The town has promised to address a number of concerns – including some related to a planned affordable housing development – that have been raised by residents who live along County Avenue, including parking, flooding and quality of life issues.
County Avenue residents had an opportunity to learn about the town’s plans at a public meeting held on Oct. 21.
Of paramount concern to many residents is an eight-unit affordable housing development planned for 158 County Ave. Under current plans the project, which will be built by Burke & Associates, LLC on behalf of the Secaucus Housing Authority, calls for eight townhomes, rather than single family homes or apartment units, and will be valued at more than $400,000.
Some local residents have had concerns about the development, however.
In August, 36 residents circulated a petition to protest the affordable housing development, arguing that it would reduce property values and diminish the quality of life in the area.
The petition, sent to the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC), stated, in part: “We undersigned property owners and residents within the immediate vicinity of the subject property object to the highest degree possible the issuance of variance for a proposal to construct an eight-unit affordable housing development on the premises of the property. The development will further lower down the quality of life that we now have in this area of Secaucus.”
The town plans to address a number of long-standing concerns along County Avenue.
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After about six residents raised their concerns at a sparely attended public hearing held by the NJMC at its offices in Lyndhurst, town officials decided to hold another, separate public meeting locally.
“Some issues came up at the Meadowlands Commission meeting that we addressed with the [Secaucus Housing Authority] so that they could be incorporated into the project,” said Mayor Michael Gonnelli. “Some of those issues had to do with landscaping, drainage, and parking. And one big issue was how residents would get in and out of the [development] without impacting traffic on County Avenue. And then there were some smaller issues [that were raised], like where garbage would be placed, little things like that.”
Now, a number of revisions have been made to the proposal and were presented to residents on Oct. 21.
Under the revised plan, there will be a landscaped berm between the development and the street. A number of existing nearby street trees will be left intact. Two on-street and 18 off-street/on-premise parking spaces will be created to ease possible parking problems. Residents of the new development will also be limited in their leases to having only two cars per home.
A new retention basin will be built to collect water that pools on some of the properties near the development.
Other improvements
The town has made commitments to address other long-standing issues in the County Avenue area. The street will be repaved next year and the residential portions of the street will get new sidewalks and curbs as well.
Hudson County has agreed to install antique-style light fixtures, also in the residential areas along County Avenue.
At press time, the town was awaiting approval from the county for a $100,000 Open Space grant to improve Ivanovki Park. Under the capital budget recently approved by the Town Council, Secaucus will add another $65,000 to this grant for the park improvement project. A new rubberized surface, mulch, and new playground structures are among the improvements planned.
Weigands Lane will also get a major facelift, as will two basketball courts on Sheddik Field.
“It should also be noted that we’re in the process of addressing the drainage problems on all the streets that have dead ends, which has been another concern, In fact, we just started working on Charles Street today,” the mayor said on Thursday.
The town has also submitted grants to plant turf on the County Avenue field and install a walking track around the field.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.