Following approximately nine hours of public comment at two monthly meetings, the City Council on Aug. 19 passed the ordinance allowing a 9- or 10-story building and parking deck to be built at the current site of Resnick’s Hardware at 46th Street and Broadway and down West 46th Street.
Resnick’s Hardware will stay in business, but move to a new location.
The approval, by a 4-1 margin, capped several weeks of strong and vocal opposition to the project by 46th Street residents and others in the vicinity who said a building of that size was not right for the block, which consists mainly of two-story homes. Opponents charged that the larger building would change the integrity of the neighborhood and lower the quality of life for residents there.
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 next to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail’s 8th Street Station.
The Resnick’s proposal was a lightning rod for reaction in a city that has not changed greatly in decades.
Dozens of opponents spoke at the July 22 and Aug. 19 council meetings, a citizen’s group purchased a full-page advertisement in the Bayonne Community News against the proposal, and several others wrote letters to the editor, both for and against.
More than 40 people spoke at the Aug. 19 public hearing, but the pro/con percentage of those speaking changed greatly from the July 22 council meeting. At that one, more than two thirds of those 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.
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.
John McDonough, the project’s professional planner, spoke about the redevelopment statute that allows the city’s 45-feet maximum Broadway height restriction to be circumvented for a project such as this.
“This is an opportunity for the city to capitalize on that tool and revitalize the Broadway corridor,” McDonough said.
Developer Lance Lucarelli, a 30-year Bayonne resident, also spoke during the public hearing and talked about his commitment to the city. Lucarelli said that new real estate projects on Broadway will be the city’s savior.
Most of council in favor
The vote was finally taken after 11 p.m.
Councilman at Large Juan Perez, absent from the July council meeting because of a family matter, said he watched the meeting on tape to be up to date on what transpired. While he did have some concerns about the project, they were not enough to prevent him from voting yes.
“This city needs new faces, new ideas, and new money,” Perez said.
Council President Sharon Nadrowski said developments of this type are the key to Bayonne’s bouncing back from what has been a steady decline.
“It needs to happen in the first ward, the second ward, and the third ward, and I vote aye,” Nadrowski said.
Councilmen Tom Cotter and Salvatore Gullace also voted in favor of the measure.
Voting against the measure
Third Ward Councilman Gary La Pelusa, who represents the area where the project is to be built, was the lone dissenter. La Pelusa said that listening to his constituents’ concerns, 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 building impacts this neighborhood too strongly. I think this project has many more negatives, and I vote no.”
After the meeting, Lucarelli said he felt great that his development had been approved, and that it was a step in the right direction for Bayonne.
“This city needs change fast,” he said.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.To comment on this story online visit www.hudsonreporter.com.