Jones Lang LaSalle
Developer to seek offices, not housing
Plans for Raritan Twp. cite switch from senior condos
Friday, April 14, 2006
BY JENNIFER WEISS
Star-Ledger Staff
After withdrawing his applica tion for a senior housing development in Raritan Township, developer John Aldrich will pursue constructing an office complex on the same site, according to his attor ney.
Aldrich recently chose to forgo the office building plan for which he was given approvals in 2003, and instead pitch 25 market-rate age- restricted housing units and several additional affordable housing units to the Raritan Township board of adjustment.
He had been advised that senior housing is in greater demand than office space in the area, said Richard Cushing, an attorney with the law firm Gebhardt & Kiefer.
The site on Old York Road near the Raritan Township Municipal Utilities Authority Sewer Plant is zoned for office and research. Re cently, Aldrich had made a bifur cated application to the board of adjustment for a variance and site plan approval for the condominium complex.
He withdrew that application last week at the township board of adjustment meeting because he believed it was met with "animos ity," Cushing told the board. One board member said any animosity that was sensed may have been misinterpreted confusion.
The condominium complex Al drich had proposed included 15 two-bedroom units and 10 one- bedroom market-rate units, to be built within the footprint of the already approved office complex.
Tylman Moon, the architect consulted for the project, said the individual condominiums ranged in size from 906 square feet to 14,062 square feet. He named a starting price of about $300,000.
Aldrich's prior application for office space -- three buildings with a combined square footage of 49,704 -- was denied in 2001 based on a lack of sewer capacity. In 2002, several local ordinances changed, affecting the application. And in 2003, the Raritan Township Municipal Utilities Authority awarded Al drich the sewer capacity he needed, according to a copy of a 2003 planning board resolution that Cushing provided.
Moon distributed a rendition of one of the office buildings at last week's meeting as part of his presentation on the proposed residential development. He said the image represented the architec tural style of the proposed condominiums. Affordable housing proposed to be a part of the development was not included in the layout Moon described.
Board of Adjustment Attorney Jonathan Drill said the board was not presented with enough information specific to the residential development to grant the necessary variance.
"What do they have in front of them to approve?" Drill asked at one point.
Board Chairman Gregory Wei gle said he did not feel he had enough information to make a decision. "We've got Jell-O against the wall and we're trying to nail it down," Weigle said.
Cushing said he knew there were issues remaining that would need to be explored but that he and his client wanted "to get this process moving."
After the application was withdrawn, Cushing said the project could have given Raritan Township a good location for affordable hous ing units it needs.
Aldrich, too, is expecting to need a site for roughly 3 1/2 affordable housing units. He has an applica tion in to the planning board for an 88,000-square-foot shopping center on Route 202, the fate of which could be decided by the end of the month.
Cushing was critical of the price the township charges developers who do not produce affordable units on-site, calling it "a bit steep" at $430,000 per unit.
"It may be the town needs to adjust somewhat the amount it charges for off-site Mount Laurel units," Cushing said, using another term for affordable units.
Raritan Mayor Jerry Zemla chenko said yesterday that the price is high at the moment be cause the township no longer has any land left in its sewer serving area.
"We are still diligently working at reducing that price," Zemla chenko said.
At Thursday's meeting, neighbors to the Old York Road property spoke skeptically about the proposed senior development.
"You're going to have senior citizens coming out on a well-traveled road," resident Bill Young said. "It just doesn't make sense."
Wayne Ingram, another resident, pointed out that the plan would mix senior housing units with affordable housing units, which cannot be age-restricted.
Seniors, he said, "may not want the commotion" of neighbors with children.
Still, Ingram said he would prefer a senior housing development to an office complex on the site.
Jennifer Weiss works in the Hunterdon County bureau. She may be reached at (908) 782-8326 or jweis s@starledger.com.
© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
Developer to seek offices, not housing
Plans for Raritan Twp. cite switch from senior condos
Friday, April 14, 2006
BY JENNIFER WEISS
Star-Ledger Staff
After withdrawing his applica tion for a senior housing development in Raritan Township, developer John Aldrich will pursue constructing an office complex on the same site, according to his attor ney.
Aldrich recently chose to forgo the office building plan for which he was given approvals in 2003, and instead pitch 25 market-rate age- restricted housing units and several additional affordable housing units to the Raritan Township board of adjustment.
He had been advised that senior housing is in greater demand than office space in the area, said Richard Cushing, an attorney with the law firm Gebhardt & Kiefer.
The site on Old York Road near the Raritan Township Municipal Utilities Authority Sewer Plant is zoned for office and research. Re cently, Aldrich had made a bifur cated application to the board of adjustment for a variance and site plan approval for the condominium complex.
He withdrew that application last week at the township board of adjustment meeting because he believed it was met with "animos ity," Cushing told the board. One board member said any animosity that was sensed may have been misinterpreted confusion.
The condominium complex Al drich had proposed included 15 two-bedroom units and 10 one- bedroom market-rate units, to be built within the footprint of the already approved office complex.
Tylman Moon, the architect consulted for the project, said the individual condominiums ranged in size from 906 square feet to 14,062 square feet. He named a starting price of about $300,000.
Aldrich's prior application for office space -- three buildings with a combined square footage of 49,704 -- was denied in 2001 based on a lack of sewer capacity. In 2002, several local ordinances changed, affecting the application. And in 2003, the Raritan Township Municipal Utilities Authority awarded Al drich the sewer capacity he needed, according to a copy of a 2003 planning board resolution that Cushing provided.
Moon distributed a rendition of one of the office buildings at last week's meeting as part of his presentation on the proposed residential development. He said the image represented the architec tural style of the proposed condominiums. Affordable housing proposed to be a part of the development was not included in the layout Moon described.
Board of Adjustment Attorney Jonathan Drill said the board was not presented with enough information specific to the residential development to grant the necessary variance.
"What do they have in front of them to approve?" Drill asked at one point.
Board Chairman Gregory Wei gle said he did not feel he had enough information to make a decision. "We've got Jell-O against the wall and we're trying to nail it down," Weigle said.
Cushing said he knew there were issues remaining that would need to be explored but that he and his client wanted "to get this process moving."
After the application was withdrawn, Cushing said the project could have given Raritan Township a good location for affordable hous ing units it needs.
Aldrich, too, is expecting to need a site for roughly 3 1/2 affordable housing units. He has an applica tion in to the planning board for an 88,000-square-foot shopping center on Route 202, the fate of which could be decided by the end of the month.
Cushing was critical of the price the township charges developers who do not produce affordable units on-site, calling it "a bit steep" at $430,000 per unit.
"It may be the town needs to adjust somewhat the amount it charges for off-site Mount Laurel units," Cushing said, using another term for affordable units.
Raritan Mayor Jerry Zemla chenko said yesterday that the price is high at the moment be cause the township no longer has any land left in its sewer serving area.
"We are still diligently working at reducing that price," Zemla chenko said.
At Thursday's meeting, neighbors to the Old York Road property spoke skeptically about the proposed senior development.
"You're going to have senior citizens coming out on a well-traveled road," resident Bill Young said. "It just doesn't make sense."
Wayne Ingram, another resident, pointed out that the plan would mix senior housing units with affordable housing units, which cannot be age-restricted.
Seniors, he said, "may not want the commotion" of neighbors with children.
Still, Ingram said he would prefer a senior housing development to an office complex on the site.
Jennifer Weiss works in the Hunterdon County bureau. She may be reached at (908) 782-8326 or jweis s@starledger.com.
© 2006 The Star Ledger
© 2006 NJ.com All Rights Reserved.
posted by Jones Lang LaSalle NJ News Blog at 1:30 PM
<< Home