Deal in the works to get county park, townhouses built
14 years 3 months ago #1
by Vacant NJ
Deal in the works to get county park, townhouses built was created by Vacant NJ
Deal in the works to get county park, townhouses built
Thursday, August 12, 2010
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY AUGUST 12, 2010, 1:22 AM
BY MOLLIE GRAY
VERONA-CEDAR GROVE TIMES
MANAGING EDITOR
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. is urging the Cedar Grove Township Council to approve a developer's proposal to build townhouses on the Hilltop. Doing so would pave the way for the county to move forward with building a new park.
K. Hovnanian Homes, which is suing Essex County, is seeking approval from Cedar Grove to build more than 400 townhouses in the community. In exchange for approval, the homebuilder says it will drop its lawsuit against the county.
Dropping the lawsuit would make it easier for DiVincenzo to acquire state funding to build a 65-acre park at the site of the old Essex County Hospital Center.
He wants to have the park ready for public use by the end of next year.
The park would be the fifth largest in Essex County, he said.
He plans to use state Green Acres funds to demolish the old buildings and a power plant on the hospital site to build the park.
However, he needs the council's decision on the development by Sept. 1 to secure the state funds.
"We would start the design and start developing the property into a park next year. My plan is of course by the end of next year to have it complete. If they (the council) don't come to a decision by Sept. 1, then all bets are off," he said. "No deal can move forward without the town giving the OK."
Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., headquartered in Red Bank, is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, with operations in 18 states. The company is also one of the nation's largest builders of active adult homes.
The developer, which negotiated to purchase the old Essex County Hospital Center site along with other Hilltop properties, is suing the county for breach of contract for an earlier deal involving the center.
If the county prevails in the lawsuit, and Cedar Grove turns down Hovnanian's proposal, the county would apply for state money to move forward with an earlier proposal to build a 90-acre park, DiVincenzo said. But it could take months, or even years, for the lawsuit to play out.
"We would try to go to the state. I don't know if they would have the money," DiVincenzo said. "It's all about timing."
If Hovnanian wins the lawsuit, then the developer would go back to Cedar Grove to negotiate another building proposal.
"That mean's no park," DiVincenzo said.
In the meantime, the ongoing legal battle between the county and Hovnanian would prevent DiVincenzo from acquiring any state funds to begin tearing down hospital center buildings.
Of the housing units proposed by K. Hovnanian, 190 are limited to residents 55 and older, 184 are stacked, non-age-restricted townhouses and 90 are regular three-story townhouses, also non-age restricted. Plans call for a mix of two and three-bedroom homes. The complex would be situated on 77 acres of land in the Hilltop Reservation in Cedar Grove, between Fairview and Grove avenues, and adjacent to the 65-acre park.
The project would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, officials said. In addition, K. Hovnanian has agreed to pay $1.8 million to Cedar Grove toward the completion of ball fields on Bradford Avenue.
The council is concerned about the effect the townhouses would have on local schools. The board of education has hired an outside company to study the impact future construction would have on school enrollment, Superintendent Gene Polles said.
Residents who attended Monday's meeting offered mixed opinions on the development.
"I'm wholeheartedly in favor of this. There are financial incentives for this. There are ratables coming into town from this. This will be a mistake if we don't vote in favor of this," Rick Dilley, of Carlson Parkway, said.
Others weren't sold on the development.
Michelle Strauss, a Fairview Avenue resident, said she moved from Staten Island to Cedar Grove to escape the growth of townhouses.
"You don't want that at all. It's congestion. It brings a lot of riff raff," she told the council.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Original Link: [url:2dbgu5ae]www.northjersey.com/realestate/100508559...ownhouses_built.html[/url]
Thursday, August 12, 2010
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY AUGUST 12, 2010, 1:22 AM
BY MOLLIE GRAY
VERONA-CEDAR GROVE TIMES
MANAGING EDITOR
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. is urging the Cedar Grove Township Council to approve a developer's proposal to build townhouses on the Hilltop. Doing so would pave the way for the county to move forward with building a new park.
K. Hovnanian Homes, which is suing Essex County, is seeking approval from Cedar Grove to build more than 400 townhouses in the community. In exchange for approval, the homebuilder says it will drop its lawsuit against the county.
Dropping the lawsuit would make it easier for DiVincenzo to acquire state funding to build a 65-acre park at the site of the old Essex County Hospital Center.
He wants to have the park ready for public use by the end of next year.
The park would be the fifth largest in Essex County, he said.
He plans to use state Green Acres funds to demolish the old buildings and a power plant on the hospital site to build the park.
However, he needs the council's decision on the development by Sept. 1 to secure the state funds.
"We would start the design and start developing the property into a park next year. My plan is of course by the end of next year to have it complete. If they (the council) don't come to a decision by Sept. 1, then all bets are off," he said. "No deal can move forward without the town giving the OK."
Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., headquartered in Red Bank, is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, with operations in 18 states. The company is also one of the nation's largest builders of active adult homes.
The developer, which negotiated to purchase the old Essex County Hospital Center site along with other Hilltop properties, is suing the county for breach of contract for an earlier deal involving the center.
If the county prevails in the lawsuit, and Cedar Grove turns down Hovnanian's proposal, the county would apply for state money to move forward with an earlier proposal to build a 90-acre park, DiVincenzo said. But it could take months, or even years, for the lawsuit to play out.
"We would try to go to the state. I don't know if they would have the money," DiVincenzo said. "It's all about timing."
If Hovnanian wins the lawsuit, then the developer would go back to Cedar Grove to negotiate another building proposal.
"That mean's no park," DiVincenzo said.
In the meantime, the ongoing legal battle between the county and Hovnanian would prevent DiVincenzo from acquiring any state funds to begin tearing down hospital center buildings.
Of the housing units proposed by K. Hovnanian, 190 are limited to residents 55 and older, 184 are stacked, non-age-restricted townhouses and 90 are regular three-story townhouses, also non-age restricted. Plans call for a mix of two and three-bedroom homes. The complex would be situated on 77 acres of land in the Hilltop Reservation in Cedar Grove, between Fairview and Grove avenues, and adjacent to the 65-acre park.
The project would generate millions of dollars in tax revenue, officials said. In addition, K. Hovnanian has agreed to pay $1.8 million to Cedar Grove toward the completion of ball fields on Bradford Avenue.
The council is concerned about the effect the townhouses would have on local schools. The board of education has hired an outside company to study the impact future construction would have on school enrollment, Superintendent Gene Polles said.
Residents who attended Monday's meeting offered mixed opinions on the development.
"I'm wholeheartedly in favor of this. There are financial incentives for this. There are ratables coming into town from this. This will be a mistake if we don't vote in favor of this," Rick Dilley, of Carlson Parkway, said.
Others weren't sold on the development.
Michelle Strauss, a Fairview Avenue resident, said she moved from Staten Island to Cedar Grove to escape the growth of townhouses.
"You don't want that at all. It's congestion. It brings a lot of riff raff," she told the council.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Original Link: [url:2dbgu5ae]www.northjersey.com/realestate/100508559...ownhouses_built.html[/url]
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.