WEEHAWKEN, NJ - The Weehawken Planning Board approved last month a revised plan for a 511-unit residential development on the waterfront at Lincoln Harbor, including 51 affordable housing units. As part of the deal, the developers will give the city 1 acre of land for recreation, $3 million for recreational development, and $2 million for more affordable housing.
The developers originally had received approval for a 430-unit complex in the same area in 2005, but had to change various aspects of their plans. The new plan includes 81 more units, and they will now be apartments rather than condos. Changing them to rentals allowed the developers to include some smaller apartments.
The developers, Hartz Mountain Industries, had to change theirs design after Amtrak decided Hartz could not build over one of their train tunnels. The new complex will consist of three buildings nestled off the marina at Lincoln Harbor and adjacent to the existing retail and office parking lot. "We are very excited about it,' said Allen Magrini, senior vice president of Hartz Mountain Industries, last week. "It's on about 6 acres in the Lincoln Harbor development. The plan calls for three additional buildings about seven stories high, 511 units, and on-site parking within the building."
However, most significant for the township will be the company's immediate donation of $3 million, which will go toward continuing development of the 10-acre Waterfront Park off Port Imperial Boulevard. "It's the biggest single recreation and passive park space on the Hudson River, other than Liberty State Park," said Mayor Richard Turner. Hartz also donated 1 acre of open space at the northern portion of the development site that will add recreational space along Weehawken's waterfront.
After Hartz Mountain Industries originally received approval for the Lincoln Harbor project in 2005, the plan ran into a problem. "In 2005 they got approval for 430 units, and the problem was, they had to come back for an amendment to the plan because underneath the center building is the Amtrak train tunnel," said Turner. According to Turner, after a lengthy discussion with Amtrak, it was decided that they could not build over the tunnel.
The plans for the three buildings were redesigned to open up at least 100 feet of space where the tunnel runs between two buildings. This section of the property will be a landscaped plaza and passive area. Hartz Industries also built a community parking garage about two years ago in the same vicinity to replace parking spaces that will be lost once development of the site begins. "This new design creates more open space," said Turner. "The open view corridor, plaza, and landscaping also make the building greener [by helping to] control the heat and air conditioning."
According to Turner, the developers must provide 102 affordable housing units or a monetary equivalent, as per the township's affordable housing ordinance. The ordinance requires about 20 percent of the units in all new residential construction to be affordable housing. In addition, 50 percent of all of Weehawken's affordable housing units must be constructed along the waterfront. "We are allowing them to [construct] 51 units on the waterfront, and for the other 51, they are going to pay [the town] $40,000 per unit," said Turner. "We will use that money to revamp the older affordable housing buildings in upper Weehawken."
"So in addition, we are getting $2,040,000 in affordable housing contributions to rehab housing in upper Weehawken, the additional acre of space and $3 million towards the further development of the township's open space," said Turner. The affordable housing money is contingent upon the units' construction, but the $3 million and the acre of open space will be given to the town within the next six months. "Four and a half acres [of the 10 acre Waterfront Park], which is undeveloped, is going to be developed for both passive and active recreational space," said Turner. Some of the ideas include construction of a year-round, multi-purpose pavilion, offering winter ice skating, hockey, basketball, volleyball, and more. The township is also planning to build a community pool complex.
However, before development plans can go forward for the recreational space, the town will be using the $3 million as seed money to apply for matching state and federal funding. "This has been no expense to the township," said Turner. "The whole park and recreational site developed [along the waterfront] has not been done with any public funds. It has all been done at the expense of the developers."
No exact date has been set to begin the project, but both the developers and township are excited about the future. "If you look at Lincoln Harbor, it is the most complete mixed use development on the waterfront," said Magrini. "You have some residential, you have offices there, you have retail, amenities like the marina, and it has every mode of transportation you want in a development." He added, "We're excited, we think it's going to be a nice site with more open space and green area than any other development up and down the waterfront."
Source: NorthBergenReporter.com