Jones Lang LaSalle

A Gritty Area With Awesome Views
By ANTOINETTE MARTIN

PATERSON -- THIS is a city with a reputation for being old, gritty and tired, but it has a natural wonder that is mostly a secret to outsiders: magnificent waterfalls.

Now, Paterson's energetic mayor and a fired-up developer envision a vibrant neighborhood near these falls. It would create hundreds of condos in restored factory buildings and new low-rise structures, new retail space, a public access cable television studio, a hotel, an amphitheater and a waterfront trail along the Passaic River.

The mayor, Jose Torres, is pushing hard to have the Great Falls of Paterson — the second largest by volume east of the Mississippi, after Niagara, according to the city — declared a national park. And he has set in motion a plan to secure a National Park Service grant to finance the cleanup and stabilization of the historic district around the falls, which was declared a state park in 2004.

Currently, the area immediately around the falls is desolate. It is occupied by the city dog pound, two warehouses, a run-down arena and several burnt-out husks of buildings that once served as textile mills.

But the developer, Dornoch Holdings of Morristown, has seized on the mayor's view of the place as a natural gem in need of polishing and has produced plans for a large-scale redevelopment to be built in phases over the next five to seven years.

The Great Falls Historic District project would create a total of about 350 market-rate condominium units in restored and newly built structures and an 83,000-square-foot hotel-conference center where there are now faded industrial structures running along McBride Avenue that have spectacular waterfall views.

The plan for the project is designed to showcase the views — of the falls, the river and the Manhattan skyline 12 miles to the west — for both residents and tourists, said Glen Fishman, who founded Dornoch two years ago with Frank Macios.

"We were amazed when we first saw what is here," Mr. Fishman said. Now, he likes to lead visitors up a ladder to the roof of one of the warehouse buildings to show off the panorama. And he is prone to outright cheerleading for a beleaguered city he perceives as having big-league potential.

"Anywhere else in the country, a place like this is valuable real estate, and it's valuable real estate here too," he asserted fervently in a recent statement from the warehouse rooftop. "We are committed to help in revitalizing Paterson and its economy, because this is a sweet place with a rich history, and we think that's very exciting as a business opportunity, and as a worthwhile thing to do."

So far, Dornoch has acquired eight acres of property, including the warehouse sites and the site of the long-vacant Columbia textile mill, bordered by Ryle Avenue and Geering Lane overlooking the river.

Mr. Fishman said various Columbia mill buildings would be restored to maintain their "historical character," and turned into a dozen 900-square-foot one-bedroom homes; one three-bedroom home of 1,800 square feet; and 30 condos, each about 1,200 square feet. Some of the units would be intended as artist's live-work space.

The warehouses, which occupy the bluff above the falls on Jasper Street, would be razed, according to the plan, which will be formally submitted to local planning authorities next month, Mr. Fishman said.

In their place, Dornoch will build the Palisade Condominium complex: five buildings with 12 one-story apartments each, and six buildings with four single-level apartments and six town homes.

Town planners are insisting on low-rise buildings, no higher than three floors, Mr. Fishman said. The buildings would be red brick, with tall windows and classic colonial-era detail in deference to the mill motif, he said.

Mayor Torres, who was born in Paterson and who is in his first term as mayor, promotes the city as a "unique treasure of national history."

In 1791, Alexander Hamilton, the country's first secretary of the treasury and one of Paterson's founders, helped to initiate the Industrial Revolution by investing in a hydropower system that diverted water from the Great Falls to the mills strung along the Passaic. Hamilton met with George Washington at the site, an event commemorated in a painting that hangs in the mayor's office.

The water power system generated some major breakthroughs in early manufacturing. Samuel Colt, who invented the first revolver, and John Holland, who invented the first useful submarine, started up factories fueled by its power. The Colt Gun Mill site is a part of the redevelopment area.

By the early 20th century, Paterson had become known as a world center for the production of cotton, silk and locomotives. "Important labor history was also made here," said Mr. Torres, who made mention of the Silk Strike of 1913, during which skilled workers first demanded an eight-hour day.

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford designated 118 acres of the industrial area near the falls as a national landmark, and that set off a process that could lead to National Park designation.

Since then, a number of the old mills in town have been restored and converted to new use. Several others still actually operate as mills.

But the heart of the historic mill district pretty much languished until the mayor began beating the drums, and Dornoch heard the call.

Even now, there is the possibility their plans will never precede. The mayor is up for re-election next month in a tight battle.

The developers emphasize that no financing is required from the city of Paterson for the project.

"But the truth is we have worked closely and well with the mayor on creating this plan," Mr. Fishman said. "We want to move forward despite any future issues or obstacles, but politics could certainly change the scenario."