Constructive ideas for the Post Office site

This is from the Village green article reporting on the TC meeting last night. It looks as though they are listening

"As a result the township made sure the Planning Board and the Design Review Committee had to approve all design elements, and the developer made considerable changes to the building as a result of public input.

“Your comments and concerns are being heard,” he said. He noted the new project would include more parking, better flow behind the building, an improved connection to Memorial Park and outdoor plazas with seating and space for events."

YAY !!!

The designated P.O. developer is JMF Properties, controlled by Joe Forgione. Is this the same Joe Forgione who managed the construction of Sterling Properties' development of The Avenue in South Orange? If it's the same guy, did anyone on the TC bother to look into what actually happened with that project?

To highlight only a few issues:

- Years of delays to start
- Years of delays to finish both the deck and building
- Reckless excavation alongside NJ Transit rail ROW, which resulted in NJT halting Sterling and requiring costly remediation during nightime hours with huge, unplanned cost to developer
- Massive cost over-runs, despite buying land from Village for a fraction of its value
- Broken promises to the Village and Eden Gourmet's owners
- Multiple attempts to renegotiate Planning Board approval's conditions
- Litigated with Village over land taxes
- Threatened to withdraw from PILOT when construction costs skyrocketed
- Delinquent on tax/PILOT payments due
- Refused to submit audited construction costs to satisfy PILOT's requirements
- Marketed retail space for illegal use and spent next four years fighting Village to change zoning

However, if it's a different Forgione, never mind.

One and the same.....................

http://jmfproperties.com/case-study-3/

author said:

One and the same.....................

http://jmfproperties.com/case-study-3/

Remarkable resume tales:

http://jmfproperties.com/case-study-4/

Sterling flipped this site to Eden the same day it purchased it from the Village, and played zero role in its renovation.

http://jmfproperties.com/case-study-3/

Sterling forced out the initial developer, which was granted redevelopment status and planned the development, and subsequently brought in Sterling for financial assistance.

How about a community center?

Frankford Hall, Philly. A great rehabbed building much like our Post Office, serving lost of beer.
One concept of so many available... what a shame.

ffof said:

this looks nice.

It does. It also looks like an open space in our limited downtown. If we want this open space then we should take some of the park for it. This could work next to our library. Not on Maplewood Ave, where we need the revenue and can't afford to lose the opportunity to generate revenue.

alex4855 said:

Frankford Hall, Philly. A great rehabbed building much like our Post Office, serving lost of beer.
One concept of so many available... what a shame.

You do realize that this is in a marginal Philly neighborhood with no significant real estate value or cost? As David says above, Maplewood has to get this right.

InfiniteSquirrel said:

How about a community center?

Riiiight. And how would that generate any revenue for the town? I want to live in a town with parks and community centers and great schools and low taxes. I just don't think that's realistic.

sarahzm said:

This is from the Village green article reporting on the TC meeting last night. It looks as though they are listening

"As a result the township made sure the Planning Board and the Design Review Committee had to approve all design elements, and the developer made considerable changes to the building as a result of public input.

“Your comments and concerns are being heard,” he said. He noted the new project would include more parking, better flow behind the building, an improved connection to Memorial Park and outdoor plazas with seating and space for events."

YAY !!!

Can they please redo the " gum wall"?

I wish they would keep the entire area for parking which is desperately needed both for the business district and the train station. I would love for the area to have a second level open like a piazza which will have the view from the park on one side and the avenue on the other. We could call it "The Promenade" and it will be a place with no traffic, with great views and plenty of space for sitting and socializing.
all we do is apartments in this town. It's really damaging the town. The pool is getting crowded, schools are getting crowded, even parking in town is becoming impossible.

I would prefer to see the old Post Office retrofitted in a way that is useful to the town. However if that is not to be yours is very interesting thought.

Maplewood Promenade, I like that.

Bowling alley.

I am dry cleaning my best bowling shirt.

Senior Citizen Pistol Range.

http://forum.maplewoodonline.com/discussion/28342/maplewood-businessman-develops-self-defense-handgun-for-seniors-disabled/p1

nohero said:

Senior Citizen Pistol Range.

http://forum.maplewoodonline.com/discussion/28342/maplewood-businessman-develops-self-defense-handgun-for-seniors-disabled/p1

we have a winner. now I'm in for repurposing.

The quotation which No Hero donated was from 1963.

I like to think of the NRA slogan "guns don't kill people, people kill people" when I read about a 6 year old who was killed when her 10 year old brother was playing with his fathers hand gun.

A winner?

Gosh Nohero sometimes you surprise me and come up with a really good idea, although the firing range shouldn't be limited to just us seniors.

A nice gun shop up front where the retail post office was and a 25 yard pistol range in the back would be a good reuse for the building.

bobk said:

A nice gun shop up front where the retail post office was ...

Give Mr. Bobk credit for the future "Going Postal Gun Shop".

nohero said:

bobk said:

A nice gun shop up front where the retail post office was ...

Give Mr. Bobk credit for the future "Going Postal Gun Shop".

Nohero, my hat is off to you. I didn't think of that!

Trans_Parent said:

The designated P.O. developer is JMF Properties, controlled by Joe Forgione. Is this the same Joe Forgione who managed the construction of Sterling Properties' development of The Avenue in South Orange? If it's the same guy, did anyone on the TC bother to look into what actually happened with that project?

To highlight only a few issues:

- Years of delays to start
- Years of delays to finish both the deck and building
- Reckless excavation alongside NJ Transit rail ROW, which resulted in NJT halting Sterling and requiring costly remediation during nightime hours with huge, unplanned cost to developer
- Massive cost over-runs, despite buying land from Village for a fraction of its value
- Broken promises to the Village and Eden Gourmet's owners
- Multiple attempts to renegotiate Planning Board approval's conditions
- Litigated with Village over land taxes
- Threatened to withdraw from PILOT when construction costs skyrocketed
- Delinquent on tax/PILOT payments due
- Refused to submit audited construction costs to satisfy PILOT's requirements
- Marketed retail space for illegal use and spent next four years fighting Village to change zoning

However, if it's a different Forgione, never mind.

I think what troubles me is that this is an experienced builder...............I could allow some leeway if he were just entering the trade. He is not.

All these transgressions listed above are just too recent and too close to home.

Please read them over and give the matter some thought.

Oh yes we are talking about the same contractor.

I wouldn't mind seeing some support for the allegations above - as to both the actual defaulting/bad behavior and who was actually involved. Right now it just looks like a libelous smear campaign being used pretextually by the same people who don't support this project anyway.

For example - as to the last statement - the language "fighting the Village" is inappropriately used. Not sure why proposing and advocating new zoning is "fighting" (implies a lawsuit by Mr. Forgione when there is none), especially when many residents of South Orange and certain Trustees support the proposed rezoning.

Also, when was JMF involved at the Avenue? I thought the building was developed by Sterling of which Mr. Forgione was a minority partner and then subsequently sold, meaning that some of the post completion disputes could be with others. I.e. even if there were bad acts, its not clear that Mr. Forgione is/was the bad actor.

Finally, not sure if this makes it better or worse, but didn't Forgione get the approvals for the PSE&G site and then sell the development rights to a third party? Whoever gets the approvals is not necessarily the same as the builder, and whoever is the builder is not necessarily who owns it long term (e.g. we could be a long way from dealing with the entity who will have to deal with on compliance with PILOT requirements, tax appeal issues, and long term management issues like landscape management and cleanliness.). The concerns, even if they can be validated, are way premature.

Bottom line - people will likely be best served by focusing a lot more of their attention on the development (overall massing, design details, parking count, traffic flow), not the applicant.

All that said, if Jonathan Rose competed for this site against JMF, I would have selected Jonathan Rose. But apparently 20 units is just too small for him.

http://www.rosecompanies.com/

Woot said:

alex4855 said:

Frankford Hall, Philly. A great rehabbed building much like our Post Office, serving lost of beer.
One concept of so many available... what a shame.

You do realize that this is in a marginal Philly neighborhood with no significant real estate value or cost? As David says above, Maplewood has to get this right.

You don't get it. Its worth alot more than what MPLWD is getting for the post office, and its a concept... look beyond the Philly context and apply some vision to the design... simple.

How much more?

go_south_orange said:

I wouldn't mind seeing some support for the allegations above - as to both the actual defaulting/bad behavior and who was actually involved. Right now it just looks like a libelous smear campaign being used pretextually by the same people who don't support this project anyway.

For example - as to the last statement - the language "fighting the Village" is inappropriately used. Not sure why proposing and advocating new zoning is "fighting" (implies a lawsuit by Mr. Forgione when there is none), especially when many residents of South Orange and certain Trustees support the proposed rezoning.

Also, when was JMF involved at the Avenue? I thought the building was developed by Sterling of which Mr. Forgione was a minority partner and then subsequently sold, meaning that some of the post completion disputes could be with others. I.e. even if there were bad acts, its not clear that Mr. Forgione is/was the bad actor.

Finally, not sure if this makes it better or worse, but didn't Forgione get the approvals for the PSE&G site and then sell the development rights to a third party? Whoever gets the approvals is not necessarily the same as the builder, and whoever is the builder is not necessarily who owns it long term (e.g. we could be a long way from dealing with the entity who will have to deal with on compliance with PILOT requirements, tax appeal issues, and long term management issues like landscape management and cleanliness.). The concerns, even if they can be validated, are way premature.

Bottom line - people will likely be best served by focusing a lot more of their attention on the development (overall massing, design details, parking count, traffic flow), not the applicant.

The initial contractor who had the rights to the Public Service property with drew with a statement that the environmental remediation was more than he wanted to deal with.

The initial contractor for the Maplewood Village Project with drew after it was determined that Kings would not occupy the building. Also I believe his architect had an illness that would affect his performance.. There may have been more.

Right. So let's keep making this project financially unattractive.

Stagnation to Revitalization...

"We The People" own it; therefore the restoration of the post office building site should be a community project, not a municipal one. Just say'n... lets put it to a vote...

A community project. Now your talkin'. We could have us a good old-fashioned barn raising. We don't need developers at all. Why, I think we have all the skills we need right in our town.

On most days, I can operate a screwdriver and sometimes hammer a nail without too much collateral damage. I'm in.