##VIDEO ID:sEP9jQPfgaE## the meeting of the planning board burough of Somerville for September 11th 2024 will please come to order notice of this meeting as required by the open PE public meeting act has been provided that on a copy of the notice specifying the date time and location was posted on the bulletin board outside of burrow Hall mailed facted or emailed to The Courier News and given to the clerk administrator this meeting is a Judicial proceeding any questions or comments must be limited to the issues the board May legally consider in reaching a decision and the decorum appropriate to a Judicial hearing must be maintained at all times roll call uh chairman Nado is excuse this evening mayor Gallagher here councilman vroom here Mr D here Mr cestus um I did not hear from him I don't know if he he notified uh Jenna or not uh Mr Cleveland here Mr addex here Mr kker as the acting Vice chair here and Miss Werner as the acting chair here Pledge of Allegiance pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all if we could remain standing for a moment of silence for 911 please and all the victims thank you the fav uh we need a motion for minutes for can we do the separate because I'm going to have to abstain from one first we can yep I Chris veratics swear orir do Solly swear or affirm Faithfully andly that fifthly and partially and justly perform all the duties in office of regular Penning board member to the best of my ability to the best of my ability that I will support theti of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States theit of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey will bear faith and Al to the same that will bear true faith and allegiance to the same all right thank you all I prepared to speech all right all right so um let's start with the minutes from the regular session for July 24th 2024 so moved second sorry mayor Gallagher yes councilman vroom yes Mr yes um Mr Cleveland yes uh Mr addex yes um and um Mr ker yes and Miss Warner abstain and now for August 28 2024 so moved second mayor Gallagher yes councilman vom yes Mr D Mr Mr Cleveland yes Mr addex yes um Mr cka yes Miss Warner yes and our last one for executive on August 28 2024 so moved second mayor Gallagher yes councilman vom yes Mr Mr Cleveland yes Mr addex yes Mr crasa yes Miss wner yes okay we have no pending resolutions um just for everybody's awareness we will be revisiting the front yard fence ordinance revisions within the next couple of meetings um that is still pending business for us all right all right so our next up requests for amendments to resolution pb24 d0111 d001 so moved second so it's going to start on the 18th right yes uh so moved second mayor gag yes councilman vom yes Mr D yes Mr Cleveland yes Mr addex yes Mr crer yes Mr Warner yes all right so this re brings us to uh request for amendment to resolution for approval um this is for the New Jersey Elixir company they are requesting sorry let me get my notes Here an amendment to the resolution to remove the specific time time restraints on the operation of the business and confirmation that the applicant uh may use the side exit for egress in the event of a fire so as Not to cause any occupancy issues um they are asking to have these removed or changed what what were the restrictions on so the timing restriction I went back and looked it is uh 12 to 12 they are the ones that offered that in the beginning of their testimony there was no conversation about that like we didn't bring it up it wasn't like that's what we settled on it was just they said the hour were 12 to 12 the now they want compliant with the burrow ordinance with other any other laws yeah okay well then that's that's what they're asking for not just a no restriction just burrow restri would have to okay just make it sure yeah so so it would be amended to to compliance with the F not just removal the second one is an egress issue but this is an issue for um that they need an easement so we really don't have the purview to here to bypass that uh restriction so I don't see C I have one other question the door in question is like an emergency fire door I how did it get there to begin with was the property one owned property at one time and now it's subdivided because if somebody put in a fire door there must have been an intent to it as a safety issue so if it's there and it wasn't like a door for entering and exiting on a normal basis that was put there sometime some way by someone who said yeah that's a good idea yeah it might have been okay goes back it's still on them to figure out with their neighbors not us yeah we have no perw over that so can we split this then and then vote on amending it just for the hours yes absolutely yes the no no we need a motion on that how do we all right so I'll make a motion to I don't know how do you even word that no you're not amending it I motion that I'll second mayor Galler yes councilman vom yes Mr D Mr Cleveland yes Mr addex yes Mr kker yes M Warner yes Mr Cleveland if you can just lean into your microphone pardon uh just did not pick picking it up on the on the stream that's a first I start singing sorry all right so now I'll make a motion to amend the resolution from the 12 to 12 hours to the Burrow's ordinance of 12 to 2 am second mayor Gallagher yes councilman vroom yes Mr D Mr Cleveland yes Mr addex yes Mr kker yes M Warner yes I will thank you okay uh on to our next one a request for filing extension this is property uh address 382 East Main Street this is um they applied for a minor subdivision of their property um and they are looking for an extension on this as they are still waiting for resolution on the county end um which we think will hopefully be soon but they are asking for a slight extension on that no issue with it I'll move to uh why is the county holding them up there is there was an error made originally and the paperwork to go back and forth It's not that they haven't been doing their du it's not on them yeah the short answer is they they sh on the subdivision plot the county required them to show a potential building but they have no plans for a building right now on the subdivision it's just a paper line yes uh when the county reviewed it uh they looked at it as a home as a house so they then required perk tests and driveway location so so I had a discussion with Mike we had a discussion with the county and the county is now reviewing that again great thank you what's the extension that we give yeah so I'll make a motion to give the filing extension for for one year for doing mayor Gallagher yes councilman vro yes Mr D yes Mr Cleveland yes Mr addex yes Mr crasa yes Miss Warner yes okay we are now on to our hearing for a concept review for 201 217 West Main Street Associates just getting set up here but uh I'll just start uh by saying uh good evening uh members of the board members of the public or professionals my name is Michael silbert and I'm an attorney at the law firm D franccesco baitman located in Warren Township New Jersey it's my privilege tonight to represent 201 217 West Main Street Associates LLC in connection with this Con conceptual review this review primarily concerns the property located at block 130 Lot 1 commonly known as 21217 West Main Street also commonly referred to as the granite's building the concept Plan before you this evening also includes block 124.0 lot 14 which is an existing parking lot with Frontage on Veterans Memorial Drive and we envision that this lot will continue to be used as such so tonight's Focus will will primarily be on the beautifully designed conceptual building shown in your packets and we're just trying to get that loaded up here on the screens the granite's building is located in the buroughs B2 zoning District however I'm not going to spend time discussing the Burrow's existing Zoning for the site we are seeking to construct this project by way of Redevelopment and uh before I I introduce the managing member of the applicant and contract purchaser as well as our architect Mr Brian Taylor who has worked carefully with the Burrow's RDC for many months putting together the conceptual design before you this evening I would like to make just a few remarks uh that speaks to the heart of why we're here this evening so the board is is no stranger to conceptual reviews and Redevelopment you know the power of Redevelopment better than anyone Somerville is is the model for many municipalities across the county and the state for redevelopment projects done right and that's due in large part because of the vision and Leadership that that this board the Burrows Council and the buroughs professionals uh have demonstrated time and time again uh tonight's presentation was a little bit unusual typically uh conceptual plans are shown to the board after an area has already been designated as an area in need of Redevelopment and a lot of times after a Redevelopment plan has already been established for the site um however we are here prior to the start of the re development process because we wanted to engage with you early on and we're here humbly to listen to you and and get feedback before moving forward with this project um so as you know the existing granits building has stood as a part of summerville's fabric for many many years I think it's important that this this board know that when we first approached the project The Hope was to keep this piece of History intact but after extensive environmental and structural studies which we will detail uh night became clear that preserving the granite building was not feasible and this wasn't easy to accept as it would have been far simpler to move forward with a building renovation but we had to reconsider our approach so what you see in the design packet before you is our effort to pay homage to the granite's building we drew inspiration from the building's distinctive features including its Tower design feature uh but of course we've developed a design that complements and enhances the existing streetcape so although this building will be different from the granite building it's our belief that it still will embody the spirit of Summerville um this site as everyone knows is a is a gateway to downtown Somerville for people coming in from the West we know that and we take that responsibility seriously so we're very proud of the renderings before you this evening as they represent our commitment to creating something distinctive um and what I'll say is that instead of Simply adding another apartment building to Somerville we wanted to create something and show you something else to help fill a void in the Barrow that we've recognized so the conceptual design presented tonight features four sale condominium units reflecting our belief that Somerville needs more than just rental apartment units it it deserves homes where people can invest own and really become a part of the Summerville community so our goal with this proposal is to offer a product that is unlike anything else in the area spacious beautifully designed Condominiums with top tier amenities but this is very important we also know the importance of inclusionary housing and this project and and the applicant is committed to providing a percentage of affordable units to help meet the Burrow's fourth round obligation so this project strikes a unique balance by offering luxury for sale condominium units alongside affordable housing I think that's a a creative blend of luxury and inclusivity um the board is and and the public for that matter are likely all too familiar with developers who try to really come in there and maximize density by squeezing in as many units as they can onto a site but you'll look at the at the the concept plan and the renderings and it's it's quite evident that that wasn't our our goal here as Mr Taylor will will elaborate with his presentation our Focus has been really on creating exceptionally large and high quality units with generous amenity space rather than squeezing in as many units as possible and just speaking uh briefly to the amenity space we also considered ways in which we could really offer an opportunity for the Somerville Community to take advantage of this project if it were to One Day become a reality and one possibility we explored which was very warmly received by the Burrows RDC was the prospect of creating a rooftop restaurant on the top floor of the building this would offer residents and the public a chance to enjoy what will arguably be some of the best views of Somerville so just to conclude we are presenting what I I refer to as a new chapter for a site that deserves to be reimagined in a way that reflects somerville's past but also looks to somerville's Future and I thank the board for for indulging me with my opening remarks I I would like to introduce to the board the managing member of the applicant and contract purchaser uh Mr Brian silbert he's a an experienced developer and is responsible for one of the first major Redevelopment projects just down the road in the Bur Arin that in many ways at this early stage is similar to The Proposal at hand tonight and uh with that um okay absolutely I do take it away ladies and gentlemen bit of solemn night on 911 um as we all feel um I'm appreciative of being invited in and having the opportunity to uh present our vision for the property as um my son Michael described the Gateway as you come into your community from the West into the downtown um we've uh been involved in a lot of interesting developments over a period of I'm in the field many years now close to 45 years and um as Michael indicated there's a lot of parallel between uh the granite's property and the um what I developed in the burrow uh some years back uh we finished it in 2007 right before the fiscal crisis and my Vision there was to take that building which is of a similar age as this building the granite building was built and constructed in 1885 it is it's not a historic building but it has a lot of meaning to people as it does to me uh I've shopped and patronized Somerville for many many years I live in Somerset County and it's been a manufacturing building over the years Woolen Mills various different man manufacturing had been in there and then in the ' 50s uh became a furniture store um so by way of background and it's been vacant approximately two years there are there are no tenants in there so when I look at a project and I have done a variety of development over the years uh which I'm very proud of in Jersey and outside of Jersey um I look at what's the highest and best need with what I have some expertise in and what I feel I can accomplish and I looked at this building and and as uh Michael said in this property is um from my vision I wanted to do um for sale housing um I believe you have some great apartment projects that are here um you have some terrific retail and cafe and this and that all the above I've done I don't feel that you need that for the this site what I feel would be a tremendous tremendous Catalyst for the community is to build Luxury Condominiums there's a difference between Condominiums and Luxury Condominiums uh which I'll touch upon in a few minutes but to embark on the project the first thing you have to do is you have to make sure you understand the mouse trap you understand what's there you understand what you can do what you can't do again as Michael said our vision was to take the building and try to work within the building as I started to get into the project have structural engineers in there environmental Engineers I've been working on the project for many months now in short the building can't be used the beams are rotted the foundation has mold moisture rotting from the inside the building is Timber it's not steel the floors are completely unlevel and it's a safety factor and I wanted to do what I could to still try to work within it it can't be done can't be done in addition to the structural element the building is Laden with asbest top down and lead paint so this is what I was embarking on uh the the the the property is owned by a a gentleman that doesn't live in the United States uh he and his family um and they bought this property uh I'm not quite sure sure what honestly what their Vision was with it um but the Last Tenant as I said earlier moved out so to me although the property's of fixture in the burrow the property is is uh is blighted it's contaminated very similar to the Woolen Mills that was in RAR and burrow uh we had come in initially with a plan to renovate that building we wound up building at the time a luxury luxury building which became a success and and benefited the businesses there the business owners the restaurants patrons and alike and served a niche we'd like to be able to do that here um we went through a an immense amount of work environmentally phase one phase two soils tests there's groundwater issues there's soil issues um an environmental company I've worked with for many years on other complicated projects uh I brought in with this so we we reached a point where where we then said okay we we want to create something we think that can be spectacular a notch above with all due respect to your other uh developers here uh and go ahead and and see if the burrow would have interest in the project um I'm prepared to commit my time and resources Beyond this evening to move it forward um uh and we believe that over time we can make this a tremendous success I've had the pleasure to work with Brian Taylor and uh his colleague Roco Campanella who's here and we have spent many many hours with our preliminary work and design um because there's nothing like that here I'm not competing against some of the other apartment buildings nor for that matter people that are building town homes and other things this is a different product uh this is one building uh as you'll as you'll hear from from from my architect uh where we're catering to a niche buyer it's not a big project in terms of numbers of units from my view but it's not an easy project to do the other thing that we wanted to be mindful of as with any downtown as your parking needs the parking will be self-contained I've also developed a number of projects with affordable housing that I own and operate um so we understand this would have an affordable housing component as touched upon earlier and uh we feel uh uh excited to bring this Vision to your community and be a part of it um as a as a local resident as a businessman the other component that I find interesting is we wanted to really have a have a something for the community by way of the potential for rooftop dining and I say potential because things have to be thought out carefully analyzed Market driven uh I have interest in the hospitality industry so it's not an area of business that I'm uncomfortable with it's a matter of finding the right Niche with that but we think we can do something uh that'll be really not only tremendous for these residents but for also the people in the town and and put dollars back in your economy and in my experience and what I've seen with Redevelopment of which we've been a party to quite a bit of it is that these towns need the residential today to drive the business that's there small business and larger companies there because they're all vying for the same so that the buyer we're going to cater to based upon our work and our research would have that disposable income here so um that's my uh overview if you will on on the project we're we're based not far here my headquarters is based in Warren Township and um we're very active in in the area throughout New Jersey and outside of Jersey thank you and I'll just uh Brian Taylor's going to walk walk you guys through the uh concept plan and renderings and uh we'd love to love to hear feedback uh whenever you feel the need to say something or share share a point if you have any questions please feel free great again thank you ladies and gentlemen for uh allowing us to present this concept tonight um as it was stated we did uh meet several times with the Redevelopment committee um to show the ideas that we had and we had some great feedback that we incorporated um into the concept that we're going to show you um so we can just get started are you showing it on the screen right now yep I I see it on my screen yeah Dr it over oh it's a double screen ah I got you okay so you might have to look at big screen there you go that's fine I can okay thank you all right uh we could actually do this too pardon me does it say full screen great okay um so this is um drawing CF z0000 uh this is the existing view of the granates building um so this is a view looking toward downtown from West End Avenue or Route 28 um the existing building is a vacant four-story building with a partial basement otherwise known as the granates building um our project proposes to remove this building uh due to its uh environmental issues as was U uh related by Mr silbert there are structural issues architectural issues I've been in the building U none of the floors are Level so it really does make it undevelopable um I believe in its existing form um Mr tayor can you uh just speak closely to the microphone sure sorry about that yeah yeah I got it um so again this is just the building as it exists today you can see the size of the building and um it is you know certainly a a a building that is a focal point um and it's one of the first buildings that you see when you come into downtown so one of the first things that we did is we started to look at some um inspiration images um so before embarking upon any kind of design proposal we search some imagery which we believe would be appropriate for a new building to replace the granite's building and uh did our best to create a structure deserving of a designation of landmark um we do understand and fully appreciate the significance of the existing building um and its location the building certainly is a focal point at the end of West End Avenue and serves as a Gateway into the downtown Somerville area so the imagery that you see before you um on the left hand side is a tower I believe it's a building uh from Virginia and we looked at this uh for the tower element uh the the tall slender Windows the The Columns the materials and then the um the building on the right hand side is actually the Apple theater not looking pretty much so much at the building in the middle but to the right the facade looked at that as sort of a a blueprint for the fenestration the pattern the rhythm of the windows um it is a classical looking building but it actually looks a bit abstract in this photo so these were just um some images that we looked at to draw inspiration um you know they they are uh more traditionally designed buildings um and so materiality is also you know something that's very important so we wanted to use a material such as Stone uh or masonry we thought that was important to um to have good quality materials so now moving to the next image this shows um the uh actual massing uh but before we get in before we get into the program and function of the building we think it's important to start with the vision of how this building would fit within the context of the streetcape this view illustrates the massing concept of what would be the new structure the perspective is taken from the same Vantage Point um as the previous existing building slide while this is not a finalized design it's an attempt to visualize what this project could accomplish first and foremost the original massing and basic proportion of the existing granates building can somewhat be somewhat be preserved although this Building Concept is a larger building the proportions are preserved in a few ways number one there's a vertical break that splits the facade into two parts at the junction of the bend um in the road thus highlighting or isolating the original massing and footprint of the existing building so if we look at the right hand side of that image where the tower is uh between the I'm sorry the left hand side between the left hand side and the right hand side there is a there is a a re or vertical Break um this makes the right hand side of the building almost secondary so that there's an intentional hierarchy and emphasis on the original massing the tower centered on the massing on the left hearkens back to the granite's uh Tower um and it conspicuously marks the entrance to the downtown we felt it was important to preserve um this building feature and even enhance it with a clock tower in addition to that the building has a clear distinction between the base the middle and the top through the use of different colors and materials and horizontal D datum lines or banding that you can see at the um second level and then up at the top of the building uh the white trim uh Additionally the massing perspective illustrates how the building's setbacks or step backs regulate the mass of the building there's a small step back on the third floor uh right at that first uh band up from from from grade um and then there's a larger step more significant step back at the at the seventh floor and then there's a penthouse level which a step back even further where it becomes almost unnoticeable this is a seven-story building with a smaller Penthouse level but as you can see the manipulation of the massing allows this building to visually match the height of the edge building which is just across South Dy Avenue so if you look at that image you can see the edge building the top of that building which is a five-story building and basically aligns with the more prominent edge of the uh top of the sixth floor um borrowing from the previous inspiration imagery the proportions of the fenestration solid and void the facade and the vertical verticality and detail of the tower allow the building to take shape and present itself to the streetcape and if there's any questions as I'm going please just don't hesitate to ask so this next slide is um in keeping with the idea of of this building being a focal point or Gateway building we thought of introducing something playful that could celebrate the downtown streetcape similar to The Landmark buildings that we all know like the Empire State Building it could be a fun way to Mark certain holidays or downtown events by bathing the tower in color at night these two images present present some possibilities for this idea this would certainly enhance the idea of the Tower and the building as a Gateway concept U these are two additional views that are essentially continuing with the same concept these are dusk views and this is uh across the street across the intersection um on the opposite side of Main Street at the corner of South Dy and um and West Main these are perspective U massing views these are aerial views um and they give a better sense of the overall form of the building by highlighting both the upper and lower rooftop amenities uh it also illustrates the seventh floor step back that could possibly also serve as private balconies for some of the residential units so looking at the left image on the left you can see the um seventh floor stepping back and there's it's probably about 10 ft um and that's what allows the the building massing to be reduced as it goes up and on the very top on the left hand image you can see that white area is an outdoor rooftop amenity behind that are some of the um amenity spaces for the building which we'll see when we look at the floor plans on the right hand side uh which is the back of the building looking towards West Main from Veterans Memorial we can see that the building is essentially u-shape and on the second floor uh you'll see another roof deck area and that would just be an outdoor roof deck area access from the second floor for uh for residents to enjoy yes the uh seventh floor those are intended to be outside patio spaces like going to be fencing along the top to that's correct those apartments so that would have to be included in drawings going forward yes absolutely yeah correct but they these will be like sliders on some of the apartments yeah so the there's there's there's there's the setback of the seventh floor which is the smaller balcony that goes around the perimeter um that would certainly be detailed and yet it would have access from the apartments inside and then up above where we have where we're showing amenity space right now that would have access to that larger rooftop area uh which would be outdoor at amenity deck space thank you you're welcome thank you um so this this next slide really just shows um some of the project data um of of the building and I'll just brief go through some of it uh what you see on the drawing is the existing survey and you can see the footprint of the Granite building uh there's the the main part of the building which fronts M West Main Street and then there's some um lower portions of that building as it curves around towards Somerset Street and then all the way to the left on the corner of Somerset and New Street uh there's an existing parking lot this building right now at this early conceptual stage uh we're totaling 77 uh dwelling units they're a combination of one two and three-bedroom units um the building to the very top of the penthouse level which is above the seventh floor would be um about 90 almost 94 feet um and again it would be seven stories plus the penthouse for for a total of eight um we we it's the intent is for this property to be incorporated into the West Main Street Redevelopment uh plan that has not happened yet um so we would work with those uh bulk requirements uh moving forward um for parking which um why don't I go to the next slide oh before we get there the next slide is a a a parking lot that is part of this project and this is a parking lot that is at the corner of New Street and Veterans Memorial Drive so it just right down the block from New Street um it's an existing parking lot uh it's in disrepair it's damaged uh there is an I believe an existing underground oil tank um so we propos to uh refurbish this lot repave it add some lighting and we intend to get 18 parking spaces uh that would contribute to the required parking of the new project this is the basement um so again this this new building would have a full basement uh there will be parking in the basement level and as you'll see up on the uh grade level um so there's a ramp if you see the bottom of the plan there's a a peach colored rectangle that's a ramp that goes up to the first level so the parking in the basement would have some utility space um obviously stairs and elevator for circulation uh there will be surface spots there will be some we're proposing some tandem spots which uh generally work okay with two-bedroom units and then we also are proposing some mechanical parking um to help us get the most parking that we can um out of the available space next slide is the grade level space and so um you would enter the property off of New Street there's a shared Drive AIS at the very bottom of the plan you would come in off of New Street and directly make a left into the par deck which would be at grade level um you can then go down the ramp to get to the basement we just which we just looked at and then along um West Main Street we would have an entrance you know the main entrance to the building um there would be a Lobby there would be a lounge uh some conference room space and some amenity space um as well as elevator and stairs we would also toward the bottom right hand side of the plan have um an additional elevator that would be for movein and then we would also have the the trash room there so we would utilize that existing uh shared Drive aisle um to um facilitate move in as well as trash removal so moving up um this would be the second floor plan um and we have the the units uh in various colors here based upon um the type of unit it is uh what you can see on the bottom of the plan and again in a peach color is that second floor uh roof amenity deck which be accessible uh from the from the corridor system um so just moving on up these are these are typical levels um as we go up this is levels three through six and again now you can clearly see the u-shape of the building with the second floor amenity deck uh below with the X through it um just a corridor system we have stairs we have the elevators and these are where um we would have all the units some of the units would Overlook uh the outside perimeter of the building some would look down over into the amenity deck um the other thing we just want to bring up too about these units which um Mr Silver did point out is these are going to be U Condominiums these are going to be for sale units um so they're they're quite large and they're intended to be large spacious and luxurious this is level seven um this is the level where we have a rather large step back so you can see from the previous plan the footprint shrinks and so around the perimeter around New Street Somerset Street Main Street and South doy we have uh this outdoor um area that would be accessible by the units on this floor and they would be private and then up at the rooftop level which would be what we're calling the penthouse level you can see in the very very top there's the footprint that's Square uh tan square is the tower uh then the orange colored area is the Outdoor um roof area that can be enjoyed by occupants and then we have a fitness center a lounge in a business center uh but this is also where we could incorporate a restaurant so uh Mr silbert talked about the idea of having a restaurant we discussed that during some of our meetings with the Redevelopment committee everybody seemed to like that idea so um we can definitely incorporate a restaurant space um in this plan and and with the height of this building um we think that the views would be spectacular looking into the downtown area and if it is a restaurant it would be open to the public so people of the public could come and and enjoy what this building has to offer um so that's basically sums up our concept um I'm happy to take any questions that anyone has we have any questions oh yeah um one question I had was about the um the parking tandem parking I understand now the mechanical parking you talk like a lift right would those spots be dedicated to a particular apartment you can't have Apartment One correct sharing with that won't work so it' be tandem slot one was tandem parking one would be an apartment they have to work it out yes that that's the intent and again the the the part again just understand this is very early it's conceptual we know that we have um some means of um uh satisfying the parking in terms of there's different types of mechanical systems we can use um and again just the the basic shape and orientation of the lot it just happened that tandem parking could work and it could be efficient but yes to your point tandem parking only really works if it's you know can't work with a one-bedroom so if we use tendon parking it would be dedicated to a two-bedroom uh where you know would negotiate um moving cars and um I noticed on on the amenities floor the seventh floor you're only using the tower side of the roof is there an intent to expand to the other side the side that's over New Street just curious is that the building going to be built that way to expand that way I mean it's it's a possibility if we do incorporate a restaurant May grow that area I I think the intent was we were conscious of the fact that you know height was something that was going to be important um and that's why we made the efforts to step the building back as it goes up and when you when you see the the image of the the massing in context you can see how it really reduces the overall massing of the building so we're conscious of that and purposely made that Penthouse level as big as it needed to be um but you know moving forward as we you know discuss and continue with the design maybe the cor Corporation of a restaurant maybe expands that area a bit but I think we can certainly do that in a way where we keep it back from the street so that it's not noticeable from street level and rooftop Mechanicals all up there all the umir yeah we would we would work out the rooftop Mechanicals and we haven't really delved into that much yet but yeah there's there's ways that we could we could put them on the on the roof either on the side of the roof that we're not using or on top of the penthouse and we would screen it uh but we would work that out so it would look appropriate thank you you're welcome I have a question and I might be not visualizing it the right way but the additional 18 parking spaces that you have that I'm looking at on cf007 that's new Street and Veterans Memorial Drive right I believe there's some two houses right adjacent to that par yes so what would and I'm pretty sure that those people have cars they've are currently parking there what would happen to them if you're taken thees ma'am it's if if I may Brian sure thank you for your question um I don't own the dwellings adjacent um the lot is currently a private lot people just park there because they park there um but it but as the property is redeveloped andone it would be parking for the building here but I think people just park there randomly to park there uh today so they would not park there pardon it's convenience parking right now for the people in the area yeah it's not it's not um it's not monitored so I I I manage properties I operate them I make sure they run efficiently they're secure and they're being used by the people that are supposed to use them so right now as the mayor said it's it's really convenience people just parking there because the spaces are there I I understand that I'm just thinking that people parking the people that live next to it which means they're going to not have a place to park no they can park in front of their home yeah there there's there's parking on the street on New Street I used to live on new street they're not supposed to be parking there right yeah in fact 25 30 years ago I used to park in that lot because I lived in the warehouse Apartments so you know where it is I know exactly where it is so was that all you had I had a couple quick um questions comments I guess more um I like to teered back from the Main Street it does have that mass thing but to new Street's point it looks like the view from New Street will be a seven story plus the amenities right up to the edge of the building well it is it is set back also the seventh floor is also set back on New Street it's set back on New Street West Main and South da at right at the edge there yeah but not the not the back end of it correct the back end uh no so the houses on news street that are I'm just looking at Google Maps here I'm pointing at the screen you can't see um I understand what you're saying but yeah so that would be large um another couple quick comments I like the fact that you have the additional parking lot that's not under the building um I don't know if there's EV requirements and stuff like that but I I would highly highly prefer if they're in the outside um areas rather than underneath a building where you can't fight a fire and I'm aware of the concern put it out Let It Burn um and then with that as well um access for emergency services to get it looks like it's a very tight turn to get into that parking deck and get down that ramp um so if that could be kept in mind um I'm sure Roger will be watching that as well so yeah certainly um and and again um you know as I said we're kind of early in the process I don't want to get into the week just something to think about going forward certainly I understand when we put something out there you're going to look at it and make comments and certainly understand that you know if I may have a second it's also you know when you look at this property there's it's the original storm order it's the original detention when I redevelop this property this will be redeveloped based upon the current DP standards and that would the ordinance in terms of M storm water management which is very important terms of taking an old especially old so um that benefit should not go unnoticed so all that c the other thing I also forgot to mention was that because of the height and the number of stories of this building it cannot be built out of wood so um as a consequence uh most likely the basement and the first floor will be reinforced concrete and then the super structure will be cold form steel so um it's going to be a a very well-built building um and it's going to have much higher fire resistance uh as a type as a type one construction building we we did this construction uh bring over in RAR this is this is this is as good as it gets when you build that type of a structure there so this is truly a luxury building in terms of the ability to walk around what you don't hear as compared to what you would hear uh and certain safety measures that are taking yet concrete steel beams and structure throughout it's a it's a very expensive building to build sorry um I developed a property in the burrow of ritton if you go off of 206 uh down Orlando drive directly behind what was the Stop and Shop going back the building there I called it River Park at rar and um it was 224 units also with the structured parking there those were U luxury apartments nothing like that was being built there at the time and there was a demand for it as we see years later with the demand but again I I look at a number of communities around and they they're missing homes for people to buy whether they're people that are what we call empty nesters somebody said to me well who who are you looking to buy it here well you you're going to buy to PE you're going to sell to people I'm sorry that want to live in this environment want to be the benefactor of the services and everything that's in your community um we want to be mindful of not competing against other commercial and other you don't respectfully you don't need another coffee shop there you don't need c types of r and we really thought there was a great Niche to do the to do Luxury condominium but you have to have a certain finishing a certain quality of building um certain level of amenity so when you ask her about the you know the top floor in the penous that's a work in progress uh I have a lot of different ideas that are going to be explored and implemented as forward so I had a question and comment I think you kind of answered my question in your thought process here which I appreciate and I realize that the first floor of the building is parking for obvious reasons right but one of the things I was thinking through here as you're walking down Main Street this is a kind of a transition zone and right now it's a kind of a a wall of either blankon windows or a handful of Windows and You' mentioned this might not be the place for coffee shops or shops or something like that but it is a transition so is it better to walk down I was thinking is it better to walk down Main Street and H transition of kind of wall windows and a Lobby and kind of a a vacant wall or is it better to walk down Main Street and transition with stores and shops into the next area so just maybe from a comment perspective um looking at the facade here I I think I would have liked to see that but I understand the reasons why you're not doing that any thought beyond your comment around maybe doesn't need coffee shops there well I'm being generic when I say coffee shops I think I get it I'm very knowledgeable or like to think I am there's a difference I like to think I know a little bit about the retail industry and the the the developer that's building next store and doing retail and then the next building and then you have a lot of respectfully I think in terms of demand you have a lot of retail from when you come in across the street from me all the way down your your your tenants your your shopkeepers both big and small they're striving to get that consumer dollar and and respectfully again I don't I don't believe you need more of the same competition there that being said doing something very different with potentially a rooftop dining concept that that's a tremendous amenity that's not what's in town there but I but I think you have a lot of owners of these businesses that are struggling not all not all so I don't think as you come in again I call it the Gateway and I look in I don't think from a planning standpoint and a demand standpoint to stick some retail in front there is the right fit what we're going to do and it's a work in progress is continue to try to make that view as you come in and that image attractive and really really knock the socks off people but I don't think you need to see a sign you know Sally's Beauty shop or Starbucks 2 or so and so Pizzeria I I don't I don't view that and I looked at it very hard that way I also don't I also personally I'll say I don't view it as a putting a medical use in there that's not what should go there uh I I think I think sometimes the things are very obvious to us and and we look and say well what else can you do it's very simple you do do a very high-end luxury building there that's successful and and and would make the burrow proud and I think all of the other businesses there would be very happy to have people yeah I I think the Chris point it's more of the Aesthetics not saying it has to be a business but the Aesthetics of having at eye height for anybody walking down making sure it's an attractive eye level not just uh you know the St El I agree I think you hit on what I was looking for the the attractive zie are sitting that light here first stop in the sun you're looking at this blank wall on the on the drawing I know you have a long way to go between now and then but I think that was my point you did hit on it so thank you what what about just incorporating more glass well there's ways to beautify and and sir we're we're again we're we're relatively early on in what we've done I think Brian and and Rocco his partner have done a number of iterations here but we also have looked at a number of successful projects in great downtowns both in New Jersey and outside of Jersey and and you also don't want to have I'll use the technical term of a hodg Podge versus versus it being sleek and and really cutting edge and and what makes it beautiful and we're trying to make our focal point in large part with some of the trim and the details the Clock Tower and and bringing it all together we're certainly open to and are looking at certain refinements which are done through heartscape plantings I'm a big proponent of greenery in properties and flowers and I mean I think that's so important and I have portfolio that that's that you see that evident here so we don't want it to be a sterile look by any stretch we want it to wow people coming in and we wanted to be very mindful of the Aesthetics of the the the elevation there all around the building not just the front and and I would just say being that that we're pursuing this by way of Redevelopment I I would assure you that the Barrow's professionals would would mandate that the Redevelopment plan if this would come to fruition would uh would mandate that the ground floor uh would be aesthetically pleasing and and assist with the transition to those businesses further down on on Main Street so it's the option wouldn't really be up to us we would have to um it would be imposed that we would have to create something that that the burrow would be proud of is in terms of creating a visually aesthetically a vis a good visual aesthetic for that ground floor parking area so yeah if anybody's has been down to Princeton Michael uh they have a parking deck that looks like tow houses you don't even know it's a parking deck the facade is a facade but they show it looks like a tow houses besides for the gate you see to get in there but you have no idea it's a parking deck so I think that's what Chris and Jason's getting at to make it look like it's not a parking deck I mean that's what we're basically saying right I I think also I mean and again you know certainly we're welcoming all of your feedback and and taking all this and uh the effort here in this concept was was to try and do that is to just not have a solid wall right so we do have finestra and at the very bottom yes that's where the parking deck is I think the option of putting glazing in there uh would would do just that it would make it look like it's a you know a building and perhaps there's retail or an office or something else inside um but I think you know we'll certainly take that into account as we move forward so so I I guess comments and questions um kind of intertwined uh what I didn't realize was that it was a wooden structure inside we've had some discussions about this and I what for for clarity when I first met with Mr silbert uh in the Redevelopment committee um I said you're going to save the building um it's not something that we would like to see it's it's an iconic landmark and uh over the course of a couple of months uh after his reviews and came back and talked about the asbest and the mold and the lead paint um and now realizing that it's a wooden structure um that's it it is a problem um something that large um I I can tell you and Mike you may remember this probably about seven years ago bricks were beginning to fall off of the parit up top um so so it is a problem um the the idea that it's a a Gateway anchor to the Western end um it it has been since 1880 um and uh and the design that you've created I think extends that which I which I like um it's also high and dry which I also like um it's for sale units uh you had mentioned that it's something very different for Somerville and I think that is um years ago we had Condominiums built but we're going back probably 40 years where we had condos Condominiums built and uh and and I really like the idea that it is for sale housing and I think a lot of folks will like that as well um the massing I think works very well when you look at the massing of this versus the massing of the existing building they're they're pretty much align they they they they have that same feel um which I think is good the the window grates uh around the parking we we've talked about that it needs something there there's it needs some work there um you know to to Chris's Point there's got to be some visual finesse to that so I think that's something that that can be worked on the and these are the pickies this is the pickies you always got to have picky stuff that's what boards do we do the picky stuff um where where the building turns on the angle you have that blank area um it's that tan inset area correct it's blank could be glass I it could be glass it could be art yeah it could be something correct um you know as you come around I know you don't want to take away too much from the clock tower because that's really an iconic point but something could go in there what I I couldn't tell you but art to me just jumps to mind not weird art nice cool art old your weird could be different than my we well exactly that's that's the point um the uh the fenestration and the coloring I mean I I like it but it's a bit neutral overall I don't see a lot of contrast in there and I don't know if that's by Design it's I mean really the colors you know the the it's conceptual the neutral yeah the neutral colors were on purpose we didn't want to do something overpowering um and really when I when you know when I design a building when I first do the building I don't really think about materials I think about a bu facade is a composition like painting and it's the geometry which is important you could go and put whatever materials you wanted on there but certainly yeah I mean the the color and and the detail and the contrast um we tried to give some indication of that there as to what pops you know the tower the the datam lines um but certainly this is something that we'll continue to work on and it will only improve overtime and then the the the fenestration in terms of the window treatments and we talked about this in one of our earlier meetings that because up to that point they it was blank right and I said take a look at the old building and the fenestrations around the window which really are they're they're prominent and they're they're I guess the word's prominent I see you they're in here um but I think there still needs to be just a little and maybe that comes through with that contrast I'm not sure um that that's just you know I I'm looking at it more from a visual standpoint as you come down heading towards into Main Street and and and it's you know it's a I I think it's beautiful um but just those little touches those those little touches um touched on very briefly was EV charging um we already have a history uh at this board in the last couple of months um both at a concept review and at a site plan review of pushing the EV charging away from the buildings uh we're very concerned about that the fire department is very concerned about it and I'm sure you're very concerned about it too that you know you just look at some of these videos you can't get these cars out they will not go out and it could potentially lead to a catastrophe um so it's it's something that I think this board is very keen on the safety aspect of EV charging um I also am very happy to hear that uh inclusionary housing was brought up uh right at the outset of this discussion um it's obviously something regardless of your position on it it's something that the state of New Jersey uh has mandated there's some challenges going on all of a sudden as of yesterday um uh but it's what we have and and there is a housing crunch we all know that um so the the concept that you bring it to us as opposed to us going to you and saying we have to have this discussion um I think uh I look at that very favorably and uh and I appreciate you uh you bringing that up um and then lastly I I and I say this to those that come before this this board um because I truly mean it thank you thank you for having the vision of investing in Somerville and I think that's something I try to remind a lot of folks that you know whether you're putting a deck on whether you're putting an addition on your house or whether you have an investor who's coming in to spend tens of millions of dollars everyone deserves that same respect when they come to this board and to the burrow Council and to the zoning board they're looking to invest in their property to help make our town better and and I appreciate that and I think I know this board appreciates that and that's something that you know will go through trials and tribulations and uh that's part of the reason of bringing this to this board early um we've had our discussions you put together a plan I said bring it to the board let's take it out from from the the the closed discussions and let's bring it forward and allow everybody here at this table to have a look at it to have a response to it so you have an indication of where the heads are up here um and I think that's important as as you invest in our town and again whether it's a deck whether it's a sidewalk whether it's um an addition or whether it's a major development everybody deserves that same respect so I appreciate it very much so thank you than you comments All right so I'm GNA make some comments yes um so first I want to reiterate what the mayor had said thank you um but I'm going to say thank you for I kept looking at these drawings as I Was preparing for the meeting and and I have it in front of me with the old one and the new and I think that you did an amazing job of trying to keep what is already there in an updated look and something that will preserve and go on forever well nothing's forever but much longer that it won't be in Wood actually um but it it amazed me I kept looking at it back and forth and I'm still staring at it back and forth and you did you can tell you put a lot of time into trying to preserve what is something that is already there and not make it this monstrosity um that you know can sometimes add doubt to a project um I personally love the Rooftop Bar and restaurant idea open to the public I think it's something and you know not only do we not have four uh for sale condos here we don't have that here and I know that that has been a want for many residents um so those kind of touches that you thought about of a way to also include the public public even though you're not going to have retail on the bottom I think is another amazing idea to have it as an all-inclusive type building that is welcome to everybody in Somerville whether you're buying a piece of that property or you're going to go visit it and enjoy the view I think is an added touch that is needed in Somerville so for that I say thank you I'm not going to reiterate everything everybody else said um but I just wanted to make sure that you knew you know at least from my perspective it it is very apparent that you took a lot of time to try to keep this and preserve what is already there for us so thank you thank you so I had one other comment um and and really it's actually if you can comment on it so so that building was I'll call it small office suits when I lived in the warehouse Apartments which was right behind Mr granite's owned the warehouse apartments and I used to have to walk up to about the fourth floor to pay my rent uh every month um but it was all small offices a couple of larger ones you know some of the questions the public will say well why can't you just make it offices so we don't have um um this influx um can you talk a little bit about the office market and what's going on with office space in especially in New Jersey right now mayor I'm happy to but again building just for the record original wood Timbers wood trusses back back to 1885 I'm sorry um the office Market um the the office Market um for for many reasons um is more and more challenging uh I operate I own and manage office product medical industrial um simply stated um companies have changed their modus operandi we all know people work from home um you have uh not the need for the in-person meetings the way we used to have and Jersey was the capital with all these major Office Buildings all over so the problem you have is it's simple economics you have this tremendous supply of Office Buildings whether you're in the downtowns or you're in the sub verbs and you don't have the demand and without getting too much into the weeds as the expression goes it's just supply and demand economics so this building again structurally you can't do that I went in it I can't tell you how many times said there must be a way to do and I get no there isn't a way and then when you go down to the basement and you see the issues forget the environmental just the structural Integrity of the property it it's a liability I don't know how you'd put people in there but there's not a demand for office space I make office leases I'm sad to say at less than I used to get 10 15 years ago in rent and we all know the costs are a little higher than they were 10 15 years ago so it doesn't it doesn't work you can't put a square peg in a round hole to get into vacancy factors and things and statistics I understand May you're not looking at that but I'm pretty pretty well versed in the office Market New Jersey uh there are buildings you could buy that cost $250 a square foot to build that I'm offered to pay $100 a foot not with land building finished might have been built 15 20 years ago for $100 you couldn't rebuild the building today for under $200 a foot having nothing to do with the site work the soft course or any of that so it's a bit it's a big problem and that's why you see in some of the real urban areas I'm talking to somebody in the city I know is developer they're converting a large large office building into residential but the bones are good okay they're taking a a building built late 70s but you're going to see more and more of that going on because how do you quote repurpose a property uh uh I did that up in re in East Rutherford uh a few years ago we took a took a property and we per we repurposed it so it's also a wave of the future I think because otherwise these buildings become pink elephants and then you get the tax appeals and all the things and you don't want that in a beautiful town and what you have having having a property sitting there with all of the other with all of the other issues going on with it not the least of which is the environmental cleanup thank you anybody else just one question to Brian Brian the decks parking garages are typically not for visitors is your vision that the visitors will park on the surface parking lot off the new Street um it's a good question I mean I think sometimes when the parking requirements or parking ratios that are developed by the town usually account for that somehow um but you know that could be an option to use the new Street for for visitors it's important to me also uh planner Cole that aside from what your ordinance reads I have to make sure that when somebody's coming in to buy a luxury unit they feel comfortable that they're going to have adequate parking and when they have a guest over for dinner or whatever or family they can park so we we felt having the 18 spaces MH is is critically important first of all for me me when I build the job it's a staging area because I'm there you don't have a lot of room to Stage which is really great but but long-term importance to have those surface spaces I think is vitally important and and from my experience with other projects they they would be more for guest type parking um basically I I would add to that Mike the right across the street we have public parking in the deck um the public private deck uh and veterans Memorial we also have a significant amount of unused parking mhm for visitors yeah anyone else on the board you're gonna you had mentioned that um excuse me that you want to incorporate more Greenery things of that nature you have 90% impervious coverage but you'll work on putting trees in shrubs Greenery on the wherever you can where wherever uh wherever uh feasible but but also when I say Greenery you we haven't touched upon the front of the building and the sides where we will put flowers and I'm a big proponent of that I love nature I love flowers I love all that Greenery so you will see that on the plans as we progress with this moving forward is the sidewalk deep enough there yes for plantings yes we I I had a uh 4-Hour meeting with my construction team a few weeks ago about talking about things like that and what I want to see and I feel very comfortable that we can achieve that within reason we're not creating a forest but we can create we can create uh Greenery and Landscape again I want it to pop I want people aside from the standards that you have I have my own standards and I want the residents that come in that look at the building from the outside and say wow I want to live here that's that's what's important so that's what I say with the parking it's aside from the ordinance I have to make sure that people are comfortable and have enough parking too many of these developments built in different areas Urban don't have enough parking and I and that's why it was very important to me I do my best with two stories with the parking the basement and then the first floor and as you probably know it's not inexpensive to do that so um we're going to take that on if we move forward thank you all right I'm going to open it up to the public for comments anybody from the public yep Rich O'Neal 124 West Cliff Street I'm very glad to hear about this project originally I was I heard or understood that it was going to be restoring or rehabing that building I've been in that thing many times through the fire department and it's a dump there's no other way to describe it and you can't play marbles in there they all go to one corner you know it's it's it's a pile of wood looking to become a pile of bricks the sooner goes away gets made into something else the better thank you thank you sir thank you thank you anyone else from the public all right we'll close public that's we have anything else to do for all right well thank you gentleman good luck with everything we appreciate the feedback it's uh very helpful for us to get direction especially early on it's it's it's great for us so we hope to be back here soon thank you thank you thank you very much okay I have no comments so having said that I would open the meeting up to the public for any comments or okay hearing none I'm going to make a motion to adjourn all in favor all opposed if well if they're parking in somebody else's spot they're going to have to move there's no can say it might be convenient and it might have been there for 30 years but they must know that it