructive intentions,” said Albiez, meaning that they want to help out and be active participants.
Eager response
There has already been an influx of calls at City Hall during the first week since the search for members was announced. The city has already received several resumes.
Albiez said they will continue the search through the end of April with the final group being organized sometime in May.
City officials are anticipating that the committee will probably meet a couple of times per month for approximately six to eight months.
Though their official title is “advisory,” Albiez said the impact of the committee will be significant because they will reflect what the constituency wants.
Open to opinion
The Zoning Committee is one of two new advisory committees to be created in Union City over the past few months. Recently, a Feral Cats Advisory Committee was created to allow concerned residents to have a say in how the wild cats are handled within city limits.
Both Albiez and Mayor Brian Stack said such committees allow residents to go on record about their concerns and participate in the development of their community.
“It’s about the vision of the future of Union City,” said Mayor Stack.
The committee that helped create the 2008 Master Plan was comprised of everyone who expressed an interest – over 35 people.
Stack added that they are constantly soliciting for citizen participation and have expanded some boards to include more members.
Stack said that this particular committee will provide an opportunity to residents who have been critical of certain development plans to “be part of the solution.”
But one critic, Union City resident and zoning activist Larry Price, will not be submitting an application. He said that similar boards in the past, like that Master Plan Committee, tended to be more ornamental than functioning advisory boards.
However, Price said he did have some of his suggestions accepted for the Master Plan when he made them at hearings before the Planning Board. He hopes to continue participating in the development of his city.
He added that he didn’t want to put himself on a committee that might be considered a conflict of interest, since he has challenged and may continue to challenge local development project approvals in court.
Created after controversy
The creation of the committee comes on the heels of several controversies about the zoning board.
Last month it was alleged by a local developer that Justin Mercado, who sat on the zoning board from March of 2003 to February 2010, has lived in Hasbrouck Heights since 2007, rather than Union City as state law requires.
The allegations were brought by private developer Ralph Lieber, who is currently suing the city for close to $4 million, alleging political favoritism in zoning and building approvals.
Mercado said he lives in Union City several days per week, and produced records to show that he uses his Union City address for official documents.
Albiez said that the creation of this committee has been in the works since the beginning of the year and is not being done in response to the recent controversy.
Following the plan
The 2008 Master Plan took more than two years to create and cost $150,000, which was funded by a state grant.
The plan encourages the creation of more public space, preservation of the view across the Hudson, and the maintenance of historical architecture. It also recommends improving the facades of the buildings in the commercial center of town.
Those interested in participating in the Zoning Committee should submit a resume and/or letter of interest to the Mayor’s Office at City Hall, at 3715 Palisade Ave.
Lana Rose Diaz can be reached at ldiaz@hudsonreporter.com.