BAYONNE – After a highly charged, four-hour public hearing on a controversial nine-story, mixed-use project proposed for the site of Resnick’s Hardware on Broadway and 46th Street and nearby 46th Street properties, the City Council voted to approve the redevelopment ordinance by a 4-1 vote on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Third Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa, who represents the area where the project is to be built, was the lone dissenter.
The approval of the 120-foot building, with first-floor retail, eight floors of residential space, and an adjacent parking deck, was the second in the city in two weeks for a building nine stories or higher. On Aug. 11, the Planning Board voted 9-0 in favor of a 22-story tower for North Street.
More than 40 people spoke in the public hearing, a continuation from the July 22 council meeting. At that meeting, more than two thirds of those speaking were against the project. On Aug. 19, it was more even, with a little more than half opposing and a little less than half supporting.
“I think this is a good thing for Bayonne; I think it is a good thing for the area,” said Patrick Franconeri of East 51st Street.
But Harry Innis of West 46th Street disagreed.
“There is a proper spot for every building; this is not the proper spot for this building,” Innis said.
Developer Lance Lucarelli, a Bayonne resident for 30 years, also spoke during the ordinance’s public hearing, saying new real estate projects on Broadway will be the savior of the city.
Hearing his constituents’ comments, La Pelusa said he had no choice but to vote against the measure.
“I don’t feel 10-story buildings are right for Bayonne,” he said. “I feel this 10-story impacts this neighborhood too strongly. I think this project has many more negatives, and I vote no.”
But Council President Sharon Nadrowski said developments of this nature are the key to Bayonne’s revitalization.
“It needs to happen in the first ward, the second ward and the third ward, and I vote aye,” Nadrowski said. –Joseph Passantino
City Council approves controversial Resnick’s project
