Red_Barchetta said:
There he goes again.
God forbid we build nothing. That would only be what, revenue-neutral?
Red_Barchetta said:
I agree. A gathering space for township events like parades or debates. Open air concerts on summer evenings. An elevated gazebo for local politicians to pontificate.
Red_Barchetta said:
I agree. A gathering space for township events like parades or debates. Open air concerts on summer evenings. An elevated gazebo for local politicians to pontificate.
Nah, you're right. We should by all means spend money to attract the soon to be arriving 16.5% population growth. We owe it to them, right? Certainly we owe it to the developers.
deborahg said:
If you are serious about having your views heard, perhaps you should show up at the Township Committee meetings and share them. Not a single person came out tonight.
Red_Barchetta said:
I see no reason to give away prime real estate to a developer to line his pocket.
ctrzaska said:
Glad it was tongue-in-cheek. For a second there I thought you might have been serious about the gazebo, and I started to shudder violently at the thought.
Promote your business here - Businesses get highlighted throughout the site and you can add a deal.
Over the past few years Maplewood has placed an emphasis on promoting multi-family housing:
-50 units at Station House, located at old police station site
-150 units (approx.) allowed on remainder of Dunnell Road--Nelson’s garage to Fire House
-126 units at Maplewood Crossing, on Burnett Terrace
-235 units at PSE&G site (Boyden and Springfield)--re-development plan to be approved this week
-Numerous new sites along Springfield Avenue
Now, as we consider the Village Post Office site, the odds-on favorite guess is that the project will be 25 rental/condo units and a much larger Kings. In addition, our master plan update done in 2011 notes that the air above the existing Kings is also well suited to residential or office development should the Kings re-locate.
Each of these sites is different, and housing is certainly a worthy use in many cases. Looking town-wide, however, it appears we are well on the way towards achieving new levels of multi-family housing with over 600 units zoned, planned, and/or built in the last few years.
So what is the rationale for using the Village Post Office site in a similar fashion? I’ve attended all of the public meetings over the past two years, and the closest I’ve come to hearing an explanation is that “it is the planner’s recommendation”. Perhaps this is the answer, as the notes from the public meetings that took place do not indicate community members were enthusiastic about either a larger Kings, high-density housing, or the Township’s plan to sell the land.
Yet, while the new zoning for the site allows for a wide variety of uses, the plans submitted by most respondents focused on the lucrative option of 25-30 units and the King’s supermarket only—precluding discussion of alternatives . And precluding discussion of alternatives, in a case such as this, is basically the same as squelching public input.
Alternatives are important, because they are the means for testing our sense of priorities. Earlier this year there were two opinion pieces in the Newsrecord encouraging an open discussion of goals for the Village and this site. Both can be read at the engage-maplewood.org website (scroll all the way to the bottom).
Today, with a rough understanding of the proposals that have been made, we can talk about outcomes as well as goals.
How do you feel about using these three lots for 25 residential units and a large supermarket?
Would you prefer to see something different?
Which goals would you evaluate a design on? Parking? Increased population? Cultural aspects? Diversity in retail businesses? Uses that will attract more visitors from the region in general? Tax revenue? Enrichment of Maplewood’s pedestrian and street life vibe? Aesthetic considerations? Others?
We’ve come a long way in this process, and now we can make a good guess at the likely result. Do you feel it is bad, just OK, or excellent? Why?
With a proposal at hand, your view should be heard!