good afternoon in accordance with the open public meetings act notice of this meeting has been given to the editor of the Jersey journal and ELP elito as well as posted with the city clerk on July 19th 2024 and I'm sorry let's see here and July 19th did I say July 19th 2024 thank you m can we have roll call sure uh acting chair Gonzalez here uh Vice or acting Vice chair uh Gaden here uh councilman penari here uh commissioner Torres commissioner lipsky here and commissioner green here thank you Mike can we s in the staff tonight be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes okay Matt do we have any correspondents uh we did receive uh two requests to carry items that were listed as new business uh agenda item number 20 uh which is for address 387 New York Avenue case number p223 d89 to uh August 20th with preservation of notice and item number 22 case p2023 d009 address 85-87 Monitor Street uh also carried to August 20th okay thank you we do also have several adjournments um have we made a practice to go through those as they're listed on the agenda I think so yes y okay I got a lot here then all right so we have 6A uh case p2024 d42 address 415 Mammoth Street uh 6B case P 202 4-10 for conditional use at 497 communa Avenue 6C case p2024 d17 at 77-79 Grand Street uh case p2023 0071 at 76-82 Liberty Avenue uh k6 e uh um case number p2024 d32 at 632 nework Avenue 6f case P20 23- 0056 44 parking north k6g P20 23-39 215 vanv Street and 6h p2024 d97 at 611 Tunnell Avenue all of these um sorry all of these except for the last one are carried to August 6 with the 611 Tunnell Avenue being carried to the August 20th meeting so if any member of the public is here for any of the cases that were just called they're not being heard tonight all of them will be heard on August 6 there will be no further notice with the exception of 611 Tunnell Avenue that application will be heard on August 20th there will be no further notice so if you got some kind of notice in the mail certified or otherwise there will be no further notice this is that notice and those are the dates for those applications no other correspondents thank you Matt appreciate you thank you sir okay we're going to go to old bus business in our first case call our first case is case p2024 D105 address is 165-169 and 173 Academy Street okay thank you uh Charles Harrington of conell Foley on behalf of the applicant um just before I begin I I don't recall if I heard um item 21 is is a matter that I have that we uh had requested that it be adjourned and carried to the August 20th date with preservation of notice and a waiver of uh time to act well 20 it's not on the agenda it's on my agenda looks like uh we had didn't have you on the agend I mean it probably was it was just a misprint it's p p uh 202389 oh we did call that one okay sorry one okay so I've got an older one then no no worries 387 New York right yes and that's uh carried uh August 20th thank you okay so uh what I'm here uh before you uh now for is to request two one-year extensions uh with regard to this um project it was approved in 2021 uh and the the resolution was in August of 2021 uh and uh the two-year period uh expired actually in August of 2023 um so that's why we're asking for two years because the one year would take us to August of 2024 so we're asking uh for August of 2025 and uh the reason being is um uh my client um is a corner lot property here uh and he's he's subject to a corner bonus and he's he's been tracking the Journal Square amendments um actually he's one of the developers uh that that has an interest in seeing you know what happens as we go forward uh and that's why he wasn't moving forward with the application to see to see what happened um and and now that you know as as the board knows they're they're before the city council now and there are some additional discussions about whether or not to include additional properties as part of the affordable requirement uh this property is in zone four and then it has a a few other bonus Provisions that that are part of it so he's he's seeking uh additional time um to essentially weigh his options as to the existing project and and what happens going forward with these amendments okay and that's your presentation yes okay I'd like to ask anyone from the public wishes to speak on this chair see any one from the public wishing to speak I move to close second public is now closed okay and I think this is Matthew or Matt yeah I'm going to be sitting in for a couple people tonight so when you see Cameron it'll be me Mata is you and I'll also be Matt Sila I think this is the only one though he has uh so um staff uh is is accepting of the the the request for an extension um and has no real comments okay thank you I'll entertain a motion then CH i' like to make a motion to approve case p2024 D105 as previously approved under case number p21 d026 with all conditions second okay motion made in second it uh acting Vice chair gangan I U councilwoman penzer I commissioner Torres I commissioner lipsky I commissioner green I and acting chair g i motion carries all in favor okay thank you thank you sir okay next case is p2024 d0108 this is for a one-year extension for an interm use uh address is 20 long uh good evening Commissioners Council staff Michael how is everybody uh my name is Jim mccan from the law firm of conell Foley in Jersey City I'm here on behalf of the applicants tonight this is a one-year extend a request for a one-year extension of an interim use approval um I appeared before this board in 2017 and obtained a site plan approval for Newport to construct the building in the Newport a Newport Redevelopment an area um called the beach um at the same time I was granted an interim use approval for a surface parking lot for 181 spaces to service that building um the planning board gave the project a three-year interim use approval starting from the day the beach building got a CO Beach building got a CO the three-year approval expired on June 29th of this year um which is just a few weeks ago um that surface parking lot is still in use and the permanent parking garage is under construction as for that for that building the beach the permanent parking garage is under construction and it's expected to get a CO probably in August it's a little hard with the building department to give a prediction but right around the corner from now um so the purpose of this application is just to come back to the board and say we know our interm use approval expired a few weeks ago we'd like to get a one-year extension um the permanent parking garage should be in service by August and then because there's a number of people parking there we expect that it might take a few months for people to transition from using the surface lot to the permanent garage that's my presentation perfect does does anyone have uh any questions no anyone from the public chair see no one from the public I move to close the public portion second I so uh Commissioners is very typical of of these wholesale Redevelopment areas where there's master plan Redevelopment um there there needs to be breathing room for these interum uses staff recommends approval okay I'll entertain a m motion chair I'd like to make a motion to approve case p2024 d018 as presented second motion made and seconded acting Vice chair angan I councilwoman penari I commissioner Torres I commissioner lipsky I commissioner green I and acting chair Dr Gonzalez I motion carries all in favor thank you appreciate it okay next case is uh case P1 19-1 194 this is uh for termination withdrawal of preliminary and final major s plan with deviations address is 632-6500 Street Mr Mr oconnell not here um I will have to double check on whether not we communicated that he need to be here for this this is a relatively new type of application we're seeing um before the board uh so I I recommend that we adjourn this item I concur Matt it would have to be adjourned without Mr Connell or representative uh of his firm here so uh let's carry it given the nature of the request I'm comfortable acting chair to carrying it to the uh August sixth meeting okay do we need a motion for that sir I think we just need Matt to tell us whether August 6th we could handle this five minute I think this will be a very small administrative type of application yeah I think that we can fit it in okay okay thank you all right we're going to go on to to new business now uh announce that for any member of the public if anybody here came out tonight for case P1 19-1 94 632 to 652 Grand Street we're going to carry that matter to August 6th so it will not be heard tonight it'll be heard on August 6th okay now new business uh we have uh nine on the agenda review and discussion of certified Clifford ows and yigang Yu uh so we uh received uh memos from Joanne Morales of the artist certification board um for these two artists Clifford Owens who meets they determine meets criteria one two 3 four and five the criterias are listed on that bottom of that page that were distributed as well as their resume and samples of their work and saying with uh yiang youu also met all all five criteria and uh the same resume and uh portfolio uh staff recommends approval okay do you have any questions no one from no one from the public chair see no one from the public I would like to close the public portion second okay motion made and second it chair at this time I would like to make a motion to approve the certified Artist as presented to this evening to us for approval second okay motion made in second and roll call acting Vice chair gangan I councilwoman preri I commissioner Torres I commissioner lipsky I commissioner green I and acting chair Dr Gonzalez I motion carries all in favor thank you number 10 on the agenda case number p2024 D31 this is for review and discussion of the adoption of the fet Broadway Redevelopment plan formal action may be taken all right so I'll open this um and I'm going to then invite up um some of the petitioners to talk more um and their professionals talk more about this um this item before you uh under resolution 23- 095 uh the council authorized us to study uh amendments to this area known as The fiad Avenue study area and to determine whether or not it can be um become a a Redevelopment area um so um I'm sorry that was the Declaration or the that they determin it to be an area in need of Redevelopment which probably authorized us to study this so with that I'll I'll invite up um Council uh Chuck Carrington uh to speak about the item before you okay thank you um Commissioners again for the record Charles Harrington of conell Foley uh on behalf of uh case number p2024 z31 uh and which involves two of my clients um we're here uh tonight um to propose a new Redevelopment plan um that involves two of their their properties um it's called the proposed to be the Broadway fet Redevelopment plan um it is something that we've been working on for about two years uh give or take you know a few months probably more and we've been working with the planning department we've been working with the community we've made presentations and been back and forth with the community Representatives you know on different issues so um what we have here uh proposed tonight um we believe is an exciting uh project there the properties are located um my client specific properties are are located along vwag in uh Avenue at at the the northern um dead end which is right next to the path cut uh off of Broadway uh it's an it's an existing Warehouse right now that hasn't been really active in in some time uh my other client's property is um directly off of Broadway as uh and in uh further west between Giles Avenue and Wales Avenue and that's a you know substantial property and then in between is the pinis property as you probably uh know from you know we all been to events down there historically right and that's currently being redeveloped so that that is part of the Redevelopment plan area as well uh it's my understanding that this version is not including any changes to that to that property uh at this time and that they are working with the community um presently so they may be coming back here um but the the uh proposal here would include that um these projects well they they're already in the R3 zon so you could have eight stories on these properties I believe the density is about 145 units an acre um these um in in kind of a history these were one was filed as as a proposed zoning board application and another one uh was reviewed with planning and said why don't we take a step back and and create a Redevelopment plan uh because of these these um both projects being in the immediate vicinity uh and with the idea that maybe there's an opportunity for a PATH station at some time down down off of uh uh behind the bachini parking lot um and uh you have greater density right um but that uh so so that was you know some of a conversation there and uh what this is proposing is um 10% of all the units would be affordable units um so we think that's a benefit um to to the area and uh and the developments uh we're also we worked um with the Port Authority along with the planning department uh to create a plan for the restoration of the pedestrian bridge uh that connects the end of vanwagon in over to the Mana properties on norc Avenue uh and that that will be a substantial undertaking but it's if if you've seen that it's it's kind of in rough shape uh and it needs you know a lot of uh TLC if you know to say the very least so so we have a plan in place uh to do that and and um the port already has signed off on that and we're going to work with them to uh in the event this is this is approved um there are um just before we get get into the presentation there are a few I guess you would call them floor amendments that we'd like there are a few things that didn't make it into the final draft that we had discussed with planning prior to the last meeting when it was adjourned I think at the end of June um and if I could maybe just point to them on on the on a record or um and then my my planner can maybe speak more to it but there is in in um Zone there's there's one in in zone one we have it's it's actually the the draft is um says 1 170 ft and and then it has a question mark why 170 so that actually has is is being proposed to be changed to 175 and Zone one is is the property that's closest to it's on vanwagon in and it fronts on Tunnell Avenue and because of the grade change we we asked planning to change that to 170 to 175 so that we don't run into grade change issues because of the measurement of of the building height another change uh would be with regard to the Loading requirements that uh in concert with discussions with planning we we thought it it was is better than to have separate loading requirements within this plan just to refer to the the Land Development ordinance and their their General loading uh requirements to make it consistent um another change was with regard to a a rooftop setback um where we and that that would be with regard to the vanwagon in project and we asked that the minimum setback of enclosed spaces it says from the facade below but uh we we um proposed to change that along a street right away and the purpose of that is so that you can't see it from the street um but if it's uh it's on the side it's kind of a different view so planning was was okay with that and the last um proposed changes really came out of uh speaking with the the community and its representative um for I think it's zone four let me make sure hit zone four uh the maximum height along Broadway in the in the version before you is seven stories and 80 ft uh and and we agreed that we could uh lower that to five stories and 60 ft and then on the back end you'll see during the presentation how these these uh the proposed conceptual buildings have the height closer to the path cut so it drop it from 7 to 5 in a a long Broadway and then increase it from 15 to 17 at the back end so that you're you're Main maining a lowrise character along Broadway so those are the changes that uh or or the tweaks we would want to make to the to the Redevelopment plan in in connection with our discussions with planning and with uh the community um and that's it so let me go into U I have Charles height here tonight who uh he's going to speak to the plan and how you know its Connection in compliance with the the master plan [Music] CHR height how you doing doing well thank you good thank you can we SAR them in oh uh yeah it it's part of our presentation thanks Mike sorry truth truth I do yes Charles height last name spelled h y DT okay Mr height we know you yes your license is current still current and uh at the pleasure of the board to present as a professional planner here in New Jersey you're qualified thank you um I'll get right to it um we are proposing a new Redevelopment plan so um we are holistically evaluating this area that was included in the study area um for redevelopment uh we had a summary of what's proposed we have a presentation including myself with some of the technical aspects of the Redevelopment plan but also joined with two architecture firms some of the Premier firms that will work walk you through some of the concepts that we're anticipating for the Redevelopment of a couple of the properties within the plan um we did work extensively with the community over the better part of two years to evaluate the existing conditions contemplate the proposed development um we did have a lot of interaction with the port Authority on the proposed pedestrian bridge improvements um but I'll walk through that part of this Redevelopment plan has consistency aspects with the master plan in it because it's a requirement under the local Redevelopment and Housing law so I'll I'll reference that but that's in the text so that doesn't need to be updated or separately referenced it's part of the plan um I'll go over some goals but for starters um we just wanted to give you a lay of land if we can advance um on the left side of the screen does everyone have this up it's showing up on your end ni I'll give you a minute not yet oh there we go so I I said left side I'm actually going to start on the right side so one of the U major influencing factors in these uh properties that were including in the Redevelopment plan um are the adjacency and proximity to the the light rail cut or the path cut um which is just to the north so in these instances uh we have less of an impact on Building height because any massing impacts are to the adjacent P um adjacent area north um but also we wanted to try and understand and evaluate um uh the properties that do front onto Broadway and see if we can come up with this holistic Redevelopment for for these zones so uh on the Eastern Edge we have Zone one uh that I'll be referencing this property does have Frontage on Tunnell and vanwagon in um it does not it only has a small portion of Frontage on Broadway but there's no proposed development on that segment um we move into zone two which is uh as Mr Harrington referenced already under construction we wanted to fold it into the plan to speak to the taller structures that are contemplated in the area um we move into zone three um which again is is one of the larger zones um there were prior approvals on this property so all we're doing with this step of the Redevelopment plan is bringing them into the zoning of the plan as per the approvals uh on the western edge uh you have Zone 4 uh which extends to um oh we have the labeling on the streets it's not vanwagon and vanwagon and vanwagon and um it uh it's Giles on the West End um just catching that error now but um we have uh Giles Avenue on on the western ede uh where we have the zone four property um so specifically with zone four there is direct Frontage on Broadway that is one of the FL amendments with respect to a lower setback for a portion of the property that fronts on the Broadway and added height towards the North or the rear of the property um within the Redevelopment plan so um you can see the breakdown of the zoning map on the left um with the the four zones um relatively straightforward but again all these properties require Redevelopment to advance any development plans they are all designated in the study um they either have Frontage on Broadway or the path cut to the north um with respect to the goals and objectives that we incorporated into the Redevelopment plan again we did work with City Planning um I'll identify a few uh to encourage development of buildings with a mix use mix of uses incl including residential and commercial with high quality building design uh to make sustainability and smart growth a theme for future development and Redevelopment that guides land use and transportation decisions again you uh one of the components with sustainability is uh smart growth or or Green Building standards that in the plan um to reduce automobile dependency by encouraging high density development in close proximity to mass transit and Neighborhood Services with low automobile parking ratios and with bicycle parking requirements so that's been a standard policy of the City generally with development and we're folding that in here with with this Redevelopment plan um one other is is the coordination with the path so one of the goals is to repair and maintain the vanwagon and Avenue path pedestrian brid bridge to make it safe and more attractive to users um we do have a whole section uh about the commitments there um we work with the path specifically to tailor the language that's comfortable for them um there's a lot of added requirements with Ada accessibility that they have to evaluate so they needed enough flexibility with the types of improvements they could um fold into this plan so we uh we work directly with them on that um one of the big selling points on this proposed Redevelopment is affordable housing so that is a goal of the plan we're committing to 10% in the proposed structures um certainly for Zone one and Zone 4 um we are also integrating open space um one of the front entrances the Eastern edge of this Redevelopment plan AB buts the western edge of Journal Square so to make this a landing spot and connect the uh two Redevelopment plans there is open space Plaza um worked into Zone one uh as a requirement um and that would be essentially the Gateway from Journal Square uh the Journal Square proper if you will to uh to this Redevelopment plan um those are a few of the goals and objectives again uh this plan does have consistency uh worked into it so uh first and foremost the housing element um integrating affordable housing a mix of variety of housing added density in the appropriate location is consistent with the master plan um we are are also integrating open space um one of the aims is to strengthen neighborhood oriented commercial areas so integrating the mixed use at ground level will help Foster that uh and then um continued efforts to enhance residential neighborhoods uh much of the existing conditions on this site are uh Antiquated industrial uses uh surface parking areas um and what would constitute areas ripe for redevelopment so um in summary that would be uh a lot of the consistency with the master plan um with with the with the city's master plan as well well as the state planning act um with the state Redevelopment plan being in planning area one um I think the four amendments were straightforward again uh with Zone one we are proposing to tailor the permitted Building height and Fe based on our understanding of the topography we thought that was an appropriate uh Flor Amendment um as we looked further into it um there is substantial change in grade approximately 21 fet from tunnle to vanwagon in um we are also proposing uh to just be consistent with the loading requirements so referencing the Land Development ordinance um we at one point wanted to come up with specific loading requirements for each Zone got too involved and we thought just relying on the general standards would be fair um the last amend uh well one of the other amendments um is a setback for enclosed spaces um along and we're adding in a street ride of way just to provide that separation and break on the massing on the on the setbacks um and then lastly which is really the reason for floor amendments is coordination with the local community group to try and reinforce the frontage along Broadway to have a lower uh building scale and set back the added height uh further from Broadway so these are two aspects in zone 4 that we're um looking to address that concern so the max height overall in zone four is 17 stories or it's been increase to 17 stories 180 ft but really the the point of that amendment is to restrict the building Heights long Broadway to five stories 60 ft so those are the four amendments summary of the Redevelopment plan and and you'll see you'll see during the presentation that that five stories would have to be continued for a step back of 70 feet from Broadway so you're you're not going to have a 15 or 17 story building directly above above it so and and I just add that um this Redevelopment plan would require that the uh developers be designated as the developers through the Jersey City Redevelopment agency and enter into a redevelopers agreement with them in connection with the improvements to the path Bridge uh as well as the open space Plaza and related items Mr Harrington I did not see this particular map on the portal it's it's there I I know I looked at it earlier today the map itself I did not see this document with the map and the aerial presentation this I think we should Mark it okay I'm sorry thank you yes if we could mark this is as uh the whole slide deck is A1 do we know how many slides are on it 10 10 right A1 thank you A1 any questions for Mr height Commissioners any questions no okay okay just one thing is is um so like on Broadway there are a number of properties that are left out um I mean they're already developed they're um occupied by existing structures that wouldn't meet the designation um at this point in time um so tow houses mostly Residential Properties smaller Lots um but that's that's the main reason and those those are properties that in the event they you know sought to be included at a future date they have the opportunity to to speak with planning about it but you'll see on there there are a lot of you know older homes that you know start on Tunnell as as you go go west and down down uh down Broadway that iart buildings yeah I don't know if they're going anywhere anytime soon with the historic uh commission thank you thank you Mr right thank you so uh and I'd like to just have a few brief presentations as the conceptual buildings that that this would create uh through our our two architects I wanted to start with Michael Lawson with regard to the vanwagon in uh project in zone one and then uh Kieran Kelly uh will take us through the The Proposal on along GES Avenue I do my name is Michael Lawson law s so Mr Harrington is this going to be for conceptual purpos is how how you guys Envision the plan being implemented because I think the plan kind of speaks for itself in terms of what the requirements are so I obviously it's not a site plan application the plan's going to be sent over back to the council to be adopted via ordinance or whatever the council chooses to do yeah absolutely it's for conceptual purposes only we just think that kind of a picture is worth a thousand words you see how how these regulations uh would create a project and uh I I I'll defer it to the board but I think it's beneficial to see it okay we can be you said they were short I think that that's okay yes we will absolutely keep it short perfect thank you so as Mr height uh noted before um I'm uh giving testimony to 166b Wagon in which is Zone one and it's located um on Tunnell and and ranges from Tunnell all the way down to vanwagon in which includes a 21t drop of grade here you can see that we are uh proposing a 15-story building here um with an expansive uh uh public Plaza space located on Tunnell that really does Mr Harrington we should swear the witness you did okay okay and and for the record uh Mr Lawson you're referring to the uh the same slide deck we referenced as A1 yes okay and again for the record it's 15 stories so I don't recall if I said 15 stories in 170 uh just want to make sure that that's part of the floor Amendment 15 stories and 175 175 yes sorry I'm going backwards so as I was saying uh on the ground floor along Tunnell um we are proposing a public Plaza um that really does become part of the artw Walk that's being proposed for Journal Square leading from the Journal Square pass station all the way to Mana contemporary um we believe that that really becomes a pedestrian environment that links those two areas and this becomes that missing tooth in a lot of the uh in a lot of the urban fabric as we discussed previously as well part of the Redevelopment plan is to replace is to restore the pedestrian bridge over the path uh path tracks and that's located right at the corner um along vanwagon in um right near our uh our project as well um we are proposing a very contemporary building um with residential above uh residential amenity spaces along that uh pedestrian Plaza as well as parking uh in the building um approximately 85 spaces currently that will be accessed off of vanwagon in um so that you don't have any traffic problems long tunnelling um so that's the broad um kind of gist of the overall program for Zone one we have two additional slides really showing what we're envisioning for the um the public Plaza space outside our and a long Tunnell the building does um uh Canever over that space so you do have an open to the sky portion but also an area that is um shielded from from the rain and the elements as well we think that this will be a great um ad uh advancement for the neighborhood um as well as the the overall Journal Square area so Mr Harrington that's the kind of thing that I wonder under the plan does that have to be an element or is that something that no it's is required is not required it's a required element as part of that zone right and that's why we bring it up is because it is required in the Redevelopment and plan it was very important to City Planning that that we show that okay thank you so much all right and then if I could if you indulge me with Mr Kelly just to speak to the trial's Avenue concept I do Kelly c i a r a n k l l y Mr Kelly thank you I'll be very brief um we are zone four so we're the the the lot or the parcel all the way to the West essentially it's it's it's almost the entire block of block 9203 with the exception of the southeast or southwest corner which is the sea fars International Union building you can see it there it's a three-story red brick building but other than that the property in red is uh is what we're working with it's 125 ft along Broadway and over 250 ft uh long in a north south Dimension now if you go to the next slide under the Redevelopment plan prior to this evening's floor Amendment this is what would have been proposed this was a seven story massing on Broadway with 15 stories to the north along the light rail tracks but as we're describing in order having gotten feedback from the neighborhood in order to bring the massing down on Broadway we would come down to five stories on Broadway and trans you know move the the the massing of the building building toward the north so that we come up to 17 stories on the Northern side um broad Strokes we're currently looking at approximately 43 430 units of a good unit mix Studios ones one beds and dens twos two beds and dens we have 28 parking spaces currently within the building uh all uh within an enclosed garage on the first floor um obviously all loading operations take place fully within the building there's no Street loading proposed uh we're looking at had a residential Lobby on the northeast corner uh and the entirety of the Broadway Frontage would be occupied by retail space uh if you go to the next slide uh to give you an idea of some of the conceptual conceptual Aesthetics so this is a a very conceptual view this is on Broadway looking at what is here shown as a seven-story version uh which would come down in massing uh but essentially It's a combination of masonry brick being the main material proposed in a light and a dark tone and then the uh key nodes around the building would be highlighted or accented with a frameless curtain wall glass so this is looking at the retail on Broadway next slide is a closeup of the residential entry proposed at the northeast corner this is a fet is on the right hand side and if you go to the last slide sorry that it's taking so long it's going to be amazing the big reveal the big reveal uh okay well maybe we don't have to waste your time but essentially the the Aesthetics are similar but you have the 17th story proposed on the Northern end there you go there it is okay who was worth the thank you thank you and unless you have any questions for anybody that completes our presentation thank you sir do we have any questions commissioner counil I just want to be Charles I just want to be clear every time we do one of these amendments or something into the plan we are not I am not I'm asking is my vote have nothing to do with this project that's in front of me right now correct correct no none at all so what I just been looking at right now might happen might not happen I am going by what was recommended by city council for this plan and the changes on this plan the only purpose of showing the renderings is to illustrate what the plan could feasibly allow and so that the public is aware it may or may not happen it may or may not look like that uh it may be X stories high but it could look totally different which the question that I posed to Mr Harrington regarding the plaza that we're seeing is that something that is required under the plan or is it something that they're showing but then when it comes back it's a rectangle and there is no Plaza because you're going to show something it should be something required in the plan and Mr Haring said no the reason we showed it is because that is something that the plan contemplated so the pictures are are lovely and nice uh but they may or may not look like that when an application based on the plan is actually filed assuming the governing body and this body uh move forward with the plan thank you for clearing that up thank you very much I think that was one of the reasons why Council lampy was wondering if we should show him or not because that does H tend to happen people think oh this is what we're voting for but uh we we get it yeah and for the record Zone one section 8 ab and C specifically speaks to the open space requirements okay thank you anyone else coun so in terms of the bridge that's Port Authority but who under this plan would maintain it well Port Authorities will be maintaining it the the way it's proposed and we had a lot of back and forth with the Port Authority is that there there was going to be a contribution um by the developers to um for the renovation of it that will be paid to the JC and put in into an escrow account then the Port Authority will draw upon it and a Port Authority made it clear that they will be doing the work not not a private third party because they want to coordinate any interruptions with the uh the train service uh and you know they use their own engineers and their own uh people so I'd imagine they they will um maintain it after that so it's it's a monetary contribution by the uh developers so the contribution would be ongoing in perpetuity or no it's it's a um that's part of the Redevelopment agreement with the the JC see if I can find it it's on page 14 so what's envisioned to happen is any party looking to Redevelopment under the plan they have to sign they have to get designated by the JC and they have to sign a Redevelopment agreement and this is one of the items that is contemplated to be negotiated in that Redevelopment agreement and is one of the obligations of the redeveloper and in the purview of the Redevelopment agency but looks like on page 14 Redevelopment agreement uh shall stipulate cost and duration of The Rehabilitation improvements to the vanwagon pedestrian bridge rehabilitation in the event no attempt has been made by the port authority to begin these improvements after 10 years from the date of adoption of this plan the funds can be repurposed for open space improvements within the journal scare 2060 Redevelopment plan area and commissioner if that's a provision that you think needs to be added to obviously uh that can be one of the comments Incorporated in your comments and if it's going to be recommended to the council by the body that provision or to look further into that provision can be uh incorporated into that that recommendation and we'll make sure it gets done I'm Excuse me if if I could add it it does uh specifically state to and this is after discussions with the Port Authority as to you know what what do you want to do what what's what's going to be part of this uh this uh renovation and Rehabilitation um that that we agreed that you know the contributions as uh Mr lampy said uh these contributions will be the result of negotiations with the JC the port authority and the developer um but will not exceed uh $500,000 per development so you're you're you're looking at you know a substantial we we had estimates back and forth as to what the the um Rehabilitation would cost and that's that's kind of where we landed and then and then the I the idea is if there are other people people or other developments that come into the plan uh then they could contribute more um but that that money will be given to the jcra yeah I don't know that the Redevelopment of it necessarily is of concern I mean it's functional uh TLC is an adequate description um I was over there not too long ago with councilman boiano and the debris that's strewn across it uh people sleep on it bikes that are in disrepair are left at it and so I mean we can clean it up but or we can repurpose it but who's going to maintain it that's really what I'm saying is you could spend $500,000 but if the same element comes back it's uh Silk Stockings on a pig or the inverse it's a beautiful building with the you know dong all over it well now just as an aside you ultimately you could have two projects with that entrance and Bridge in their front yard because there's an existing project right now A 14 story project on the western side of Van waging that's that's topped off and almost ready for a CO and then hopefully this project on the other side so you're going to have eyes on it and they they will have you know an incentive to to maintain it who Property Owners okay yeah but who owns the actual Bridge Port Authority Port Authority so in answer to your direct question it's Port Authority's responsibility to clean it and maintain it we know the Port Authority so I think Mr Harrington is essentially telling you that you know the eventual redeveloper that invests significant money is going to make sure that as part of their project they're out there picking up the debr oh I mean that's nice and said and done in theory but you know this past weekend I was over at 700 Grove beautiful building and New Jersey Transit does nothing so this is another probably be another example and you're shaking your head and that's you know I mean these are practical questions I mean I want Jersey City to be beautiful I live born and raised here and if we're going to do a Redevelopment plan I mean and this is a beautiful building I think that this will uh make it the area phenomenal I mean tunnle Avenue I mean that sidewalk gross disrepair I mean if we could put that kind of sidewalking around there so look I mean bottom line is is if there's some way I don't know if it's through Council or somehow to figure out a practical way not oh Port Authority this that and the other they're going to put 500,000 maybe it's in an interest bearing account that uh or that somehow we hire people periodically like the Sid to go over there and maintain it because otherwise again you can rebuild it but if it looks you know crummy and and bringing new people and I think is great and new and this type of construction I think is phenomenal whether it is this or not um but when I hear these plans sometimes that portion of it you know rubs me a little bit like if we can't get down you know uh to the details Stephen cby says measure twice cut once you know so and that's something that could be flushed out in a Redevelopment agreement with the jcra I mean Matt and you know planning's here so it's it's something that uh will be an issue that we'll we'll discuss in the event this is passed any more questions no okay we'll open it up M Mr Harrington is that that's all your presentation thank you sir anyone from the public wish to speak on this come on up truth Tru truth I do Michael Manzo Manan zo 82 right Avenue Jersey City Mr Manzo you have three minutes okay thank you for coming I want to start at the end to where Mr lipsky was going with the uh that dead end there it's an eyes saw but uh I came to the variance with the developer with the building on the west side of the street we have a commitment from them to have 24-hour cameras Door Man Etc so they will be the neighbor at the end there's no more Bad Neighbor at the end so that should curtail a lot of that then with the project on the east side of the street I'm pretty confident we've already seen it they're just doing a pump test uh last week so when that building is up and coming I'm sure with a 24-hour door man there with eyes on that with cameras and everything I'm sure we're going to eliminate that because I feel like you I want Jersey City to be beautiful Point well taken thank you um getting back to these projects that you see in the background here the elevation uh the turnabout it was very easy to talk to the developers here and then when you come down a little more to the West it hits home that's where I live um and so we have the as a right the eight story it feels like it's big intrusive as our council person uh in Ward B before we had negotiations with the Pini project we had them make it so that the facades carry from west to east on the north side of Brook way so the people with the older homes feel like they still have part of what they have and then the back the buildings set back and Tall forms a noise barrier and you really can't see them until you take a step back so it still feels like a neighborhood a community and uh it's sort of like the view of what the city has planned but we tweaked it to make it more conducive to what the neighbors wanted and that's where we have this it's it's a good cross on all of that uh the elevation it might be five stories it might be four stories because when you get Giles Avenue to Wales you probably have an eight or 10 foot difference so it might be five but the thought is to have it even all the way as you go up to the top of the hill I want to say that it was uh a good thing that we forgot the most important thing here with the developer right across from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church we have an annual festival at that we just finished and it's been going on for over 125 years not only they've committed to helping us in any way shape or form to keep this going we had a couple hiccups we just finished and they stepped up to the plate and they were right there for us so they they've demonstrated they've been good neighbors even uh part of this project here there's a 10 to 12 foot Alleyway that comes out to go to to uh 23 Gandhi school there and they're not making it part of it because there'd be neighbors with windows on each side and who knows what's going air so they had that to eliminate it they would use it for storage and whatnot not to make it disruptive for the neighborhood so in closing I just want to say I I see what the city plan was and and this tweaking it to make it work for us in the neighborhood I applaud this effort I think it should go through 100% thank you for your time thank you Mr Mano anyone else from the public chair see no one for the public I would like to close the public portion second okay okay all right uh just uh one correction from earlier I I referenced the wrong resolution number um the designation was resolution 23- 407 uh which designated the area as an area need Rehabilitation and authorized the uh the study and Adoption of a Redevelopment plan here uh there were a a couple of uh changes to the language that were put on the record by uh Mr Harrington uh staff has has reviewed those and uh would recommend that those get Incorporated should the the the board make a motion to recommend this for adoption um so we would recommend those floor amendments um we've been working closely on uh the development of this Redevelopment plan um we're confident with the consistency uh testimony they put on the on the record regarding the master plan uh staff recommend commends uh that the board uh recommend adoption to city council thank you mat chair I'd like to make a motion to approve case p2024 D31 it's a review and discussion of the adoption of the fet Broadway Redevelopment plan it's a recommendation for city council for adoption second commissioner gang in light of commissioner lipsky's comment uh I don't think it would be inappropriate if the board wanted to consider passing along to the council uh to consider this concept of Maintenance although it's Port Authority uh property the bridge I think long-term maintenance is something that the council should at least be cognizant of as being something brought up here this evening so agreed I think while not an actual floor Amendment to the plan I think think that that comment should be included for purposes of the council's thoughts all right we we'll prepare a memo regarding them if it ages okay Mr just for the record is is the motion with the floor amendments the motion is with the floor amendments and then just some commentary regarding that long-term maintenance because I don't know it's support Authority property and somebody smarter than me has to figure out how to deal with that up at the council thank you okay so the motion uh was made and seconded yes all right acting Vice chair gangan I councilman penari I commissioner Torres I commissioner lipsky I'm not sure that bar that Council lampy puts about being smarter than him up at the council is uh but I appreciate your putting that into uh comment I appreciate I looked over at the councilwoman uh prin uh muner and said we will continue to pursue this so I vote I uh commissioner green I and acting chair uh Dr Gonzalez yeah I really like this I think this was a long time coming and I think this is consistent with not only the Redevelopment plan but the master plan the state plan act um I just hope that uh we can get to where we need to do I do agree about the maintenance um and we have to figure that out I really do all right I v i on a to recommend adoption with floor amendments uh motion carries all in favor thank you thank you sir okay uh Mike you're good keep going all right next case is case p2024 d008 this is a site plan Amendment for 14-16 Burma Road Mr basillo hi good evening Vice chairman good evening Commissioners my name is Gerard pisillo I'm an attorney with janova Burns appearing this evening on behalf of the applicant 1416 Burma Road industrial LLC uh this is a minor amendment to uh the preliminary and final major site plan with deviations this board granted under p2136 uh we're appearing this evening essentially under condition number three of that approval uh we did not have to notice this so for jurisdictional purposes uh jurisdiction is proper before this board uh consistent with the prior approval and again reference refc in condition number three that requires uh generally speaking uh consultation with planning whenever there's you know any sort of proposed changes uh or tweaks to the design and here what we have is a number of interior changes that are done to accommodate the future film St Studio use one of those changes unfortunately triggered some tweaks to the facade uh and so that is really why we're here uh to testify or to hear testimony from our experts as to those minor tweaks um there's also from an architectural perspective and then minor tweak from the site conditions so all that said I just want to confirm that none of these revisions trigger any additional deviations from the prior approval they don't exacerbate or worsen any of the uh deviations that were approved and those deviations will continue to remain in effect as well as the prior underlying conditions so with that said I'll turn it over to my first witness Claudia Brea from where Malcolm who will testify interiorly as to the uh proposal good evening the truth the truth nothing but the truth I do yes sure claudo Brea b r da Mr Brea have we qualified you in the past no no can you just tell us a little bit about your qualify your background so we can qualify you is it sure so I'm a licensed architect and register here in New Jersey as well well as several other the states here in the east coast I've been in the field of architecture for 22 years now and then I study architecture at Pratt Institute in New York okay Mr braa thank you you're qualified thank you all right so I'm just going to go please hit the good all right so I'm just going to jump into the the major Chang are um but before sorry before you start uh so you're you're showing the five six slides right uh so these are on the portal Commissioners uh they're uh uploaded as architectural exhibit so you should have them count so I don't know if you want to mark them additionally as well but they are on the portal there's no change from what's been there's no change from what's been submitted on the portal correct correct no changes so then we don't need to mark them is there anything in this slide down that was not submitted no no so then everything everything that is on the screen is up on the portal no changes so only things that haven't been submitted we need the mark right I just wanted to come AC right of course I just want to confirm for for everyone's thank you Council thank you thank you goad okay so the really the the main difference is that we rais the finished floor elevation was previously uh 13 ft um and now we rais it an additional foot to 14 ft um finished floor elevation the overall Building height did not change uh essentially we just raising the interior floor elevation if you will uh the other minor changes as a result of raising the floor is that we had to um lengthen the the ramps as a result of the uh increased height on the floor as well as some additional impacts to the stairs and as I noted before the ramps as a result of this change um some minor tweaks also to the exterior we changed the original proposal was a tilt up concrete panels uh we changed them to uh pre-cast as noted here uh just for constructibility purposes due to the side constraints uh as a result of this you'll see some of the the revisions here include some additional uh vertical reveals just for the transportation of the the pre-cast panels uh to the site um and the other minor changes we just introd do some additional louvers uh as a result of some uh mechanical changes within the interior of the building but besides that that's really the major changes to the the building from an exterior perspective no further questions unless the board has any questions for this witness Commissioners do we have any questions no okay no thank you I'll call my second witness Edward wils from where Malcolm thank you Mr BR by the way truth the whole truth truth I do sure Edward f wils w i l KES um I've been qualified before this board before and your license is current LIC civil engineer current okay you're qualified sir thank you and same uh as prior exhibit these are all up on the portal no changes so we can proceed without marking them as an exhibit go ahe thank you Council sure so I'll make this brief um this sheet just represents the existing conditions so it's an aerial image of uh what's what was out there today since um uh in recent months they've demol they've demolished the building and now what's out there is a gravel lot um in in anticipation of moving forward with this construction as soon as possible um sheet two or slide two of this uh slide deck is a um essentially colored rendering of the proposed site plan um you'll see there are several bubbles here these bubbles represent what's actually changed um from a site plan perspective it's very very minor in detail um the biggest thing and what Mr Brad alluded to is we we rais the finished floor elevation um of the building um previously was at elevation 13 that's ngvd 88 it's 1 foot over the um the FEMA flood plane elevation and um essentially from from discussing it internally we we thought it would be a good idea to lift that up another foot put in anticipation of you know potential uh rising sea levels and flood resiliency so that's really the basis for that raise and obviously as Mr Brea testified to where that the actual height of the structure isn't changing so with that when you when you lift the the floor without lifting anything around it you now have to get up that extra foot from the exterior and so there's a couple bubbles around here um on the left side of the plan here um these are around the uh truck drive up ramps there's over here and uh one here towards the south towards Morris peasant um to make up that extra foot those ramps had to get a little bit longer uh the majority of that lengthening actually is occurring within the building so not something that we're going to see from the outside anyway um but those you know are in fact bubble because there is a change there and then from accessibility we have a few doors on the Northern face of the building and on the Eastern face of the building um we had to extend the steps and the and the uh ramps in those areas to provide uh accessibility into and out to of the facility um but that's that's the bulk of the changes I have no other questions for this witness happy to answer any questions the board has Commissioners any questions nope I I have one uh the sidewalks um on the site are they within the property line or outside of the property line or a combination there I'm sorry the sidewalks the sidewalks yes so it's a combination um Mars Pez and and Burma Road is actually pretty interesting here um there are RightWay easements so the property line actually extends well into Burma Road and porous uh Morris Peasant Drive so as a condition of the prior approval we had to provide um RightWay easements okay to the city all right that's good all right anyone else no okay that concludes our presentation thank you Commissioners thank you Council thank you yeah one thing just in looking at that so if you're going uh Northwest along those uh bushes I mean that's not jutting into the road right you could still go north on that on Burma that's correct yeah it's it basically essentially is holding the the curve as it exists today out there thank you thank you Council thank you thank you Mr do do we have uh anyone from the is that does that conclude your presentation sir I'm sorry that conclud presentation to make sure on record do we have anyone from the public chair see no one for the public I would like to close the public portion second it uh so the this was really tight uh changes uh and presentation here raised floor extended ramps change to the loading ramps uh and facade changes um they answer the question and we handled it under prior approval regarding some of the sidewalks and the alignments of those staff recommend approval thank you Matt entertain a motion chair i' like to make a motion to approve case p2024 d080 is presented to the board together with conditions granted under case number p2136 n p21 091 second Che on a motion to approve with uh continuance of conditions uh Vice chair uh AC Vice chair gengen hi councilwoman preri I commissioner Torres hi commissioner lipsky hi commissioner green I and acting chair Dr Gonzalez thank you for coming with these changes it's refreshing we like it of course motion carries all in favor thank you Commissioners have a nice night don't forget that wonderful mic there U acting acting chair all right guys we're going to take a 10-minute break uh it is uh 6:53 we'll be back at 703 thank you yes 2023 d53 uh this is a preliminary and final major s plan interim use address 675 to 695 Grand Street Mr verell yes uh thank you Mr chairman uh members of the board Robert verell from the the law firm of Connell Foley um I'm representing a public service electric and gas company otherwise known as psng uh this is a proposal to utilize uh what is currently a vacant lot or to reutilize what is currently a vacant lot uh again as an interim uh use and lay down area PG prior uh previously uh had an interim use for this back in 2019 through 2022 in connection with the um construction of the uh new Fairmount Avenue substation that project was completed 2022 PG then ceased using the property as a construction lay down area under that interim use application we did maintain the lease with the property owner just to maintain contact we are now preparing and we'll be back before you probably before the end of the year on the new Garfield Avenue substation there's currently uh the old Garfield Avenue substation near the junction uh that station is going to get um upgraded and uh rebuilt and as part of that project we do need a construction lay down area this site Still Remains available we communicated with the property owner who doesn't have any immediate plans to develop it at least in the short term so PNG uh is looking to again have a three-year interim use uh to utilize the site uh again just for construction laydown purposes uh you'll hear from our um our our engineer this evening about what we plan to put there uh again same as last time a guard shack construction trailers uh but nothing more than that uh and it will be used like I said solely for construction purposes um if there are no this was this is a notice case so we did submit um notice to the public uh there's two notices that are required there's the 200 foot notice and also publication in the uh Jersey journal and since this is in the Morris Canal area we also uh provided notice to the uh Morse Canal Community Coalition I do have the original a davits um that are here this evening uh the copies of these have been uploaded to the portal uh but I know you've been asking for Originals so I don't know zenu if you want them you can bring those to me Council and chairman members of the board this matter had been placed on a previous agenda at which time the matter was noticed Council has just handed me the original which does appear to be the same as the notice that was uploaded to the portal we're going to mark it for purposes of record as A1 Affidavit of publication proof of mailing as well as the notice to the Morris Canal Coalition uh chairman quite honestly this is a continuation of a use for purposes of Contra contractor laay down for PSENG temporary use at the site I don't know that that the board wants to hear or needs to hear from the engineer obviously construction trailers and material with the purposes of laying out for uh the I guess construction of these new substation projects throughout the city it sounds like the Garfield Avenue substation is the next one on psg's uh agenda so that's correct chair I'll defer to you and the board as always but quite frankly I don't know that we need any expert testimony with respect to the continuation of that interim use for that purpose thank you Council I was actually going to say the same to Mr verell and I would like to have my uh uh Council I mean Commissioners chime in uh unless you guys really want to see the the presentation I think this is pretty straightforward I think we're good okay Mr vertella we're good okay okay so open it for yeah so I would like to ask open the public anybody here from the public who wants to speak on this chair see no one from the public I would like to close the public portion thank you and we have Matt oh I'm sorry shunu yeah uh I just want to mention it's an inm use but it meet the BK senders and also provide a landscaping in the rear yard so step recomend approval thank you sh yes there was Landscaping installed last time we will continue to maintain that um and uh we'll um continue to amplify and buffer it as well okay thank you chair i' like to make a motion to approve case p2023 d53 is presented to the board this evening second motion made and second it we take a roll call acting Vice chair gon I councilwoman princer hi commissioner torus commissioner liy hi commissioner green hi acting chair Dr G I motion carries all in favor okay thank you thank you sir thank you Council okay next case is case uh number 13 on the agenda case p2023 0077 this is for our minor site plan uh address is 61 Liberty AV and we have Mr wine here yes hold on good evening chair members of the board Benjamin wi of prime toel and melli on behalf of the applicant Zubin Mogul just a little bit of housekeeping first this is for Mike now we're in order so the uh the application before you this evening is for the property located at 61 Liberty Avenue which is block 6303 Lot 2 and we are located in the R3 Zone we are an interior lot located on the west side of Liberty Avenue and we are on a dead end block just north of St Paul's Avenue the site currently consists of a two story Residential Building consisting of two dwelling units and uh throughout the area there are varying residential uses around the neighborhood includ including obviously a very large scale residential development right next to us uh known as Brunswick Towers you may recall we were here last month and uh and I spoke for definitely less than I imagine we're going to speak this evening but um there was a little bit of confusion being that a couple of years ago there was an application for the same property that I brought uh before this board that had variances that application was denied I believe it was about two years ago and uh and what we have done in the in the two years unfortunately the architect who was handling it had passed away so through through you know having to find a new architect and uh and kind of go through the motions um there was new zoning that was adopted uh it took just about two years for us to bring a new application however last month when we met um I had an opportunity the board conveniently took their break just before this application and it was made clear and I put this on the record that there were neighbors here for the application that had went online through the portal system or through the old open data system and the plans that they had reviewed for this application were in fact the old plans from two years ago that were denied and there was some confusion there so what I asked to do um well again this is an as of right application but nevertheless I asked to carry the application to give those neighbors the opportunity to see the correct plans and know that they're viewing the as of right correct plans um and uh and that everybody's on the same page and so we took that uh we took that adjournment um over the course of that adjournment I also uh made attempts to reach out to a couple of the neighbors directly that I knew um one of whom was here last time uh as well as another Resident of the building whose information that uh I had received from City Planning uh through several emails and we had several phone calls um unfortunately and I I'm through no fault of their own but uh they were unable to come back to us with a time to meet I I did want to meet to kind of go over the plans um unfortunately it just didn't work out um but I did ensure and and I'm sure they'll speak to you tonight about the same that they did have the correct plans and have had an opportunity to review them so I know that was a very long-winded introduction but uh but I think it merited it given the mishap with uh with the plans on the website that occurred last month I I just wanted to be clear everybody's looking at the correct plan with that um I'll launch a little bit into the nature of this application and uh and I should also confirm I think Mr lampy put it on the record last time regarding marking the notice package as A1 but I want to confirm that that is still A1 yeah so chair members of the board we did Mark the notice package the last time as a one this is a minor site plan so notice is not required but Council was kind enough to provide notice so we did Mark it uh again it is a minor sight plan I suspect Council will explain that the reason they're here is because under our ordinance a certain amount of soil being being moved requires them to come before the board as opposed to going to the building department we've heard this before with respect to minor site plans the use is permitted the height is permitted the setbacks are conforming it's really as it relates to the amount of soil that's being disturbed that puts jurisdiction before this board uh I concur with council's comments we did adjourn the last time to make sure that any interested party or member of the public had the opportunity to make sure that they were looking at the correct plan and we had instructed Council to do his best to reach out to those people understand whatever concerns they may have uh so I thank Council in that effort obviously a two-e turn around time makes it a little a little challenging so uh with that chairman jurisdiction is before the board and we can move forward with the presentation thank you Council thank you Council so uh as I indicated we are here solely from minor site plan approval um the application specifically is for a new four-story four family residential building that as Mr lampy alluded to is fully conforming with the R3 requirements in Your Land Development ordinance I do have two witnesses I intend to call this evening and not to not to belabor it but I I would like our uh our project architect obviously to walk through the site plan itself and then I do have our project planner who again because this application began its life a couple of years ago with variances I did want him to put on the record and confirm that he's had an opportunity to review the the application this time around and confirm um in his professional opinion that it does in fact comply with all of the requirements so with that chairman unless you have any questions of me I'm happy to proceed with my first witness go ahead all right so that would be avart Patel so you're GNA get sworn in truth truth truth yes I do avard Patel a a v a r t p a t e l Mr Patel we've qualified you in the past uh yes and your license is current in New Jersey current okay sir you're qualified thank you use this if it's easier oh no I think that's all right so AAR you've uh you've obviously just been sworn in and qualified if you could walk the board please through the existing and proposed site conditions sure okay um as you can see on the uh on the screen uh the the um plan on the left side is the the existing building and the placement on the site um I'm going to move to uh the proposed site plan uh which you can see on the left side of the screen um as you can see the building is uh uh fully conforming with the with the required set setbacks um the front of the back as well as the rear uh I mean as the side yard setbacks um uh the front fac of the building is along the proper line which is aligned with the neighboring properties as required by by the ordinance uh uh the overall width of the building towards the front is uh about 20 ft wide 191 and then the depth of the structure is about 20 uh 56t uh 9 in um there's a little notch in the back that is due to the uh the angle property line towards the back of the back of the site I'm going to quickly move to the floor plant uh and the building elevations um as you can see the the top of view is the the Sellar uh plan which uh houses uh most of the building utilities the the gas meter room sprinkler room uh some storage and and garbage and recycled room um there's one staircase servicing that uh um there the storage area um the back of the building you see that is part of the the first floor unit uh and there is a separate communicating staircase from within the unit um coming to the first floor plan um there's a common foyer um which provides access to both the staircases as well as the unit number one um the this unit would be uh accessible units um accessible unit as required by bilding code um and uh this would be a two-bedroom um two bath um unit and the square footage is about uh uh 1250 1260 Square ft um moving to the second and third floor plan they are identical um um basically so uh we are only showing one plan um as you can see both staircases will open into the unit providing two means of each out of the unit um this one is a three-bedroom uh a small office and um we'll have uh two bats as well um move to the um fourth floor uh which is slightly different um in in layout again um two bed I mean three bedrooms uh a small office uh and two bath um and then they will have access to um a private St going to the roof deck um as you can see over here um so the the the roof Terrace is is uh for unit number four um we are fully conforming in terms of uh required setback for the amenity uh or private roof deack um there is a you know Green areas would be provided in the front the back as required per um per ordinance going to quickly move to the building front elevation um more on a on a you know traditional side with a with a natural material uh two-color brick we are proposing um The Brick along the front uh or the first floor front is uh um it's a mix or a blend uh which a a reddish beige uh veneer and then upper three stories would be uh red brick uh with some traditional um uh Soldier course roll lock along the windows and uh um you know typical brick detailing us see um the windows are um black color um mix of uh fix and operable Windows um and then a little bit of uh black element you see here is a is a horizontal siding um metal siding just to going to break up the um the swath of the brick um and create a little better contrast um and I quickly move to the second uh rear elevation is fairly straightforward uh we have three balconies on the Upper Floor a paatti on the first floor uh and then uh the rear and the side of the building will have uh um uh siding vinyl siding this is the right side elevation at the top of the screen and then the left side elevation on the um the bottom of the screen um there's a schematic section showing how the uh various levels and the uh the spaces kind of uh um work through the this the building um I guess that's that's about it yeah thank you Albert uh I think that checks off all the boxes on my list um so so uh I have nothing further for this witness at this point thank you sir uh any Commissioners have questions no no okay thank you sir thank you Mr brell so my next and Final witness that I'll call is Sam Bellamy our project planner yes I do Samuel Bellamy last name b l l a m y Mr Bellamy we've qualified you in the past thanks yes and my li license is current and a good standard beautiful you're qualified thank you thank you so Sam um if you can I know it's a little unusual to have a planner on an as of right application but I know there is a little bit of History so if you can please um walk the board through your confirmation that you've reviewed the plans um assess the Land Development ordinance uh and as well confirm that the application does in fact conform um yes so I I did review all the plans and application material as well as the um recently amended Land Development ordinance and and the the master plan I also made a site visit um the project is completely conforming with the R3 District standards um to note a couple we're actually under the permitted lock coverage 77% approximately where 80% is permitted as far as the setbacks um we actually exceed the the set minimum setback requirement a little bit we're providing uh 3T 11 in on the north side of the building there's a 3-ft requirement specifically for where there's adjacent window so we're we're exceeding that as well as on the south side of the building so overall this this project is completely um in line with what the zoning calls for here and therefore I think it advances um several of the purposes of the municipal land use law as well okay thank you I just wanted to have that put on the record that's really all I had for Mr Bellamy thank you any Commissioners have a question for Mr belly no okay any um anyone else do you have uh that would be it I would just respectfully request the right to sum up if needed okay thank you uh I'll open it up for the public now anyone from the public here wishing to speak come on up yep sorry from the public anytim ton truth the truth and nothing the truth yes state name give your home address please Genie Santiago j a n n i e s a n t i a g o 75 Liberty Avenue okay Miss Santiago you have three minutes okay thank you good evening everyone um I'm a current resident and Homeowner of 75 Liberty this is my second time standing before the board to request the denial of 61 um Liberty in 2022 61 Liberty requested a construction and was B and was met with opposition and lost um under this new plan obviously they don't have to alert us however this is a major concern for myself and in addition to myself 39 other residents I have a petition where I was able to collect names if you need a copy I have copies for you so ma'am legally we can't accept a petition okay so so what does that mean moving forward that means those 139 people have to come here and speak moving forward okay so I have several points that I would like to recognize before you deci side number one is the traffic conjestion so with as you know being located next to the I9 there is Habitual problems when it comes to traffic adding more people into our Dead End Street is only going to exacerbate the problem um the second problem is parking there's no parking in the area and currently right now we're having issues with our area in terms of finding parking due to flooding so that's presenting another issue um when it comes to tenant rights and protections so on the side of the building that's being affected it's 16 families some of which who rent and so with New Jersey tenant rights mandates that landlords provide habitable living environments which include adequate ventilation and natural light major construction is going to violate that um the fourth situ ation is going to be the landlords in regarding undue hardship so this development will affect landlords potential income finding a desirable tenant finding desirable tenants and threatening landlords with possible lawsuits for violating quiet environment nuisance claims tenants rights and also protections that mandate accessible Windows um the fifth problem is property value and resale value currently collectively all 16 units make up over $8 million however next door their estimated value is under 900 the financial hit regarding resale values for homeowners in 75 Liberty creates um a lot of hardships in terms of benefits for our community um this I'm so sorry I hate public speaking so I'm a little bit nervous you're doing great um 20 seconds though but you had you're doing great okay I really important okay so when it comes to um home work uh workers who work from home in home businesses like myself we're going to be hit financially if you deal with clients or someone like me who I hold many different virtual meetings I'm not going to be able to execute that and unfortunately the owner of 6C One Liberty is not going to pay for me to relocate so I can generate an income um the seven thing which is the most important this project is a health hazard I have respiratory issues I have severe asthma um and as a result the project will violate my federally protected rights under the Ada which obstructs um my windows allowing me to be in a position where God forbid I have severe asthma tag I'm not going to have airf flow which can ultimately save my life um also this um project violates the New Jersey state housing code njac 528 that outlines minimum standards for safety housing um that includes adequate natural light and ventilation which are crucial for residents with respiratory um conditions like myself that could be found on page 9 and 10 so moving forward I just want to be very clear to the owner of 61 I am willing to fight this construction here in the boardroom or in a courtroom I would I will take all necessary steps to contact state and federal agencies advocacy organizations local local officials take part in community mobilization I have no problem tying up our situation for the next three to five years while petitioning while petitioning to re rezone our location this is a matter of life or death for me so Santiago your time is over we you went way over but we let you okay yeah you're done okay thank you and can I just show one little thing so on the website right the link that we were provided with brings us to this I don't know if you want a closer look first I want you to show it to Mr this is the old documentation and the link that we were given is from the notice which is the only notice that we were given that link yeah so I mean I don't know if you want me to respond um I'll let you finish and just to show you she's done Miss Santiago your your time is over by by like twice the allotted time okay we're very strict on that sorry thank you y ton be the truth yes add yeah Robert Gilmore uh r o b e r t g i l m r e 75 Liberty Avenue Mr Gilmore you do have three minutes all right yeah actually I was going to give some of my time to my awesome resum no already happened all right um I'm just going to just Echo what my neighbor said so I won't give too much of your time um but yeah um Council actually did reach out to me um but I made it clear to him that I am just one homeowner in 146 units um and that you know that even though they didn't have to give notice um that our neighbors of the other you know 45 units you know would go to the the portal and then our lawyers and our open board meeting uh last Tuesday brought to our attention that like yeah the portal that you guys have still have the old plants on there or something that it's not clear and it's not my job as one homeowner to distribute to the rest of the building I have a job that brings me from this country to that country I'm a very busy person so just want to put that on record because he mentioned that he did reach out to one person and I am that one person sir are you this is a condominium Association right are you the president I am the president but okay that makes sense then why Council would reach out to our coun has instructed that the HOA cannot take a position because we are 146 units with 146 different Minds I'm just 46 different I'm just stating that the reason Council reached out to you is because you're the president of the association via email and phone call I made it quite clear to council and he will concur CU I know he will not Li that I'm you're speaking to me as one homeowner one homeowner only understood I'm just saying there's a reason why he reached out to you I'm not saying all I'm not saying he had in intelligence I'm saying when we did actually have communication I made it quite clear that I'm just one person with you know one opinion of 146 units but you're the president of the association and I made it quite clear I'm not acting as president of the association and our Council instructed us that I cannot act on on behalf of the whole association because we are 146 different homeowners with 146 different I'm not going to debate with you the board and how the I don't think de I think this is just fact thank you sir yeah I'm good thank you thank you thank you anyone else from the public come on up please remember you've got a three minute time limit guys ttim tonight going to be the truth truth nothing but the truth I do can you st name home address please Stacy Li s a c y uh last name L AI my address is 75 Liberty Avenue thank you man hello uh I just have a few concerns that I'd like to mention um first of all the uh plans do mention removing of three trees in the back one of which is actually quite large uh my concern there is that it is home to uh some wild animals and it provides shade and shelter to uh the region or whatever the area and helps with flood control one of the trees is actually quite large I have a picture in video of it if you'd like to see it's about the top the height of our building so four to five stories high um and a secondary concern is that the front of the building has no step back if I'm correct in that um so I'd like to see a little bit room for some Greenery in the front there um and just in terms of like a neighborhood can't think of the word um the second and third floors have a square footage of 1,00 1,69 square fet they're three-bedroom and an office little bit concern about the size of the bedrooms and the offices there um and I don't know the answer to this but fourth uh I'd like to ask if the present unit has been tested for asbestos or lead paint um because that will affect the surrounding area once it is demolished and um oh my last concern would be the uh balconies at the back so with even with a 3 foot 11 in step back between the North side of the building and our south side of our building um the row of Windows into my unit would only be a few feet away from the balcony so my concern there would be would that building have access to potentially get into my windows or see into my windows thank you thank you anyone else from the public seeing no one else see no one I would like to close the public portion okay public is now closed Mr Bellamy I guess you'd like to address some stuff Mr Mr wi I'm sorry it's all good it's all good I don't know who that guy is but yeah he's back there he's behind you yes so I definitely want to address uh and I'm going to start with the most recent comments um being that they were pretty technical in nature one thing and I I regretfully I think Mr Patel glossed over it but it is shown on the plan um we are installing two Street trees in front of the property um I believe only one is actually uh required based on the lot Frontage but uh we are able to put two there's no reason not to have two out there um so I know that there's a concern about tree removal I think there's a valid concern with any development about tree removal part of Jersey City's forestry standards are in place specifically to combat that Jersey City recognizes that that development will come in and likely eliminate um vegetation in the process and they've adopted standards specifically to address or do do a good job of addressing that um and we are going to be in compliance we're going to put two trees in the front um there was a comment a question regarding asbest and Lead remediation this is going to touch on uh you know the last speaker's comments as well as I think uh the first speaker's comments generally speaking we are required and I know this board knows it but I'm speaking to this board but really to the public behind me we are required to comply with all local ordinances All State statutes all federal regulations um with respect to Ada with respect to uh demolition with respect to construction that includes the hours of construction that includes what uh what to do if we encounter things like asbest or lead those have to be remediated as part of the process even beyond that what we didn't what what wasn't brought up but for example if we found contaminated soil as part of it or or a or a tank underground again that would need to be remediated um as part of the Demolition and construction process so I think it's I know I'm speaking to you but I'm I'm really responding to those comments as well regarding the balconies in the rear um they are centered on the building they meet uh the ordinance allows for up to 50% the width of the rear facade uh so they are in compliance with that I I I'm not a planner but I suspect the reason that it's limited to the 50% is to combat potential concerns about somebody being able to go lean over their balcony and see into the neighbor neighboring buildings Windows um that's why they're limited that's why we are compliant with that um lastly I I'll just indicate that uh you know we we did make that ReachOut effort we did do it uh specifically to Mr Gilmore in that capacity he is right that he he indicated to me several times that he is just one unit owner um and not representative but the reason in for my reaching out was simply to set up a meeting and say as the president of the condo association um can you please set up a meeting I'm not asking you to speak for everybody but but to at least gather everybody I don't know who else to I could possibly reach out to so that was my point in reaching out to him specifically uh with that um I'll just simply sum up I again I I know this uh this took a little bit of time here this evening I thank the board for their opportunity and their time listening to the project I think this is why it's part of the process um as Council indicated as a several members of the public indicated we do not need to give notice for this uh for this application my personal feeling as an attorney and you'll see this on most if not all of the applications I ever bring before you whether they require notice or not um I I I do it it's good practice um practically because if a variance comes up during the process of the application it would end jurisdiction if uh no notice was given and then also again I I I I like to pride myself on not trying to hide any applications um from anybody that might be affected we could have done this without notice if we were 600 ft less we'd be below the 5,000 ft threshold we wouldn't even be before this board it would simply be a building permit um so I I just want to put on the record that again this has been a 2-year um slug but uh but I think the board acted in the way that they did two years ago when there were variances the variances were recognized to perhaps not meet the negative criteria which were no substantial detriment to the public I think you heard testimony then and I think this board U many of you of whom uh are still on this board made that determination that they simply were not justifiable variances and so we came back with an as of right application uh in line with what your ordinance calls for and uh and what my my client ultimately um feels is appropriate and and has a has some degree of a property right to be able to construct so with that chair acting chair um members of the board Commissioners I appreciate everybody's time this evening and I would respectfully request the application be granted as present and one more thing I also want to mention I I neglected to before I did have an opportunity to speak with Miss Santiago as well the first speaker and I indicated that even if the board approves the application and even with all these controls in place um required to comply with all these ordinances and statutes and and regulations we would still have an open line of communication she can reach out to me she can reach out to my client throughout the construction and we would do our best to to be good neighbors recognizing that she is obviously one of the windows along that side of the property so thank you very much thank you Mr Wayne just a question for you on that tree that uh she talked about um do the the the big one do we know how old that is I mean I'm just I I definitely don't I don't don't think any of my professionals would be qualified to even answer how old the tree might be um could that tree be moved to the to where you guys are going to plant new Tre new trees I don't I don't know I'm just asking that's partially a question for Miss Swang as well I mean if I don't even know if it's this type of species that's that's permitted by the forestry standards yeah with the forestry stand we we could investigate it what I what I can comfortably say I guess is i' I'd work with uh with your planning staff um to go over those types of details I I don't think on its face there's an objection to to moving it if it's not something that's extremely you know cost prohibitive and uh and you know and it's a permitted species on the as a street tree um it might look odd being substantially taller than every other Street tree but again I I would just say that I would work with planning staff to figure out if that's an appropriate solution okay thank you anyone else anything no yeah you had mentioned the windows uh could you briefly speak to the uh Shadow study that's in the packet I would have uh Mr Bellamy speak to that as his office prepared that yeah so as required we did prepare the visual impact assessment and Shadow study um it's required on all applications over 40 ft um what it does show is the building will cast Shadows onto the the north side um I think overall it's limited Shadows on on the building and really it's it's limited on to building um and not like very yard open area so um I again it's an as ofite building it does exceed some of the setback requirements and I think there are um limited Shadows you know cast from the building and I just I mean I'm looking at it from all the different screens over the three pages and tend to agree that you know it's it's done and uh but I wanted it at least to be on the record in partial response to what Mr wi said and what some of the public comment what thanks thank you Mr Bellamy see I knew you were going to come up that's why I said okay guess we'll have sh yeah uh I just want to put on the record that we have hide old cases and make it invisible on the data portal when we realize that may cause confusion in the last meeting um overall it's just a as a right project with no Vance requested so I would just ask the attorney if you agree to the condition list in the step report yes I certainly do uh with that step recommend approval thank you very much chair I'd like to make a motion to approve case p2023 d77 as presented to the board this evening for approval second okay motion made and seconded for approval acting Vice chair gangen I want to thank the public for coming out this evening and speaking in regards to this project and I would um recommend that you work closely with the attorney as well uh this is a RightWay project and it meets the it's in compliance with the master plan and meets all the goals and objectives and my vote will be I Council Prince yeah thank you to the members of the public for sharing some of your very valid concerns in particular to your health um do keep the doors of communication open with the attorney um that's going to be key to making sure that everybody is going to be good neighbors here um since this is an as of right project I'll vote I Comm commissioner lipsky I commissioner green I commissioner Tores um I just want to stay um in the years that I've been on this uh board and stuff like that um what happened last meeting when they reached out to the people in the community and decided to adjourn this project themselves I've never seen anything like that um it got taken care of the develop and the lawyer talking to the people in the community it's a as a right project but you're still keeping a communication with the community as it's going forward yeah a lot of things we don't agree on I mean I'm pretty sure we see with the and and I also would like to uh thank the neighbors of the community coming out but um yeah sometimes things don't has a right but fact is that the guys are talking and all the years you know you don't see that too much you know that's like you know we get the blunt of nobody talking and everybody bumping heads and stuff like that and uh that communication thing this time around and what happened last time um I commend you for that and I hope uh people in the audience uh developers and stuff take a an example of what you had did because that's that's the way things should go in Jersey City it's a nice way of doing doing business and uh with that I'm going to vote ey for this project acting chair Dr Gales uh echoing their uh my fellow Commissioners uh thoughts you know um been on the board for a long time and it's not often that you see somebody who wants to work with you thanks I mean you have to remember the public needs to know that we live here we all live here like you do and so when you come up we really like to hear you unfortunately we just have this thre minute thing going on but you did a good job by the way uh and you know we really do love hearing from you because this is we we live here too so a lot of the things that you Echo we think and are thinking the same thing too so we're really on your side uh this was a project that was as of right and there was a lot of communication between uh Mr wine and and you guys more than we normally see uh and so this you know we this is a good thing and I I I really I think for you guys the public you have a a council here who is willing to to listen to you so I would keep that line of communication open um I I understand but your your time is done I'm trying to help out um all right I vote I thank you Mr Wayne motion carries so in favor thank you everybody okay next case uh is case number 14 on the agenda that's case p2023 d93 address is 52 Etna Street also known as 185 Mammoth Street this for a preliminary and final major site plan with variances you cannot [Music] try to play Solomon and we spit the baby I know that's good go ahead I'm sorry no problem having an internal conversation we're having fun so good evening members Jennifer Porter of CSG law here tonight on behalf of the applicant Grand Jersey Group LLC uh we're here tonight in connection with their application for a proposed mixed use development the project is located um and the specific address given on the portal is 52 atna um just for the benefit of those who may be listening or um from the public um but it is otherwise known as 185 mmus Street um and specifically designated as block 1581 lot 3.02 and it's within the mixed use development District of the grand Jersey Redevelopment area um notice of tonight's hearing was published in the Jersey journal and written notice was provided to Property Owners within 200 ft um this application was previously carried from the July 9th meeting to tonight and prior to that meeting we did provide a copy of our an electronic copy of our Affidavit of um publication and mailing but I do have a copy uh a hard copy with me that we can Mark into evidence as A1 thank you chairman it appears that the pro proof of publication and mailing that Miss Porter just handed to me is the same that was sent over electronically prior to the July 9th meeting uh the notice was for the July 9th meeting carried through through to today as stated it does appear to be the same one that I reviewed electronically we're going to mark it as A1 for purposes of the record thank you Council great so as you will hear this evening uh in Greater detail the project consists of Two Towers uh that contain 515 residential units there is also an office component a retail component as well as various other site features including amenity space um a 726 space parking garage and significant public infrastructure improvements uh the property is currently owned by the JC um and pending um the purchase by the developer um which is imminent the developer is the designated redeveloper of the site and has a Redevelopment agreement with the JC that was executed back in January of this year we intend to call three Witnesses this evening Juan Rodriguez of MHS Architects who's going to provide architectural testimony and has prepared a PowerPoint presentation of the highlights of the project second um Brian lebins of Dresner Robin will walk through the site plans and the civil engineering aspects of our project and last we intend to call Sam Bellamy who you just heard from on the prior application of Dresner Robin who will Who is our professional planner and he'll walk you through the planning proofs and support of our application specifically our application is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval as well as specific deviations and design relief um from specific requirements in connection with the Redevelopment plan those include various width of certain roadways sidewalk walks parking lanes and travel Lanes um in connection with some of the RightWay and streets to be developed in connection with this project including moris Street Center Street and Park viw Avenue in addition we're also seeking um deviations with respect to fence setback landscape buffer um between sidewalk and fence and then our Max floor to ceiling Heights um above the first floor with in connection with certain floors and lastly signage location uh specifically in addition to the three witnesses that I mentioned we do also have our traffic engineer present um we weren't intending to call him for direct but should the board like to um answer questions or have specific testimony in terms of the traffic impact analysis that was prepared we're happy to provide that or just simply answer questions uh in addition to that we also have client representatives from Grand Jersey group who are here should the board have any specific questions related to the construction or other operational aspects that our Witnesses um don't cover in connection with their testimony in connection with this application we did receive a planning memo um we have no issue in complying with all of the conditions set forth in that planning memo we also received a memo from the jcmua um and specifically had meetings and follow-up discussion with them and have um reached a place of understanding in terms of all of the requirements in connection with their review letter and they um last Friday issued their consent for us to proceed with this application um and their indication that we satisfied their preliminary comments and and questions regarding our application late this afternoon we did receive Transportation um engineering comments um and we intend to continue to comply with those comments um and specific to our design criteria to their satisfaction um lastly uh we also had an opportunity last week to meet with councilman Gilmore to discuss the project um and address his um preliminary questions in connection with the project um so with that unless the board has questions for me I'd like to call our first witness okay Mr Rodriguez so Mr Porter just not to slow down the presentation uh is there a slide deck and if so how many slides I'd say we mark it as A2 if every witness is going to use it perfect and then we'd be happy also we can post it to the portal tomorrow um and provide a copy to the planning department we have 23 slides 23 slides okay is there today's date of July 23rd 20204 with the name of the project obviously so A2 A2 great thank you okay good evening Commissioners I do my name is Juan Rodriguez Jan uh r o d r i g u e z if you want to stand there handeld whatever you want to do they just like uh good evening Commissioners uh I have appeared before this board before um I have been qualified I I hold the Bachelor of architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology Mr Rodriguez you're qualified okay thank you thank you okay so the presentation that the presentation that you guys have uh in front of you has been prepared to just kind of cover the overall design features and Technical aspects uh organizing the project uh what you're seeing now is an aerial view of the site uh looking North uh you will see that the the site is outlined in this red um line is approximately a 5.26 Acre Site uh within the grand Jersey Redevelopment area uh the site is kind of nestled between the Bergen Lafayette neighborhood Hood to the west and the Liberty Harbor neighborhood to the east uh along the north end of the site you'll see Grand Street running left to right uh you're going to see Jersey Avenue uh kind of running up down and you're going to see also that the site ABS up against the New Jersey Turnpike extension uh to the north of the site is also the psng South Waterfront switching station uh and you know kind of most prominently within the image is the Jersey City Medical Center uh the site is within uh kind of a multiblock assemblage within the grand Jersey area uh and the Jersey City Medical Center kind of at the center of it this image is an excerpt from the Redevelopment plan uh indicating our site we are blocks four five and six within the the Redevelopment area uh you will see in the red outline that the total site boundary uh that that you know the project consists of is a 5.26 Acre Site of this site uh only 2.6 acres are actually part of the developable developable parcel uh within the the Redevelopment plan there's a a requirement for a new Street Network to be extended around the you know block five and six uh a portion of the site also contains the existing Light Rail tracks uh but we we basically are going to be following the same street Network that's identified within the Redevelopment plan with new streets being created uh along all four sides of of our block uh with Morris Street running along the the top of the site uh Center Street is going to be on left side a Park View uh Avenue is going to be on the bottom and Mammoth Street which is existing to the north of Grand Avenue is Grand Street is going to extend all the way down uh to to our Eastern Frontage as part of our plan uh the north side Morris Street will also continue the Morris Canal green way uh which is planned to extend from the Liberty Harbor neighborhood into the Burgen Lafayette neighborhood and that's going to that's Incorporated within our ground floor building design in front of you is an image uh an aerial image looking Southwest uh you're going to see running left to left to right the New Jersey turnik extension um that's that's you know kind of cuts the building sorry cuts the site uh um along the west uh you're going to see that the building shape has kind of been conceived as two two Tower elements uh there's a North Tower that has a uniform building shape uh that that kind of extends all the way up from the ground floor to the 27th floor the south tower has a more sculpted form with a series of Step backs that have been organized in a way to do a few things uh one being to to break down the overall scale and mass of the the South Tower as viewed from the turnpike and the surrounding neighborhood um this stepping also allows for U expansive views from the North Tower down into Liberty State Park um all the way down into the uh you know the Hudson River uh this stepping also introduces a series of outdoor spaces uh for units that are going to be located on those Terraces uh we've seen that you know this this is a adding outdoor space face is a positive for any of these type of rental projects um this stepping also Cuts back uh some light and air uh you know some some kind of negative impact from From Shadows that would be present if we would have brought this tower all the way up uh so the cutback allows for more light to enter into this amenity Podium at top the sixth floor along the ground floor you're going to see there's two floors of retail and amenity areas that are running along mammit Street uh and along moris Street here where I'm running my cursor there's an outdoor Plaza space uh that's been created by setting the building back from moris Street allowing for uh a kind of terrist landscape transition into the building Lobby and Retail areas behind the building there's also a six-story uh parking garage that's envisioned to be a more of like a standalone structure uh push back away from the the primary Mammoth and mor Street frontages uh this allows for the majority of the building program to be pushed closer to the light rail side uh kind of keeping a more pedestrian uh friendly face on what we envision to be the primary MTH and mor Street frontes U just kind of run through some of the stats of the project within the two residential Towers uh we have 55 units uh with a total residential area of 489,000 8 square ft uh the 515 units are broken down with what we envisioned to be a good Market mix uh with a range of Studios one bedrooms one bedroom dens uh two bedrooms and a handful of Penthouse units uh all the sizing for these units um we think are will be responsive to this Market um and you know we we think that uh this mix will also allow for a good diversity of uh different types of people living in the building um there's a sizable amount of indoor amenities also within the project uh scattered throughout different levels of the building uh totaling 27,600 the roof of the garage which is envisioned for recreational um and active uses within the six-story podium piece uh that fronts onto mamed Street there's also envisioned to be 182,000 uh 935 square uh square feet of medical office use uh located on four levels uh we think that this type of use uh is is going to be in furtherance of some of the expansion uh goals of the Jersey City Medical Center bringing medical use uh and kind of adding to the whole kind of well health and wellness Vibe uh that you know we think is going to be part of this uh you know this Corridor this neighborhood um supporting all of this we also think that there's going to be potential for for a a a grosser a sizable retail tenant uh on the ground floor uh we have 30, 1886 Square ft of retail area on the ground floor uh and the second floor and I'll show all this to you in the plans as we move move forward um as I as I touched on within the parking garage which again is envisioned to be a standalone parking structure push back away from uh the main pedestrian areas they're uh they're envisioned to be 726 parking spaces supporting uh the the residential use supporting the commercial uses and supporting the the office and medical uses as well this is an image uh at what will be the new corner of Mammoth Street and Morris uh you'll see here that the building has been uh again pulled back from the corner allowing for an open Plaza space uh that wraps around the corner uh this Plaza will be activated with a series of different uses uh retail on the lower levels fronting on MTH again residential Lobby and amenity areas fronting onto the plaza space as well as access to the parking garage um there's a the the building form has been sculpted to create a series of different piece uh elements uh allowing for the different programmatic uh parts of the project to have their own identity uh starting with this kind of taller uh slender Tower piece uh coming down to the plaza level this creates the the kind of front identity of the building uh there's the six-story uh commercial office piece that allows for um a medical office a series of medical off tends to again have their own identity and presence on the site uh retail areas that will have the right amount of visibility and transparency through out onto the street uh and then you also see one of the main features of the building here is the south tower has uh this cascading uh series of balconies that pull that pull back away from the corner uh we thought that this was important again to have uh A reduced amount of light and air kind of impact onto this the amenity deck but also to open up this aperture um and and you know have the right amount of light coming down onto the street as well you also see here that the turnpike is U extending behind the the parking garage uh the you know the parking garage is being located in a way that the the negative impact of being near the turnpik is buffered by what you know we see will be the the new front of the building I'll now take you through a series of floor plans showing the internal organization of the building along uh so you know left to right here on the on the bottom of the page is Parkview Avenue you'll see that we're treating this as a service Street of the building uh Building Services such as loading mechanical areas electric rooms are are located along Park View uh there's also access in to the to the a seller level of parking as well uh this this point allows you to access all levels of the parking garage and will also bring you out onto another exit point on Mo street it's just important to not there's about a on story grade change from this seller level to um to the ground floor plane just kind of just run through the parking summary a little bit um there there's a zero uh residential parking space requirement uh there was a a parking requirement for 90 Office Park parking spaces uh and there was a zero parking requirement for retail uh parking we are however providing 726 parking spaces uh to support all the different uses along with 66 EV parking spaces uh the project is also providing 258 uh bike spaces as well uh for the residential and and the balance of the uh indoor parking bike parking will be for the retail and office uses total 284 indoor bike spaces and 14 outdoor bike spaces moving up the building uh the ground floor uh is is organized again around this out uh kind of outdoor Plaza space along moris Street uh effort was done to kind of SK sculpt and shape this ground floor experience so that you had uh a good amount of porosity uh with an open colonade uh wrapping along the res iial Lobby entry uh leasing areas for the building uh an office uh Lobby that allows access into the commercial office floors as well as a retail space with about 18,000 Square ft of retail on the ground floor all of these spaces have been raised above the flood elevation to Elevation 14 uh and we're dealing with that transition to gray through a series of steps and ramps uh bringing uh you know an accessible path through this Plaza this landscape Plaza down onto grade uh along moris Street you also see that there's a an indented drop off Lane um allowing for Uber drop offs and and deliveries and uh you know kind of taxis and that kind of stuff to happen uh and not congest Mor Street as well um all of and you know we did take effort to locate all of this pedestrian activity as close to proximity as possible to the to the Light Rail station um which is to to the right in this page about two blocks away further back on Mo Street there is also another exit into the parking garage an entrance and an exit uh again this this we think that this is a good measure uh and introduces good traffic flow within the garage there's multiple points to get in and out uh and again we we did take effort to locate this garage entry point away from the main pedestrian uh Network all other uh Building Services uh trash recycling mechanical rooms are located in in Board of the building uh and won't be visible from the street um including all trash and and uh loading activities happening internally um on the second floor uh you you have this kind of the balance of the retail area which is which is about 11,000 or so square feet uh this is envisioned to be contiguous to the ground floor retail space uh totaling about 30,000 square feet we think that there's an opportunity here for uh a grosser or some other type of larger commercial tenant to support uh what will become a new neighborhood here um on this floor also there are there indoor amenity spaces for the residential uh tenants uh and you're seeing here the the beginnings of the typical uh parking level uh design which Stacks up for six levels this is a typical plan of the podium uh this is what you will see on Floors 3 to 5 uh the podium is designed again in two parts with the parking garage on the left side and a typical office floor with about 40,000 or so square feet of of commercial office space again envisioned to be medical office use this is the six floor plan this is the the last level of the podium uh we are allowed to have a six uh story podium um it's because of the nature of office floors and uh you know how much height we need to to accommodate good ceiling Heights within those levels and a a more reduced floor to floor within the parking garage the two six-story uh Podium Heights don't exactly align uh but both are considered to be uh six stories with the parking garage having a seller level as well um and I bring this up because at at the roof of this garage you're actually uh you know you're not exactly at the top of this last office floor uh but we did deal with the roof of this uh garage scape as an active uh use uh we envision this to have opportunities for uh Sports courts such as pickle ball or basketball uh and as long along with some other recreational uses uh the mechanical uh systems for the office floors are also located on this level um all of this equipment will be screened and and not visible from use uh from view uh with you know people passing by along the turnpike this is the seven floor plan which is the again the the level above the six-story office Podium on this level we we envisioned to have a residential amenity deck uh that's going to have passive and recreational uses uh typical for this type of development along with the pool uh the pool was located in a way again to take advantage of the stepping of the South Tower and allow for the maximum amount of Sun and light uh onto this location um on the North Tower on this floor there's going to be a full floor of indoor amenities uh which we think is going to be you know a nice feature on this med deck and it's going to have uh an interesting uh opportunity to be uh you know have some nice views uh out towards uh Manhattan but also to be create a nice feature to break up the the scale of the building as viewed from the turnpike this is a typical configuration of the two towers um again the south tower has a stepping form as you see here in the section uh so this is the typical plan from levels 8 to 12 uh you'll see that the two uh the two towers are uh have a kind of flanking shape which allows us to maximize the aperture between each Tower uh at the tightest Point each Tower is about 75 ft uh apart uh typically that's that's a dimension that's carried through as a separation uh when when we do a two Tower configuration and that's a uniform Dimension so by flanking the two towers out we're able to maximize The View uh between uh this this Courtyard and the space created between the the two Tower elements uh a feature of the building is has been and conceived to be the the elevator Bank uh which is thought to be a bridge uh linking The Two Towers uh and there's a really special moment that we've been thinking about where you'll be able to access uh all floors of the building through five elevators uh when you get out of those elevators you'll be in a in a glassline vestibule and in front of you will be unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline so we think that this glass Bridge linking The Two Towers will be a highlight of the building uh and it allows to to create efficiency and economy U and joining the two buildings but also not doing in a way that that adds a lot of bulk um and kind of visual disturbance of the building you also see in the elevations that the backs side of the elevator uh we envision to have an opportunity for a large scale Urban mural uh we would be working with the Jersey City mural commission to uh find the right uh artist um and look for that for that mural and you'll see that on the elevations as we move forward uh this is a a plan of the 19th floor again from floors 13 to 25 the South Tower plan shape gets smaller you're going to have less units on each of these floors and as the building steps back the floor uh below allows for a a residential Terrace um to to you know be located for the two units that are at at the ends of the building and this is just a 26th floor again showing you know how how the building gets small smaller at the at its smallest point at the 26th floor on the 27th floor we uh we do have some duplex Penthouse uh levels that poke up here uh but the majority of this level is envisioned to be used for indoor amenity uh and some outdoor Terror space for the tenants this is just a plan of the roof uh showing some space allocated for mechanical equipment which again is going to be all screen from use uh sorry screen from View and this is just again just an overall uh view of the building uh the building facade uh primarily consists of a metal panel and glass curtain wall skin uh it has a a teal color which we we think is a nice homage to uh the Statue of Liberty uh which is you know obviously going to be visible as people come through on the turnp corridor uh and then the lower levels of the building are envisioned to have more of a buff uh kind of line Limestone color um to to have a more warm appearance on the lower levels uh and this is a view of of the building uh activated in the afternoon uh we think that the different types of uses uh that are going to line in this Plaza space will create a range of different activities and uh you know kind of a vibrant pedestrian street streetscape at different times of the day just run through the exterior elevations of the building uh again we touched a little bit on the materials but uh the composition is a is a simple composition consisting of a greenish metal panel color um and and these buff colored uh Stone like uh panels that wrap around the garage and the podium of the building um you'll see here also the arcade uh that is treated in the same cast stone material uh the thinking was that you would have a a simple composition uh where the different pieces of the the project kind of allowed you know are allowed to have their own sculptural identity and this is the a view of the west elevation again showing the opportunity for that large scale mural uh which would be visible from the turnpike and that's we are that concludes our architectural testimony so if the board has any questions thank you thank you anyone from the board any questions no no okay okay great thank you sir next we'd like to call our civil site engineer Brian libkind of Dres Robin just on the page yeah go ahead trth the whole truth truth I do Brian leusin l i EB e s k i n d and I've appeared before this this boort multiple times we've heard you before is your uh license current my license is current okay you're qualified thank you sorry uh good evening Commissioners uh as alluded to by Miss Porter uh this project is a function of years of coordination uh in partnership with the JC to develop this 5.26 acre lot it currently does not have any site access um nor does it have any utility infrastructure the project proposes to to build out uh the the four uh new public RightWay uh that the project fronts on uh and provide utility connection for this first phase of um the the grand Jersey Redevelopment you know in this neighborhood so all of the the complexities that go with being the first in this neighborhood uh you know have all been part of the the the project and uh the extensive coordination with with City agencies on how the the phasing of this project will be constructed so everything that is noted on on in the site plan set as part of this project um if I can stop I'll just if we could uh if we could enter uh the exhibit on the screen which is a colored version of our of our site plan as an exhibit so this would be A3 Miss Porter is there a slide set for this witness or is it just the one exhibit uh we intend to just use this one exhibit very good A3 does it have a a date on it this is a color rendering of the site PL plan correct uh it is dated uh June 26 2024 thank you sir A3 um so uh as discussed by Mr Rodriguez we have a 5.26 Acre Site um of that we are disturbing 4.22 Acres um and then within that uh is the actual building site itself which is 2.26 ERS the four new public rights of way um starting on the east side uh working clockwise we have M Street which is a 70 foot wide right of way uh which consist of two lanes of traffic a 10 foot we make the site the entire screen is are you able to do that it's hard to say good catch thank you uh M Street to the east of the the building uh would be two lanes of traffic a 10-ft lane and an 11t Lane uh as well as a two-way uh bike path with a 3-ft buffer and a 14ot wide sidewalk um all of the proposed streets as part of this project uh were designed uh you put the thoroughfare design standards in the Redevelopment plan um there are a few minor deviations from that which Mr Bellamy will will walk walk through um but to the extent um practical you know the street configuration the roadwi sidewalk with um buffers Are all uh you know in compliance with the the thare design standards um the M Street right of way uh to the east of the project uh which will be shared uh currently uh currently half of that is is the jerse City Medical Center project uh covered under an existing 70 foot wide easement um with the intent that that will be you know converted over into a future right of way um and then the three other streets again working clockwise to the south of the building we have Park VI Avenue uh also uh two two-way traffic um both alone foot Lanes uh and parking on on one side um as noted by Mr Rodriguez we have loading um for the the residential uh and Retail portions of the building uh on the south side of the building uh with with two loading Bays uh as well as a Sellar entrance and exit uh from the the parking garage um and they working around to the west side of the building uh along Center Street uh again a a 10 a two-way street uh with alone foot Lanes uh we also have a dog park uh proposed on on the side the building the fencing associated with that dog park uh is one of the deviations um as part of the application due to the uh the distance to the the sidewalk uh and then finally uh wrapping back to toor Street along the top uh this is uh again two two-way traffic we have a a vehicle entrance to the second floor of of the garage uh on the on the western end of of War Street uh and then a vehicle lay by mid block for a drop off loading uh for both the residential and office space uh the main pedestrian entrance for all three uses you know would be at that northeast corner of the building we have provided a plaza entrance oriented in in the direction of the Morrison MTH intersection which we think feeds nicely into uh the the lobby spaces for those those uses we have a set of Monument stairs and and ramps uh as well as some uh planner Beds which help transition the the grades up to that that first floor uh in terms of other sight improvements uh we comply with all of the the forestry standards in terms of Street trees we have a total of 36 proposed trees we are also providing Foundation planning along the building itself uh and then Street lighting uh is also proposed in compliance with with City standards uh with regards to grading and storm water the project site is located within the flood Hazard area uh and and currently sits around elevation three or four so the project would be raising grades several feet um including the the roads uh in order to comply with with flood Hazard uh we we have as noted a a lower Cellar at elevation 8 along Parkview Avenue and a and the first floor of the of the parking garage at elevation 18 along Mor Street and the main first floor of the the building at elevation 14 which would be uh flush with the layby uh mid block on on Mor Street the the advantage for the entire 4.22 Acres would be provided within the the building itself with a combination of a green roof and subsurface detention which would reduce Peak flows for the the entire project this would be uh discharged into a new Storer conveyance system uh for the streets uh which would be discharging into the uh the drainage swell which runs along the the north side of the the light rail tracks we also o have storm water tree pits uh along each of the streets to provide water quality treatment uh for the new streets if there are no other questions that would conclude my direct t me thank you sir anyone have any questions [Music] okay our last direct witness we have is our planner Mr Bellamy from jar Robin and I uh recognize I'm still under oath from the prior application thank you um so we are requesting several deviations with this project um I think they could be really classified into four major categories um one from the thoroughfare design standards we have the minimum buffer and um setback distance from the sidewalk and and the fence also several deviations related to the maximum floor seiling Heights above the first floor and the signage um attached uh to the to the second story or the the building um with respect to the thoroughfare design standards this Redevelopment plan the grand Jersey Plan does have specific design standards for each of the new rights of ways that are envisioned um within the creation of the development block and overall Street network with within the plan um the creation of the block itself as well as the the street alignment really is conforming to what the um Street Network calls for um but given some of the constraints of the surrounding properties um and and realignment that was required um there are some some deviation uh design standards that that we're that we're seeking um the M Street right away which is the north south um main Corridor is completely conforming with the thoroughfare design standards that includes the um bike Lanes the the parking and and and travel Lanes as well as the sidewalk um we are requesting uh deviations related to the the morish street um I think that's where most of our design waivers are coming from from um there is a direct hardship on on discretion of the the rights of ways in that a portion of the right of way is on adjacent property under different ownership um so the property to the north has different ownership um there was a slight realignment of that right of way um where we're providing now a roadway width of 22 ft where 36 ft is required um with that reduction in roadway width that really eliminated the uh what was called for the the on street parking there um so we're not providing the two 8ft Park parking Lanes um as far as the sidewalk width we are maintaining a 12T U sidewalk along block 5 and six where 14 ft is required um as indicated in the presentation um we are providing a a Plaza Street at really the main um pedestrian entrance into the into the building so um I think we're satisfying that uh that requirement there um again I think we are we are providing a greater travel Lane width here um so we have 22t foot two-way travel Lane where 20 foot uh two-way travel Lane's required so that additional travel travel Lane allows for a little more separation between vehicles and pedestrians given that we're we're not able to provide that the parking which typically provides a little bit of a buffer and and safer condition there um so I think overall the deviations from the thoroughfare design standards um creates a viable build out of the required uh RightWay in line with what the Redevelopment plan calls for um with respect to Center Street which runs along the side of the property we do also have a a travel Lane and roadway deviation here we're riding 22 ft where 20 ft is required um that again is to really be consistent with the required um with the proposed travel Lane along uh long uh Mo Street here um we're not providing a buffer zero foot buffer between the sidewalk and block five and six we 5T is required um but we actually have a greater sidewalk with of 14 feet where 10 ft's required so um no buffer but a greater sidewalk WID and that's adjacent to the uh dog park that we are proposing along the west side of the building um so again I think that's a better design alternative that we're proposing um Park uh View Avenue uh we're proposing a roadway width of 30 ft where 28 ft is required and that again aligns with the 22t um travel Lane width where 20 ft is required to again keep a consistent uh travel Lane along the entirety of of the block five and six that we're creating here um so I think over overall were consistent with the intent of the design standards um as far as the minimum setback buffer um between the sidewalk and fence we don't have any buffer between um the proposed dog park fence and the sidewalk um there is a 10-ft requirement here uh we're proposing a 5- foot decorative uh fence 5 foot in height decorative fence that's consistent with the fencing requirements um without by not proposing the required buffer I think we have a larger and better designed dog park um that would ultimately benefit um the the users of that space and really activate that kind of back of house situation along the west side of the building um as indicated we do have several deviations related to the maximum Flor to ceiling Heights above the first floor um we're proposing 14t floor to floor Heights floor to ceiling Heights on the third fourth and fifth floors um a 17ft floor to ceiling height on the sixth floor and a 14.25 ft for to ceiling Heights on the 7th 26 and 27th floors um there is a maximum uh floor ceiling height requirement um of 12 ft that's permitted um with respect to the third through uh fifth floors those are the office uh floors so they traditionally have a greater floor ceiling height so I think the The increased Heights there is um adequate to provide for um you know office space um we're providing a greater floor ceiling height on the 7th and uh 27th floors um those spaces do have a substantial amount of am ID it space but they are partially residential so I think we're being conservative there calling out the deviation um but I think that's consistent with providing for the the greater space for the amenity space and then on the 26th and also the 27th floor those have those Penthouse SES uh spaces so um creating a greater floor ceiling height really at the cap of of the building is um consistent with the traditional Penthouse uh penhouse floors I think overall the benefits there of providing the additional ceiling height um would outweigh any detriment um finally with respect to the signage uh we have retail and office uh wall signs on Mama Street facade and a parking wall sign on the mo Street facade this building does have a what amounts to a mezzanine level um mezzanines are considered a story so although the the signage appears attached to the first story of the building they're actually attached to the second story where the mezzanine level is um so really that's a technical Devi deviation we're asking for uh I think overall this the number of signs uh type of signs and and signage areas is consistent I don't see any detriments um by proposing them on the the second story of the building um the project does advance several of the purposes of Municipal land use law is an appropriate use and development of the site consistent of purpose a there are density requirements within the plan that we are conforming to so it is an appropriate density consistent of purpose E I think this uh the site the development block that we're creating is in line with what the plan calls for and there is sufficient space and appropriate location um for this mixed use building consistent with purpose G um finally wrapping it up with the negative criteria I don't see any substantial detriment to the general welfare here um this is a permitted use in the mixed use District of the the plan the density and unit count is consistent with what the plan calls for and the the overall building design does conform with the building height diagram and floor area requirements for the Consolidated block five and six uh uh block of the of the plan um I likewise don't see a substantial impairment to the intent and purpose of the Zone plan or zoning ordinance um I think this project is directly in line with the master plan and the purposes of the Redevelopment plan and would really be the the first piece of of creating a vibrant uh neighborhood um uh as part of the Redevelopment plan um with that I think we meet both the positive negative criteria and I'd be happy to answer any questions the board might have thank you sir any questions anyone see commissioner to just to be clear the vote on Center and moris is being increased or is it being um so moris street is is the north the the top of the screen here it's being reduced um as you could see where our property line is really buts the um direct side of the road here um it calls for a greater roadway width a greater um rideway width um envisioning that that other side of the the property but given that's adjacent um property is under different ownership um we weren't able to accommodate that so I think what we proposed is really just kind of Shifting what what's called for but that came with the reduction of removing the the parking Lanes what the what the engineering say about that with the shifting of the road or the um the any reports come out on that or we can have Mr leusin address that specifically in terms of so what what is your question specifically any any from Miss Porter I think commissioner if I I may help uh I think the question is more Street the top or the northern side M we're saying that that property line is not part of this project correct correct which gives us an inability to comply essentially with the width required specifically under the plan for that roadway because that property was unable to be obtained and so therefore in partial compliance with that relief we shifted the roadway further down and further into our site but can't fully comply so we're seeking so I guess the question is we're saying that it's not within your property so we're Shifting the roadway down to try to comply obviously we didn't shift the whole project down to comply with the roadway that's required under the plan so I think what commissioner Torres is saying is one did we look at that and are we able to shift it down two what is it specifically on Morris Street that doesn't comply if I understood the testimony correctly M the street with for traveling cars right the travel Lane is 2 feet larger than what's required it's 22 feet for two-way traffic 20 was required if I heard Mr B correctly but there was supposed to be 36 in total because there were supposed to be on street parking and that is not being proposed that's what's been eliminated because obviously you can't fit it in the 22 ft that was designed but I think that is a question for the engineer not for Mr Bellamy I appreciate Mr Bellamy's testimony on it but I guess the technical question that's where it got me when he was talking about the numbers of 20 feet and what was applied I just trying to figure out why I understand now we don't have the park spaces there without the parking spaces there my my biggest concern is the safety and maybe maybe the engineer could come up back and then let him um and then you can ask about your sa and I think that same condition then carries the Cent around to Center Street and obviously Park View Avenue they've they've addressed it on Park View but I'm not sure and maybe we can just discuss why we're not able to to shift down it maybe the elevation obviously uh sure so just to to clarify the um I know it's a little hard to see on the circulation plan if I so the the 75 foot wide rway for more Street was to be split between this block five and six and the adjacent block three the the full 75t wide rway was never intended to be fully on the the subject property the alignment of that street is what changed as a result of the uh the restrictions with the the adjacent property so the the total acreage of the site the 2.26 Acres actually remained the same um and the reason for that is the uh the new alignment for moris street now follows the the property line as opposed to running and forgive me because it may be me Morris Street currently does it go to Mammoth Street yes we say currently Mor Street no more Street not anywhere no M comes into steam these streets shown in the plan do not exist we're we're building these streets as part of the project they understand on our project but I'm saying on lot seven or eight there's no Morris Street where does Morris Street yeah so we can tell you where go right so the the future extension of Mor stre going east to Jersey AV currently is a drive a in the Jersey Medical Center parking lot all the way to Jersey a correct so from Jersey a all the way west there there is no there is no more street today there there was a an eement created a for that future that's a drive aisle correct right through Jersey medical and because of where it's envisioned in the plan that's how it's connecting to where you're proposing it correct so so we kept the the tiin point to that intersection the same so it is a a true four-way intersection and that was important for for safety reasons and then you know adjusted the orientation so now it it follows that property line and and you know to answer commissioner torres's question it Offset you know the the property that was on one side you know offset that the property on other side so the developable block um for the property you stay at the 2.26 acres and naturally you couldn't move the street down because then it would be Into the Light Rail and that more Street would not continue through Mammoth and through medical right correct okay so then my question is so if it couldn't be shifted down right because it's in line with what Mor street is in the intersection I mean you did allow for parking you didn't have to allow for parking so down consideration if you're not allowed for parking on a road my main concern is the safety of the wi that right street now for two cars two lanes is it wide enough for trucks and cars to flow freely down that road without being Spott necked in because we Shi that's that's my main concern on so I thought the answer was yes because it's 2 feet wider than the travel path would have been M with the parking correct right corre okay so the traffic lane yeah when he the numers out before that's when I got I was ass sure and I want clear age um that it's a that's on the record right now I want to be on the record right now it's my concern is that the road is wide enough for flow of traffic and not just for car Lanes but for trucks and anything else that might come through there and you say okay and the the parking the the parking in the garage who's who's parking in there can anybody park in the garage so it's combined for for all three uses um as the architect described we have you know that lower seller level which you would be primarily for for retail use um and then we have the the upper levels you know as a combination for office and uh residential um but the entrance and exit you know off of both Mar Street on the North and and part on the south would give you access to to all levels yep okay I mean so you finished I'm done so in the um traffic assessment it says that 720 vehicle parking spaces are proposed within six-story uh interior parking garage located within the building of the 720 approximately 200 will be reserved for commercial so that means 520 for Resident but then two par two paragraphs down it says in the antic it is anticipated that future residents some office workers and Retail customers will primarily use non automobile related transportation to reach the site including public areas and public transportation bicycling walking Etc um so how is that reconciled I mean so if you're saying if you're making the statement that it's going to be primarily accessible through bikes pedestrian Uber and other um and yet 500 spaces are being alloc ated for uh is it 500 units it's almost 115 units right so there so there's 55 units and in this statement it's saying 200 of the 720 are being reserved for commercial and uh the retail so that's like five spaces above that's like one per unit for the residential with five spaces additional so you're asking in terms of how the parking is Recon meaning why the need for so many additional spaces to serve that additional use yeah especially if I mean in on I think that that is phrased in terms of a goal obviously we have the light rail we have the connectivity and so the future goal I think with all projects really you know when you're within an urban environment is to create a project where you can reduce the potential for there to be the need for parking but we also want to facilitate because this is a new development because we're connecting up and really open opening up the entire area for future Redevelopment we want to ensure that we have adequate parking available when the site is developed so that we can serve the the the office tenants particularly since that's to accommodate potentially the medical office that may be needed in connection with the hospital expansion the medical center so we have that need and then you have retail space you do have access or adjacent to the turnpike or otherwise so when you do have individuals coming by car you want to have that ability because there isn't otherwise um an ability to park so we wanted to provide that on site so to encourage um you know for the future obviously the ability for Light Rail and otherwise but then also to to have it available fair enough I mean has who's the traffic engineer here we actually have a a traffic engineer president who prepared that report and certainly I can have him answer your question more specifically as well well I think you did but here's my followup to that is that on Jersey Avenue have you driven down there sir I mean first off let's get you yeah I was just going to say we need to swear him right good evening any testimon tonight me the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes I do Gary Dean de N I am a principal with Dolan and Dean Consulting Engineers and I've appeared before this board your predecessors uh over the past 30 years for a variety of projects including Journal Square Port liberte Liberty National among many others we know you yes your licenses yes I am licensed engineer um in answer your question when when we first looked at this project um it did work out to be a ratio of of one space per residential unit um as the board is aware many projects throughout the city require no residential parking oh exactly in an effort to better Market the applicant has decided and elected at considerable expense to provide the parking spaces for the residential units even though they're not required the object would be through leasing they'll know exactly which residents don't want a car it's why you live in Jersey City you have immediate access to the Light Rail and that will allow that parking to be used uh conceivably more for the office tenants or the retail but it does allow for that flexibility and that was an intentional design but because of that it obviates the need for example to put more parking on Mars so with that I mean my my become steam Steamboat right uh correct or Steamboat becomes Mama half dozen so with that I mean that also is the back out of the hospital correct so Jersey Avenue by any on any given day s Sunday through Saturday is highly congested right so I mean we're talking about having a hospital just north of this and if Jersey Avenue is as congested as is now and we're saying we're going to open it up for 720 spots maybe not necessarily deed it doesn't sound like they're being deeded to the uh residents of the carent two towers um and then I mean so the steamboat become uh two-way Steamboat or Mammoth becomes two-way we are completing the think of it as the grid network if you look on the aerial behind your on your screen you'll see that that the site is entirely vacant it's it's basically just undeveloped vacant so we're creating an entire rectangle of roadway Network that will serve not only the subject property but also the continued Redevelopment in the area consistent with the plan so this particular applicant has either the good fortune or Misfortune to be first in and they have to provide the infrastructure so that's that's the real amenity of the entire Redevelopment is all of that roadway Network gets built and as you heard um because the applicant doesn't control the right of way to the north where the substation lies you just you can't do the entire width of the road it has been shifted but we want to make sure the road aligns that that's part of how how that developed the only other way to put the parking back in am marus is to reduce the sidewalk width and we're trying to create the The Pedestrian element particularly given the proximity the light rail just you know a block and a half two blocks to the east that's the the Genesis of we'd rather have the wider plazas and forego a dozen on street parking spaces that that's really the balance knowing how many are proposed in the building yeah it it seems like I'm sorry it seems like this this actually is going to help a little bit that congestion that we have currently in Jersey have coming down you know now you're going to have that Steamboat that other uh you can access that whole area now through two main areas so correct and and uh the other element we just uh received the transportation and traffic engineering we we will work with them for example to improve Grand and Steamboat mammoth in that yes we are putting more traffic but it'll serve the needs of this site as well as the medical site because it is busy now that you're right it's really really pack and that's why staff recommended and we take no exception to those comments Council I sorry I'm sorry I interrupted you no I was interrup let me ask another question is is that U so with that I mean uh has there been uh conversation with the administration of the jerse City Medical Center about this particular traffic I'll I'll say as the traffic engineer I've not had those discussions I can't speak as to whether the applicant or somebody else on our team has had those discussions um but working with Mr Manzel and his staff you know we're fully committed to to address first for example uh Transportation now wants an elevated bike lane whereas the our our plan shows it at Road grade but for enhanced safety they want it lifted up so it's not shown on the plans but we we're committed to work with them for for a safer design because to the vice chair's point I mean if I mean I could see some reason or reasonableness of saying that Steamboat becoming two and it can but in addition if we're saying that they're going to be these additional officers if there're going to be what type of if we're talking I think I heard a possible Market you know so I mean uh it could bring in a lot more traffic and so I'm just thinking in terms of accessibility and to the hospital you know for emergency purposes and and that is why the roadway width and the enhanced design has been included with this plan taking it as far as we can to the end thanks one last thing and then I'm done so the etner street that comes off of uh Jersey so that's not being utilized doesn't look like it well Jersey is a if you again look at block to our East the other side of the medical center so we are the west side of the medical center and all of that Associated parking so there's no way of bringing that not at this not until the medical center comes in for a a campus Redevelopment plan we just no no one in this room I don't think controls right away at this point so Council I may ask you is is has there been conversations with the jerse City Medical Center administ there is um direct Provisions within the Redevelopment agreement and because um certain property is being acquired from the Jersey City Medical Center so it's it's part of the process moving forward in terms of the creation of the right away that it's built in in terms of you know not only our involvement but JC's continuing involvement as well and nice respect the continuation of Morris through the Jersey app we took the exhibit down but there was that circulation element that basically showed the grid Network and it does continue through the medical center property so it's it's part of the overall say vision and plan for this area this applicant's doing their part of that grid Network I get that and that's that's great but has Robert Winston or Josh ontero or Michael prusi the president of this great Hospital been contacted with and been I deal with them on other things and so that's a that's a major concern to me quite frankly I'll I'll step in commissioner so the hospital has put out uh an RFP for um some of their surface parking areas uh so this this project supplying extra parking could provide uh you know a nice interim option or permanent option um um in the larger kind of I'll call it larger part of Campus of the hospital as they look to redeveloped some of their surface parking areas uh so but they have put RFP out recently and I don't know the outcome of that that's maybe for you and your contacts to to inquire about uh but uh that so uh I see this as an as a a nice progression in this larger campus well there's no argument there my only concern is is you know what their vision for the RFP is I mean I visit I'm a deacon and I go down there often to visit people and to go in there sometimes I have to drive around within their parking to find space and then sometimes you can't even come back out you have to go back out off the steamboat so you know their vision of what it means to get more parking may not entail a supermarket or some kind of whatever Market may not entail some commercial so so you know to me I think you know if I'm building this it would make a whole bunch of sense given the fact that the medical center for certainly all of downtown is a a Lifeline to many people to get in and currently that Jersey Avenue uh and Grand can get you know very congested so I'll that anyone else okay does that conclude your presentation that does conclude our presentation perfect you know what we're going to do is uh you want to break yeah we're going to take a five minute break sure and then we'll open it up for public great thank you so just a reminder to everybody the application is open in pending please do not speak to anybody about the application please do not approach anybody on the day is about the application thank you August 20th thank you Council and I think that uh that's it that's it right okay thank you sir okay Miss Porter we're back on uh case p223 0093 uh we were about to open public yes okay anyone here from the public wishing to speak on this application see no one from the public wishing to speak I move to close second okay public is now closed and uh we have Sophia yeah planning staff agrees with the applicant's testimony tonight there was as mentioned before a memo from the division of traffic with comments that was sent today one of the comments included stated that they wish for Testimony to be provided about the site's compliant with compliance with new Jersey's model Statewide Municipal electric vehicle ordinance published by DCA on September 1st 2021 in regards to electric vehicle and make ready parking spaces does the applicant attorney have anything to say in regards to that so we could certainly testify with respect to the make ready and our obligations with respect to our plan I believe we could call I don't know to what extent in terms of our development um we specifically address the Make Ready Provisions I think we would we would review the comment and comply I mean we can certainly to whatever extent that it's requested in terms of compliance we would agree to comply with that requirement and I'm we would have to review it um there is a very low parking requirement for the site um you know there's no residential requirement or or commercial requirement so I think what we have now actually is in further even more than what would probably be required uh but revie the comment more and comply as as needed I'm sure that's sufficient enough and just to clarify one of the conditions in the planning staff memo dated June 28th stated that revised plans shall be submitted showing incorporation of the JY Jersey City Review agent's comments and of course this includes Transportation comments that's correct and the applicant will comply okay with that uh planning staff recommends approval thank you sopia chair i' like to make a motion to approve case p2023 d93 as presented to the board together with staff recommendation and conditions second motion made and second it acting Vice chair gengen yeah um great presentation indeed this is this building has its own identity it's a very very detail um exceptionally um I think the variance requested um has no detriments and um my vote is I councilwoman Prince aray hi commissioner Torres I um also like sorry I like this building but the what I like the fact the most growing up downtown and playing on Jersey Avenue as a kid is that St is going to be built in the back of that corner over there that we never walk to yeah know we was we were did a lot of bad things but we were smart enough to stay not go that far deep you know and um to see these worlds getting tied in together it's uh I really wish should things move forward i v i commissioner lipsky um I think it has great potential but I'm not comfortable given my comments earlier so I'm going to abstain commissioner green I vote I acting chair Dr Gonzalez I agree with my fellow commissioner most of them anyway that uh you know this was a great presentation the variances that are being sought I think are needed um and you know I um I'm a physician at Jersey Medical Center I think um you definitely I think it's a good idea to to you know sort of circle with them and but I think this is going to be good because uh we we do have that congestion there and I always looked at that lot and knew that at some point soon it was going to be developed and so um I'm happy with it we've thank you the 3D we haven't had a 3D rendering in long time and I really like that so I uh I would I that's it 501 exstension motion carries thank you thank you thank you thank you guys okay next case uh is case p2024 d22 this is for a preliminary and final major subdivision at 250 Morris Boulevard and I guess I'll call this is for um should I call the next case as well yeah okay we're going to call both cases okay and I'll call the next case after that is p2024 D21 this is for our preliminary and final major s plan with variances and a conditional use also at 250 Morris Boulevard uh good evening again Commissioners um James can from the law firm of conell Foley in Jersey City on behalf of the applicant in both of the cases that the vice chairman just called um both of these cases are notice cases uh so I'm going to take care of a little bit of housekeeping um with Council I have the original Affidavit of service with attachments which I will tender to you Mr K as is customarily our practice we're going to Mark the subdivision affidavit service proof of mailing as A1 and we're going to Mark the site plan one as A2 thank you so as stated in in the agenda the first application is a subdivision application um to uh reconfigure two lots into three lots um one lot is being created for the purpose of development which will be the subject of the second application another lot is being created because it's a part of existing region street that will eventually be dedicated to the city of Jersey City and then there's a a a third remainder lot um my first witness uh in connection with that application is Eric Balo the civil engineer um I'll just give you a heads up that uh this is the Liberty Harbor North Redevelopment plan that the property is located in and there really are no um uh um requirements dimensional requirements or limitations um on a subdivision so this is effectively an as as of right subdivision um Mr Balo yes thank you Council testimony tonight G to be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth I do can you it Eric Belo ER I C Belo b a l l o u Mr Baloo we've recognized you in the past yes license is current yes and in very good stand good all right so good to engineering testimony so I'll try to be try to be a little bit quick so all right so first let's just steal with the subdivision application okay so so first I'm going to start out with the exhibit that you see on the screen which is an existing conditions exhibit which is really a June 2024 aerial and you see that we sort of outlined the Eric I'm going to interrupt you for one second for c for Council for housekeeping this slide has 16 um separate pages we're going to use it for both we're going to use it for both the subdivision application and the site plan application for engineering testimony so we're going to mark it as A3 16 saying one of 17 Mr mccan but you're saying it's one of 17 one of 17 then my apology okay one of 17 computer smarter than me does it have a date on it uh today's date July 23rd 2024 A3 A3 thank you so the first slide for exhibit A3 is an existing conditions areial which is a June 2024 aial and then we have the property outlined in yellow orientation wise to the north we have Regent Street and then to the South we have the light rail tracks um that exists and then we have Tidewater Street to the west and Grove Street to the east uh right now Tidewater Street actually acts as a dead end because there's no connection from Tidewater Street to grow Street U so this is really undeveloped one of the last undeveloped Lots nor north of the Light Rail station right rail tracks within the Liberty Harbor North Area so then I'm going to advance to sheet two of exhibit A3 and Mr Bell this is actually the subdivision plan that was filed with the planning division as is on the portal but you've colorized it correct for presentation purposes that that's correct to add U Clarity we've colored it so what you see on the left side we have this Orange Lot which is block 158 801 lot 2302 uh as you can see there's a residential building there but then the the orange lot this lot actually extends into region Street then we have the existing lot that we're showing in blue that's block 15801 Lot 24 and this also has a portion of regen stre as well as the park lot area so what we're proposing to do is go from these two existing Lots on the left to three proposed Lots um so the the Orange Lot which will be new lot 2307 we took a small portion of that to dedicate that to the Regent Street lot that you see in purple we've also taken a portion of of Lot 24 and also dedicated a portion of that to the Regent Street RightWay law and then that gives us a remainder lot for development uh the Regent Street Lot will be known as block 1581 lot 2401 where the orange lot is for the residential building that was proposed lot 2307 and the proposed building lot I'm sorry is 21 2401 region Street being 2402 so these will give us a separate lot for the Residential Building separate lot for Regent Street and a separate SE lot for development which we'll talk about as part of the site plan application so that's all I had for the subdivision thank you so there's one um unusual component to this and um maybe Eric if you could blow that subdivision up I'll just I just for the purposes of full disclosure to the board um there are some existing improvements uh on the southerly side of the orange lot and I've discussed these with M Mr Ward over the over the course of the application um eventually when the purple lot which is re which is part of region street is dedicated to the city of Jersey City some of those improvements will encroach upon region Street and we have our plan it shows that um Eric and you could say what the encroachment would be yeah so so there's an existing Transformer uh that would encroach in into that new lot as well as the screen wall that exists as well for the residential building a portion of that screen wall would be within the new lot created for regen stre and the the Transformer is owned by psng correct correct that's established psng Transformer so when we dedicate to the city we are going to apply for a franchise ordinance to then maintain those existing improvements and those improvements have been there for 20 years or 15 years uh um pursuant to Prior approvals for that project before region Street was even conceived to be a through Street there that's that's how this happened so with that that's the conclusion of our of our subdivision presentation that answers my question yep too anybody have questions no okay okay all right I'll Zoom back out so I presume we're going to vote on both applications at the same time then at the end or do you want to vote on the or do you want to consider voting on this one um before we start the other presentation however you want to do it Council it doesn't matter to me we can vote on it or we can go through the site plan application and then vote on it it's okay either way is acceptable let's do them both together then I think it's probably faster better okay okay great all right so we're going to now start the site plan presentation so this is uh sheet five of exhibit A3 so this is the same June 2024 aerial and now we've colored the proposed building and the proposed site Improvement so these are the proposed conditions for the project uh one of the great benefits of this project is right now Tidewater Street has a dead end so we're as part of this project going to uh install a portion of Morris Boulevard that will interconnect interconnect Tidewater Street to Grove Street so this is really going to complete the street Network within this area uh and then as with all projects uh you know then we'll also be improving all of the streetcape new curbing New sidewalks New Street trees we'll be following the same decorative lighting fixtures that are already used around the entire area uh as far as um access into the building and curb Cuts we only have two proposed curb cuts that would both be off of molus bouard one is for the loading area and one is access into the building to where there will be some parking spaces um Morris Boulevard though is subject to deviations um we actually are sort of forced to make this street narrower than the requirements so I'll go through this so if the moris boulevard the standard RightWay section consists of a 10-ft southern walkway which would be along the track side and a 15t wide walkway between the building and the roadway 30 ft of pavement which would consist of two lanes of traffic and a parking Lane what's being proposed since we're fixed with the existing tracks and the associated equipment associated with the light rail we're maintaining the 15 foot sidewalk adjacent to the building in accordance to the plan but we're eliminating the parking that exists on that street and going with a 24ot wide cartway so the pavement itself would be 24 feet in width versus the 30 feet because we don't have that parking Lane then along the southern walkway that would go down to 8 feet where 10 feet is the standard sidewalk section and this is due to the fact because of the retaining wall That's necessary to address the grade change and the existing improvements that are within that area one thing that the traffic engine we do have a traffic engine one thing that was mentioned within the traffic engineer is a possibly even reduce from 24 feet down to let's say 22 feet which would allow us to have a 10 foot walkway on the southern side so and that would be something that would provide U compliant sidewalks on both sides still provide 22 fee which was still two foot wider than a fire lane which is a requirement of 20t um so that comat we could address it uh the roadway wh in that manner if if the board decided so Ju Just to be clear what what I think Eric is referring to is this afternoon at like four o'clock we received comments from traffic engineering to this application and one of their comments was what Eric just annunciated to you and we think it might be a good idea so we will work with traffic engine engineering and and Mr Ward to see if this is something that's acceptable to all the parties we also did receive just to be clear we also did receive uh some comments in this area from Jersey City engineering uh leuan um Wang and she also suggested possibly reducing the size of the tree pits back there to get a little bit more width on on that street and so we will take that comment under consideration too if it's okay with Mr Ward and you know continue to work on developing Mor street so that it makes sense to all the city agencies and and Council just for for the board's edification obviously if the board prefers what's proposed then the board can can so voice that and absolutely uh advise the applicant the only other thing Council that I want to make sure when we're reducing sidewalks is ADA compliance and running any issue with widths and and whatnot I think that we would have our engineer take that into consideration also yeah I I will say the president sidewalk as propos is ADA Compliant um so it has that five foot of width so you don't need pull-offs and things of that nature so it's fully ADA Compliant uh in regards to uh other engineering uh storm water we saw the previous picture it's a pave parking lot now replace it with a building so you got the clean roof so you get some benefits from storm water quality um by using a building versus a parking lot area there's also storm store collection Network in this area that has envisioned this lot to be developed Water and Sewer as always we get the Jas mu way approvals as we've done from boxing here so it's from a engineering perspective I don't have any direct testimony remaining thank you I have no further questions for uh Mr Balo thank you Mr Balo do we have any questions for no okay so my next witness is uh Bruce Stevie the project uh architect and um just to give you a heads up on what the building is this is going to you're going to hear about a 16 story l-class building in this Redevelopment area it's 300 market rate residential units it's about 1750 square fet of retail and it also has 12365 Square ft of school Civic which you're going to see on the plans which is a conditional use um under the Redevelopment plan so that's something that's in the discretion of this board and Council I did provide notice in my site plan notice specifically that this was a conditional use which is required by the Redevelopment plan also um there there are some parking spaces on this on this site but you're also going to hear testimony that there's off-site parking um to be provided uh also in connection with this project because this developer has three existing parking garages that are within 1,000 feet of the project which under the Redevelopment plan if you have that condition you're you can use those garages to provide parking so you're going to see that there's 18 on-site parking spaces 115 parking spaces being provided offsite uh in garages that are within 1,000 feet of the project um and we'll exp we'll show you where those parking garages are so you can see and I have testimony from um Gary Dean who will tell you that those parking garages have capacity for this project um there are a couple of variances for the building which I'm going to let Mr Stevie explain to you and having said that I'll defer to Mr Stevie to do his presentation so did you say that I mean for this poal educational space 12,000 ft that would be conditionally zoned that well so it's a it's a conditional use under the Redevelopment plan so you can't say it's a permitted use the same way residential is it's a conditional use which this board has the ability to say yes or no to and it meets the additional conditions obviously which is why it's before the board yes okay Council the only question I have have with respect to the what I'll refer to as shared parking or off-site parking is I believe we've had applications in the past where this has been permitted and we've used it and the question always comes up about double counting or double dipping of spaces so uh we're obviously going to want to make sure that whatever spaces are attributed to this project stay with this project so we we've taken that into consideration because we did have an application very similar to this one about a year ago so we'll explain to you how how we have capacity for that okay okay uh do you any testimony get tonight it's gonna be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth I do the record can name yes my name is Bruce Stevie s IE V thank you and Mr Stevie we've qualified you in the past yes and your license is current it's in good standing yes thank you sir thank you so I also have a a slide deck yes so uh this slide deck I believe is uh 25 slides yes architectural presentation today's date as well 22nd 23rd yeah it's 23rd it's dat of the 22 okay I made it yesterday um A4 Council thank you so um I'm just going to start with an aial photograph again um this is in the Liberty Harbor North Redevelopment District which occupies this entire area from the Waterfront back to Grand um and as uh Eric mentioned before this is the last substantial Redevelopment parcel in the uh Northern portion of the Redevelopment area um so this this um uh yellow dot in the center is the project site um across from uh across region street from the site is one Grove Street which is uh just wrapping up construction and getting ready to lease um you've got the um the uh the Vantage site uh to the east of the project you've got 235 Grand to the north east of the project um and then you've got G's Cove which is a 16-story building similar in height to the project that we're presenting tonight um this is an aerial view looking South chose the project in context you can see it's the darker building back here that's the proposed project and these are the neighboring projects um adjacent to it uh this is the same view looking North uh from the Waterfront looking back so you can see that gull's Cove a 16 story building here you've got the Vantage you've got 235 Grand and then you've got the proposed project um here uh this is a aerial view this was taken a while back um but this shows uh one Grove under construction the proposed project in sight but it's just a this is a drone photograph um that shows the the project context uh zoomed in on the site and then um there's a a park that's uh becomes the front yard uh for all of these uh buildings in this area um and that's uh on Grove Street it's a rendered view of the project looking from um Grove Street uh down region street so you've got uh one Grove the new building that's just finishing up here this is the proposed project uh in in the foreground and then you've got the um the the beer hall in the background uh this is a project so uh this is a a model shot of the projects um along uh Grove Street um this is the project that we were in about a year ago for Block 5.1 uh this is one Grove and then this is block 5.5 um as was mentioned uh the project is a 300 unit uh project um that complies with the density permitted in the Redevelopment plan um there's 12,367 squ ft of school proposed there's retail parking um in the project and we'll go through that as we go through the plan uh this is a ground floor plan um and and starting at the corner of of Grove and region Street um this this uh entry point happens at the corner so we've we've activated the corner of the site um it's it's in close proximity to the path uh uh way to the uh the PATH station on Grove Street um so you have active uses on the ground floor with the lobby coming around there's um opportunity for retail fronting on the park um as was mentioned before on off of Morris Boulevard we have a loading Bay um this loading Bay could be used for movein and deliveries uh has access to the backside of the elevators um it also has access to the trash room so trash will come out of the building into that loading area for pickup um we also discussed that we would have uh some parking in the building uh the building's been designed to accommodate eight on um standard parking spaces um but there is extra height in this and and so there's an option to put a semi-automated parking system in that would uh put that number at 47 parking spaces in that in that uh garage space so the initial idea would be that they start with the standard spaces uh the the structural systems been designed to accommodate this semi-automated parking system and should the need arise they can install that parking system system and get to 47 parking spots so Mr Stevie one question you said there are 18 standard parking spaces they are standard size but they're tandem parking spaces correct that's correct yes and so we need a variance from this board for Tandem parking spaces do we not yes that's correct and the variance is because the parking spaces in the back do not have direct access to a drive aisle that's that's the variance that we're requesting corre corre so a tandem means that there's a parking spot in front of another parking spot so because of the configuration of this floor plan um there was a deep space that we could accommodate six additional parking spaces um so those will be considered tandem parking spots and the use for those parking spaces would be that um when there's more than one person in a unit if they would like to have tandem spaces they they would be able to lease the two spaces together so you would have two people in the same unit almost like the concept of a a driveway where there's one car and people just move them around at their own convenience correct that's correct yes um and I will say that um if they go to a semi-automated parking systems they're semi-automated parking systems that allow you to access those tandem spots and they become fully functional parking spots and And this parking um area is subject to the EV parking requirements correct that's correct so any new parking that we provide in in a project now has to have 15% of those parking spaces available ailable for electric vehicle charging um in the case of a of uh 18 parking spaces we need to provide three EV charging St uh spaces which we have done and if you employ the um the parking stacker if the board sees to approve that and if you employ it you have to add another Ada space do you not that's correct and so um right now there's 19 spaces in this garage uh this Ada space would be striped out uh in the event that we don't um uh use the uh automated system but the automated system if we put that in we would just take that striped area and designate it as another handicap space um in addition the um SE the automated stacker system also is available as the capability of providing electric vehicle charging stations um in the system itself so you can actually Park in the system and plug into EV charging stations okay thank you next next slide um just to finalize this uh tour around the ground floor uh we have Utilities in the corner so we have a a Transformer rooms and and and mechanical spaces um we have a bicycle parking uh facility for the building providing the required number of parking bike parking spaces for the project and then we have the uh School uh located on the corner of Tidewater and Regent Street um the the school entrance is coming in off of Tidewater um and I'll talk a little bit more about the school in a moment um maybe I'll do that right now so um one of the one of the first um um uh commercial tenants in Liberty Harbor North was a montor school um and that was back in uh 2010 in their first building at 10 region Street um the montauri school took a portion of that uh of that commercial space that was available and started a montauri school um they then expanded in 2012 to take the full floor of 10 region Street and some additional space at 30 region street so the reason we're telling you this and and because it's a late hour I'll I'll just try to move us along we had there there is a tenant for this space already this is this is Civic School space that we're asking you to approve but the reason why is because this client uh this applicant has a relationship with the montauri school and they would like to move into the space so that's why the space is being built because the montauri school is going to extend its campus to this building right so um oh thank you so the montori school will occupy the ground floor and then it also occupies the second floor um of the space immediately above it um also on the second floor we have amenity space for the building so there's building amenity spaces uh and then there's this open space over the parking garage to accommodate the optional stacker system uh when we get to the uh second uh third floor of the building um the building steps back and we have a courtyard the courtyard faces South there'll be a pool and outdoor amenities for the building on that level um there'll be a amenity space um with lounge areas and a spotlike environment up outside of the pool um and then the first residential units will be on this floor um when we go up to the next floor uh we have uh some more additional building amenities we'll have a fitness center we'll have a basketball court and residential units and then we have the um uh the beginning of the uh the next uh uh deviation that we would require from the Redevelopment plan uh we're proposing balconies um the balconies do not project over the right of way they project over roof areas of the floors uh on the lower levels um and so those balcon uh by by uh um by the Redevelopment plan can project 2 feet off the building and in this case we're pro projecting slightly over six feet 6 feet 8 in uh out from the building facade and am I correct Bruce there's only two of the balconies there right well there's two on this floor but there's there's multiple balconies on the upper levels and I'll show you those on the Upper Floor PL and I'll show you them in the building renderings as well 68 they're all 6'8 in yes and then none of them project over the right ways they project over roof areas and the courtyard space of the building uh and and there's a design element that you've employed in this too for safety correct yes the so the uh the balcony stagger um and I'll show you that in the building elevation so that they're uh and then in addition to that um we've we've used railings on the balconies um we've had conversations in the past the railings have a round cap on top and there's they they seal off the balcony there's no Gap at the bottom so if any anything's dropped it uh it would it would not be able to fall off the balcony it would be contained within the balcony um going to the upper levels again residential units we talked about 300 residential units um in a in a mixture of Studios one bedroom one-bedroom dens and two bedrooms um and then there's a rooftop amenity which is the 16th floor um and and the permitted Building height in this uh in this section of the Redevelopment plan is 16 stories plus a penthouse um this project is being proposed as a 16 story building um there's uh outdoor amenity spaces uh that are uh associated with the pro uh the residential uh amenities and then an interior amenity space as well um so again back to the rendering of the building there's a it's a curtain wall system so it's a glass curtain wall system and at the base of the building in order to generate a base middle and top we've used a uh porcelain panel that gets inserted into that uh curtain wall system um and creates a pattern of windows at the base of the building that relate to the neighboring uh uh architectural Styles um the lobby is defined by an entry canopy um and then so uh building elevations show a little bit more clearly how the uh materials transition as it goes up the building we've identified uh uh light fixtures along the base of the building accent The Columns canopy lighting underneath to light up the entryways and there's the railing detail that I spoke about for the balconies um this is the courtyard elevation so you'll see the balconies project into the courtyard and project out over the roof of the garage uh uh and and the school on the on the lower levels um this just is a detail of Morris Street where we have the parking and utilities we've strove very carefully to design this facade so that it that these um openings are consistent with the floors above and and the detailing of the Residential Building above um this is a rendering looking from the south down into the courtyard space of the building so again you can see Morris Boulevard extending across you can see the garage and loading entrances um you can see the school entrance on this side of the building uh you can see how the balconies uh project and stagger on the interior Courtyard space um and then uh I just have the other elevations uh for the other sides of the building and a building section uh again I show you this because it shows how that uh garage space has been designed to accommodate stacker systems in the future it also allows us to recess the pool into that uh garage area um it shows the double height basketball area um so that's the section and that's my testimony no further no further questions for Mr Stevie um from me thank you Mr Stevie do we have any questions for him I have um first off I'll do with my my second question thanks for the balcony design without making a swimming pool up there cuz that's one thing I am a plumber that would be a no no but um famous maybe we could share this uh information with colleagues down the future in Jersey City go have a another reason why we built here we came up with an idea be safe thank you I appreciate that um tandem parking now that tandem parking might be tandem parket or is it a definite Tander pocket situation I'm not I wasn't sure when you said that well it's definitely tandem parking um so there's no question it's it's being built as tandem parking what we are asking for is permission from the board in the future if there's a need for the building to convert the building to automated parking which Bruce explained which would then increase the number of parking spaces in the building from 18 to 47 that's correct okay so without trying to make this not any longer than what it is is how would that be controlled though to the parket is it not going to be controlled by tenant by tenant do I have to to approach my neighbor to find out if they can move their car or there'll be another better way so no my my understanding from the um from the management of the building is the way that they're going to be operated they would only be leased to occupants of one unit so that if um if you and your wife were looking for an apartment and you needed two parking spaces they would offer you the tandems they probably had a discount I'm not really sure but for the inconvenience but and then and so there wouldn't be two people in two different units good okay thank you very much thank and the tendon parking on that would would also if you do the the parking on top it would be able to accommodate the the tandem yeah so the system actually is it's like a a squirrel wheel there's always one space left open in the system and that space moves around so and then and with in the invent of a tandem you can actually pull through and access the the tandem squirrel wheel in the back okay Council we had obviously discussed the issue of the additional offsite parking what's the required parking so so the required parking is there are 300 units uh the residential is uh 0.5 spaces per unit there's no minimum that's the minimum parking requirement there's no minimum for retail there's no minimum for the montau school um so there's no parking required for those those two uses that right Bruce that's correct okay 150 spaces there 150 spaces um 18 on site 18 on site I think I need to probably ask Mr Balo to come back because we did forget to tell you that there are 17 parking spaces be being created on Street which under this Redevelopment plan specifically on street parking you're allowed to count towards your parking count so we're my question is and thank you for that and I assume Mr Dean talk about how we have the parking elsewhere 115 off-site spaces yes we keep talking about if we need the mechanical on site is there a reason we're not proposing the mechanical parking in the garage so that we get 47 spaces on site because presumably we need the spaces they're just going to be off site um we only need the spaces to comply with the minimum parking requirement I think the presumption might be that we might not even need all those spaces based upon the location of the building that's why starting out with the 18 tandem space the uh the 18 spaces in the garage um without the the stackers because we meet the minimum parking requirement with the the understood right yeah okay anyone else okay thank you Mr Stevie uh Mr ballor would you come back for one second so we did a just you know what as I mentioned um you can only have off-site parking if it's within 10,000 feet of your site Mr Balo did a parking proximity plan um you've seen this before because we did it for a project about year ago um Eric can you explain this plan for the board I can so this is an aerial image uh which shows our site you can see colored in the Middle with a thousand foot radius circle around it that identifies the different garages within a th000 feet uh that Mr Dean will talk about in detail these are all existing parking garages that are in operation and owned by Affiliates of the applicant correct for the record now I'm going to bring up Mr Dean and explain the rest of the parking plan to the board now Council I think on the prior project that you're maybe referring to those balconies didn't get to 68 I'm sorry the balconies didn't make it to 6'8 in I don't remember how big the balconies were on the previous uh applicant says six feet so the the Mr Dean was already sworn thank you Mr ly uh and I understand I'm still on the roow uh again for the record Gary Dean of Dolan and Dean traffic consultant for the applicant uh I actually appeared before this board and Mr mcan's office was kind enough to forward me my transcript but it was I believe it was March 21st of 2023 to discuss the applicants other project uh known as uh block 5.1 and as part of that this entire Liberty Harbor North has been developed uh with a comprehensive master plan part of that Master Plan included the construction of three existing parking structures under the control of the applicant or related entities and I I will refer you to Mr bloo's exhibit which is on your screen uh the first uh garage structure provided by the applicant or Affiliated entity is at 88 Regent Street uh which is all the way to the left or Far West closest to Jersey Avenue uh that particular building is 800 ft from the subject site and provides where' we go 307 existing parking spaces the next building under the control of the applicant is and you'll see it labeled on the exhibit and I'm reflecting it with the cursor is 30 region Street and that has 277 existing parking spaces and then finally uh a mere 150 ft from the subject property is 10 region street that has 221 parking spaces and if we include the proposal from this project with the minimum of 18 spaces that provides us with a total of 856 parking spaces in a garage structure there are also 124 street parking spaces uh surrounding these blocks and including a couple of other phases uh for example the Brownstones and nine region Street Etc um in in addition and in that 124 and forgive me I know it's a lot of math late at night um that brings our total on street parking to 124 it was raised at the prior hearing but these streets are privately owned and they are presently signed for Resident parking only that brings us to a total of 980 parking spaces with all of the units developed in this area as part of Liberty Harbor North there are 1,849 units and that requires at the half a space per unit 925 so with 980 total parking spaces provided there will be a surplus of 55 parking spaces uh above and beyond what this project requires and if we are so fortunate in the economics work for the Stacked parking there would be another 30 on top of that but even ignoring that and to Mr lampy's original concern the project in its entirety when we look at those other facilities has enough parking to meet the required minimums um and and for those board members that were here my office had independently walked every street we walked through the garages to confirm IR those number of parking spaces so um my testimony for this application is is consistent with uh that which the board here heard roughly a year ago um but that we do comply with the minimum required parking um and then as Mr mccan indicated we did receive the memorandum um from Jersey City uh traffic and transportation um there were some uh requests for uh how the management of the tandem faes uh would be used you heard that from Mr Stevie that they or Mr mccan that they need to be assigned to the same unit owner um and then the stacking parking you've heard that um and we will agree of course to work with your staff on the remaining technical requirements the only other caveat that I will add is that um from my experience and this goes to the electric vehicle charging requirements those are only required for applications that have new parking so of the 18 spaces in the building and the 17 spaces on street that 35 those would be subject to the EV space requirement and the applicant will will accommodate that it's not a retroactive bit of legislation that mandates all of the other you know 8 800 plus spaces be brought into compliance that was not the intent of that legislation so we will We it's a code requirement so we have have to provide them and and that's all I have in the way of direct testimony so you don't think appes to the 150 spaces you're required correct it's what's being actually provided and the reason is Mr lampy those 150 even though they're in pre-existing parking garages those garages are not subject to a 2024 site plan approval they're already there in other words they're not constructed as new or in any way being modified they've already been pre-built prior to the legislation in anticipation of this project and that's why they're exempt if we were to say that the 150 required them to be complied with the EV what would that number be it would be it's uh 15% of the total of 150 so what's that 22 spaces if my math is ma reasonable um what I can't answer is whether those garages can accommodate 220 volt and the necessary electrical requirements for the EV charging equipment the one you're about to build could uh yes and those will comply but the existing buildings all 18 of them could be EV spaces we'd still be short by the 22 requirement what if we did the mechanical Council I think I've read the EV statute over and over for these applications existing parking garages do not have to provide EV spaces I would concede to you that if this garage is modified in some way these garages are modified in some way or redesigned that they would probably have to comply but existing parking garages around the city do not have to comply with the EV requirements but we're now taking existing for the benefit of new but but all we're doing is complying with the Redevelopment plan that says you can have shared parking within a certain distance we're not here to revise or in any way change any of those three garages so the the statute doesn't apply respectfully I'm not sure that I agree Council but okay in the prior application did we or did we not allocate spaces to projects we did not but we did require that the applicant provide a executed parking agreement between the four entities the the each entity that owns the garage and the applicant in the 5.1 case and provide a parking agreement to the planning division staff they reviewed the parking agreement and confirmed that we had all the provisions in it to properly and competently reserve the required number of parking spaces um for the project that was done as part of resolution compliance and I'm fully prepared right now to to agree that work out with Mr Ward the same exact parking agreement that we had done the last time for this project yeah I think the board obviously wants to make sure that we're tracking understood oh and we had also agreed um that we would provide a status report once the build once the building is up and running we would PL provide a status report on the parking spaces that are being used by the building in each existing garage and we'll agree to that again for this project and the other concern obviously was if some other project was sold how we make sure that the parking for this building is captured and the way we resolved that was with the parking agreement that is on file in the planning office okay thank you thank you uh my last witness is Charles height you have your five minute planning speech ready it's ready you didn't swear you in yet oh yes we can swear you in again deja vu all over again just keep them up here the whole time just don't let him go anywhere you get three minutes one minute one minute of variance you go over it he's going to start calling you Bell with me that's right is he still here so uh yeah I I benefit from the details that the other professionals provided with each specific variances um so we have the balcony variance request for the depth um kudos to Mr Torres for uh recognizing the solution that we're proposing because we do think it's reflective of the board's concerns over of other projects um we are proposing the two thoroughfare standards the sidewalk with and and uh the drive aisle with so um we did get comments back and um from a planning standpoint narrower cart ways are better to reduce the speed at which vehicles travel um and if we could do that while still maintaining a suitable sidewalk with it's all the better for pedestrians um in the long run so um while we have that deviation from the thorough Fair standards it's only on one of the frontages not all the frontages we still comply with region Street uh Tidewater and Grove um lastly with respect to the um the six tandem spaces again they will be linked to a specific unit so in terms of function um they provide the spaces in count um but one unit will benefit from the two spaces um it also helps reduce the overall demand because if you build it only more Vehicles will come so reducing the quantity built uh utilizing the spaces within 1,000 ft will reduce the amount of vehicles that can park in this area um and I think we do meet the intent of reducing automobile dependency increasing density and creating another development block uh in a downtown area of of the city so um those are the the benefits um I do think we're furthering purposes of the Redevelopment plan in terms of uh the bulk relief being salt um we entered in all the require all the goals and objectives of the Redevelopment plan because in whole this project aims to advance all of them it provides the retail the the school is a nice Community benefit um and it's a mix use development of a what would be a parking lot today with with no connectivity on on more streets so we did list them um I do think the uh the balconies had for a sense of open space although private it does allow for a variety of housing um within the building so there's benefit there with respect to one of the goals um and then with respect to uh installing a new Street grid pattern that's exactly what this project aims to do with the subdivision as well as uh the the um proposed relief needed so that's the positive criteria um in terms of the negative criteria the uh variances none of them in my opinion raised to the level of any substantial detriment to the uh Public Welfare um we've been thoughtful of each request um the thorough Fair standards are important for circulation we don't believe there's any decrease in safety with that proposed circulation um we obviously will work to coordinate with planning staff and transportation planning office on the final Dimensions um the balconies were well aware of the concerns um and we've thought we've addressed that in the design from a safety standpoint and then the T spaces there's no real safety issue it's really just adequacy of parking and how they'll function so I don't think there's a detriment there it's it's a benefit that one unit will occupy both spaces um in terms of the impairment of the Redevelopment plan or Zone plan there is none um this is a project I first had conversations on about a year and a half ago um answered a few questions then the design team led the way um I was asked to come back in to review these small set of deviations they're really modest um so I don't believe there's any impairment to the Zone plan and it fulfills the objectives of the Redevelopment plan that's the positive and negative criteria thank you Charles okay that was my last witness thank you sir any questions for Mr height no okay thank you sir appreciate I think we'll uh open it up for the public at this moment anyone here from the public shy no one from the public I would like to close the public portion okay the public is now closed Matt yeah so I'll start with some comments on the subdivision application first uh so the uh applicant put on a extra condition that they'll file for a franchise when dedicating the street uh regarding those improvements um that were done prior to region Street being even uh considered for a future RightWay um another condition uh in the staff uh memo is number three uh if construction on block 5.5 has not begun within 6 months after perfecting the subdivision the applicant shall petition the city to dedicate uh that portion of region Street to the city uh reason being that um we've gone through some recent ordinances to accept dedication of roads in uh this portion of Liberty Harbor North um and would like to see that continue um regardless if uh the development of 5.5 moves for um uh Council have you had time to take a look at that uh memo and agree to those conditions I have had time and yes uh the applicant agrees to those conditions okay um and on the site plan so um this application went through um some design changes um in in actually somewhat of a a big revamp uh at one point uh regarding the design um the design now is it's it's quite attractive building they're meeting um by far in way many of the standards in the Redevelopment plan uh with some uh deviations which they put on the record and discussed uh staff would consider these as di Minimus uh variances um and uh some being the minimum sidewalk also being kind of borne out of improvements done um by other entities I believe that there's Canary uh poles and and other such improvements in that area on uh that portion of Morris Boulevard um there are also um in our staff memo for the site plan um staff recommended conditions and there's a similar one to the site plan um being this uh focus on moving forward with public streets so number five in that staff recommended uh condition is the applicant shall petition the city to dedicate all portions of Tidewater Street moris Boulevard and region Street prior to any certificate of occupancy um so that in includes uh if I don't know if you want to go back a couple slides But it includes all the tide water all the way from Grand Street to where it curves into Morris Boulevard the portion of region Street um and Morris Boulevard the portion of Mor Boulevard that's um included in this project um also they put on the record that they're going to do parking agreements uh similar to that other project uh which will be delivered executed as part of resol oce compliance and a status report um thereafter uh I don't know if I have many items I don't have any items actually that I think they haven't already touched upon for uh for your consideration um staff recommends approval of both thank you Matt before we vote the council Matt I just have two questions CCO or Co on the streets and I don't know who the question is for but when looking at the subdivision part of region street is not part of the subdivision is that portion of region Street to the I think it's East is is that dedicated to the city or is that part of the other lot owned by an affiliate or somebody else it's dedicated to the city it's it was initially developed by the developer of the property across the street I forget the name is it one Grove yes yes that's the developer that actually developed region Street if you look at the slides region street is already developed right right yeah so that developer enter entered into an agreement with the applicant to develop region Street they did so they dedicated the portion that they owned okay um I don't know if the dedication is complete I don't know if the city has accepted the streets because you know there's a there's a process you you petition for the dedication that's when you dedicate but at the end of the process the city accepts the street I don't know if that's happened yet but I know the dedication petition has been filed because I did confirm that myself for that portion of region for the other portion that's not owned by this applicant yes which which is I think why Mr Ward wants this portion of region street that we've been talking about subdivided and dedicated right yeah to go to your other thing um you said TCO or co uh I think it would be be any certificate of occupancy whichever comes first so PCO or Co yeah some people might just file for Co not go for TCO so whichever first the applicant doesn't have an objection to that just want to point out to everybody I think Matt knows this but what we're agreeing to is we will file a dedication petition in compliance with city ordinances prior to getting a CO but I will tell you have done probably more dedications than anybody in the city sometimes they take two or three years to get done because Jersey City engineering inspects the MUA inspects the law departments involved so we're going to what we're agreeing to is dedicate the streets but you don't have to have them accepted by the time we get a CO think that's what I wrote that's what you wrote okay I just want to make sure we all understand that for the record because I don't we can't control you don't control it the city's acceptance policy city council could say we don't want to I know they won't but you don't know that I don't I guess I don't know that right so um so we're agreeing to petition the city to dedicate the streets so I've been chasing one for 20 years there you go I might have one or two of those around too and just one last thing just to put on the record so we do have we we have some comments from Jersey City engineering they have a comment meem memo dated June 5th the MUA has a comment memo dated June 27th and then traffic engineering has a comment memo of course dat today so we will agree to work with each one of those agencies and Mr Ward um to address the comments in those memos and just to put a cap on that conversation so I I presume that your your client will strive to get it in before you apply for Co get those improvements in place so that they anticipate accepting of the dedication so um trying their best not to uh apply for a CO and there be a a many different uh things to still complete on those roads but to be you know in improve the roadway improvements are going to have to be done in order to get a CO or TCO what whatever's on the side whatever's on the site plan has to be done region streets already built out so they don't they don't have to do anything because that wasn't they don't have to do anything to region street it's already built yep okay okay for very good thank you Mr mccan we're gonna vote on each of them individually okay okay chair I like to make a motion to approve case p2024 d22 as presented to the board this evening for approval second motion made and second it now that's the subdivision um on a motion approve with uh conditions um acting Vice chair gengen I councilman penari I commissioner Torres I commissioner lipsky I commissioner green I and acting chair Dr Gonzalez I motion carries all in favor chair I'd like to make a motion to approve case p224 D21 as presented to the board this evening with staff recommendation and conditions second motion made and second it on a motion approv with conditions acting Vice Cher Gan I councilwoman preri commissioner Torres before I vote I just want to say that uh I appreciate the fact that the the safety part of the balconies I don't understand the reason why they have to be so big uh the balconies um that part I don't understand and um parking garage is somewhere else offsite 8 100 feet away th000 feet away really doesn't work when it's my um aunt or my sister that has to walk that thing from one garage to another uh in the evening at night in a back by a light rail somewhere safety aspect of it makes really no sense to me on that part um yeah they they they're there I know they're there but when it was it was brought before years ago on 10th Street and they can walk like three blocks away and you got a parking spot that's nice at one o'clock in the afternoon not nice at 1:00 in the morning um so I I don't I don't I don't understand that concept um we could develop a building to fit the parking spots in the building that part I understand so with that I'm going to vote no on this project commiss shipsky hi commissioner green hi and acting Cher Gonzalez I I Echo commissioner torres's uh statement just for the record I mean I do like the project I look like what's being done in that area um I've been both of us have been on the planning board for for a very long time and we've seen these projects through the through the years and but I do agree that parking doesn't really make sense to me um but you know given the the presentation and um and the comments and what I see I mean I I'll vote I um vote is 51 motion carries on a motion approve with conditions thank you Commissioners and thank you for staying late appreciate it much thank you guys thank you okay I'll entertain a motion to memorialize resolutions do we have any go ahead there's only three right yeah no four chair I have four resolutions okay first resolution resolution of the planning board of the city of Jersey City applicant 72 tun Avenue Jersey City LLC for minor site plan approval with deviation address is 721 Avenue Jersey City New Jersey block 10601 lot 20 case number is p2023 d25 second resolution is the planning board for the city of Jersey City applicant is s HG Jersey City LLC and S HG Englewood South parent LLC as tenant in common extension for preliminary and final major site plan with deviation address is 286-290 cold Street Jersey City New Jersey block 64 lots 1.01 and lot 1.02 block number 6005 Lots 13 1.01 13.02 and 13.03 case number is p2024 d79 third resolution of the planning board for the city of Jersey City applicant is 143 Columbus Strife Group LLC for major site plan amendments approval address is 143 Columbus Drive block 12901 Lots 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 and 1 1.05 Jersey City New Jersey case number is p2024 d49 resolution of the planning board for the city of Jersey City applicant is perini Avenue LLC for major site plan amendments with deviation approval address is 17-25 Perani Avenue Jersey City New Jersey block 10803 Lots 1 123 and 4 case number is p2024 d 044 okay thank you do we have a second check it okay roll entertain motion to adjourn do do executive roll call yeah roll call who does roll call Matt roll call on memorializations I forgot I did that it's okay I did too acting Vice chair gangen hi councilwoman Prince Ari hi uh commissioner Torres hi uh commissioner lipsky I commissioner green I and acting sh Dr Gonzalez I thank you executive session no okay motion to adjourn made motion second okay all in favor right I he