No one can dispute that the Yardley building on Palisade Avenue and Sixth Street is in need of redevelopment. They also don’t deny that the property, which has an unobstructed view of the New York City skyline, would be a gold mine for developers.
>However, many of the residents living near the building are wondering what will happen to their views of the skyline, and therefore their property values, if the building is redeveloped.
This concern became the focus of the May 1 Planning Board meeting, in which the board focused on this area and the Swiss Town Property on 33rd Street and Hudson Avenue as redevelopment sites.
“[These residents] are afraid that [the new development] is going to ruin their view,” said member of the Hudson County Tenant’s Council Wafaa Mikhail. “If their views are obstructed, their property values will go down.” However, Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who lives near the Yardley Property, said that he would never do anything to hurt that area or without the residents’ input.
“The redevelopment plan that we are adopting is only to consider developing the area,” said Stack, who also sits on the city’s Planning Board, explaining that no plans for development have come to the city yet. “Before any approval is made [on development], your input will be requested.”
Stack explained that the Planning Board will hold open meetings in City Hall and in the city’s neighborhoods for the residents to give input on the prospective projects.
“I am planning for the future so you can have a well-planned development, an improved neighborhood, increased property values in the surrounding area and ultimately reduced taxes and rents,” said Stack.
In fact, creating a redevelopment zone gives the city and the residents more control over future development in the community.
“This is going to give a lot of control to the city and its residents,” said Stack. “[Having a redevelopment area] protects residents more than it protects developers.”
According to David Spatz, a planning consultant with Community Housing and Planning in Fort Lee, no developer can build higher than 22 stories in a multi-family zone in Union City. However, if the property is not labeled a redevelopment zone, the developer can apply for a variance with the Board of Adjustments.
“If they can prove their case [to the Board of Adjustments] they can go 50 stories conceivably,” said Spatz, explaining that a variance cannot be received in a redevelopment area.
“The maximum height in Union City is 22 stories,” agreed Stack. “Without a redevelopment area, a developer can get a variance and build a high-rise. With a redevelopment area they cannot change the plan.”
What would it mean?
Many of the residents who attended the May 1 meeting were nervous about what the new development would mean for their property, especially those properties that fall within the borders of the redevelopment areas.
“Does that mean that you can come in and paint my house blue if you want to?” said Frank Zimmerman, the owner of a house that was included in one of the redevelopment areas. His house is in the Swiss Townhouse Property redevelopment area.
But Planning Board members insisted that existing zoning laws protect homes like Zimmerman’s, both inside and outside the redevelopment district.
“Having a redevelopment area enables us to properly direct development to protect your property,” said Spatz. A redevelopment area also allows for more sensible development in the city.
“They placed an American Storage in that area,” said Stack about the area where the Swiss Townhouse property is located. “That was poor planning. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
The Yardley Property covers Palisade Avenue from Fourth to Sixth streets, including the Yardley building, Our Lady of Deliverance Church, an apartment building and a structure known as the Conforti property, which has been vacant for more than 15 years.
The redevelopment area of the Swiss Townhouse property is a squared-off region on 33rd Street and Hudson Avenue. This space, which originally included for redevelopment the veteran’s housing complex on Cantello Street, the American Storage Building and the Italian Community Center across the street from it, now just encompasses the Swiss Town Property and its immediate surroundings.
While not all of the properties in the city’s targeted redevelopment areas will be affected, namely Our Lady of Deliverance Church and many apartment buildings, these sites needed to be included to perform a comprehensive study of the property.
According the report drafted by Spatz, both the Swiss Town site and the Yardley building are in need of redevelopment and considered to be in “an obsolete and deteriorated structure.” The Swiss Town property and the Conforti property have both been vacant for more than 15 years.
The city’s next step is to come up with an actual redevelopment plan for the areas, which will include the zoning standards. Once that is done and approved, the city will go out for request for proposals from developers.