Overbrook buildings to be demolished by end of year
14 years 1 month ago - 14 years 1 day ago #1
by Vacant NJ
Overbrook buildings to be demolished by end of year was created by Vacant NJ
Friday, September 24, 2010
LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2010, 11:25 AM
BY MICHAEL O'LEARY
VERONA-CEDAR GROVE TIMES
Staff Writer
The county executive and a housing developer announced the demolition of several buildings on the site of the old Essex County Hospital Center on Thursday in hopes of expanding the Hilltop Reservation.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr and Joe Riggs, group president of K. Hovnanian Homes, said buildings along the western side of Fairview Avenue will be removed by the end of the year.
The buildings, which include an abandoned firehouse, director's house and homes for doctors and nurses, sit on 20 acres of property known officially as Parcel 1. Hovnanian now owns Parcel 1 and is responsible for the demolition of the buildings there.
DiVincenzo called the buildings "unsafe and not very attractive looking." They have been vacant since 2007, when the county's new psychiatric facility opened.
The vacant buildings are constantly subject to vandalism and trespassing. Appearances on several SyFy Channel shows, in the 2008 film "Choke," and in articles in the magazine "Weird N.J." have raised the notoriety of the abandoned psychiatric hospital.
On Sept. 14, two men were arrested for stealing copper pipes from the decrepit buildings.
"There's no question we have a serious problem here when it comes to safety," DiVincenzo said.
Parcel 1, as the 20 acres are officially known, will be dedicated to "passive recreation" like paths for walking and biking. The 20 acres would be incorporated into the adjacent Hilltop Reservation.
Although there was an excavator onsite, no one had secured the proper permit from Cedar Grove to use the vehicle for any symbolic demolition on the day of the public announcement.
Before any demolition can proceed on buildings on the other side of Fairview, Cedar Grove has to reach an agreement with Hovnanian, DiVincenzo said.
Parcel 5, the 90 acres of county land on the eastern side of Fairview, is currently the subject of a lawsuit between Essex County and Hovnanian over a previous contract to build a retirement community on that site.
A plan pending approval by Cedar Grove's Township Council would allow Hovnanian to build 464 townhouses on 45 acres of Parcel 5.
DiVincenzo said he thinks the developer and the township are "very, very close" to a deal.
"I would like to see it done," he said.
If that plan is approved in a vote expected this Monday, the developer has said it will drop its lawsuit against the county. Hovnanian has agreed to pay $11.25 million for half of Parcel 5.
With the litigation out of the way, the remaining 45 acres of Parcel 5 would be combined with Parcel 1 to create 65 acres of open space. The county would then sell the open space as parkland to the state.
"I get constant calls to my office, 'what are you going to do up here as far as cleaning up the hospital center?'" DiVincenzo said. "I can't do anything because we're in litigation."
Hovnanian has already built 33 single-family homes in West Caldwell, North Caldwell and Verona. A cluster of the Verona homes sits right next to the 20 acres of Parcel 1 If Cedar Grove rejects Hovnanian's proposal and the county loses its lawsuit against the developer, more homes will be built on Parcel 1, according to DiVincenzo.
Hovnanian purchased Parcel 1 from the county for $12 million but has agreed to sell it back to Essex County for $1 if Cedar Grove approves of the developer's plan to build townhouses on Parcel 5.
The removal of asbestos and other environmental abatement has been completed on the buildings west of Fairview Avenue, according to Hovnanian. The cost of any remaining cleanup in buildings east of Fairview will be split evenly between Essex County and the developer, DiVincenzo said.
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Original Article Link: www.northjersey.com/news/103713239_Overb..._by_end_of_year.html
LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2010, 11:25 AM
BY MICHAEL O'LEARY
VERONA-CEDAR GROVE TIMES
Staff Writer
Government officials and representatives from K. Hovnanian Homes meet in front of the old firehouse on the site of the abandoned Essex County Hospital Center to announce the demolition of buildings along the western side of Fairview Avenue on Thursday. From left, the county's attorney James Paganelli, Cedar Grove Mayor Robert O'Toole, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., and Group President of K. Hovnanian Homes Joe Riggs.
The county executive and a housing developer announced the demolition of several buildings on the site of the old Essex County Hospital Center on Thursday in hopes of expanding the Hilltop Reservation.
Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr and Joe Riggs, group president of K. Hovnanian Homes, said buildings along the western side of Fairview Avenue will be removed by the end of the year.
The buildings, which include an abandoned firehouse, director's house and homes for doctors and nurses, sit on 20 acres of property known officially as Parcel 1. Hovnanian now owns Parcel 1 and is responsible for the demolition of the buildings there.
DiVincenzo called the buildings "unsafe and not very attractive looking." They have been vacant since 2007, when the county's new psychiatric facility opened.
The vacant buildings are constantly subject to vandalism and trespassing. Appearances on several SyFy Channel shows, in the 2008 film "Choke," and in articles in the magazine "Weird N.J." have raised the notoriety of the abandoned psychiatric hospital.
On Sept. 14, two men were arrested for stealing copper pipes from the decrepit buildings.
"There's no question we have a serious problem here when it comes to safety," DiVincenzo said.
Parcel 1, as the 20 acres are officially known, will be dedicated to "passive recreation" like paths for walking and biking. The 20 acres would be incorporated into the adjacent Hilltop Reservation.
Although there was an excavator onsite, no one had secured the proper permit from Cedar Grove to use the vehicle for any symbolic demolition on the day of the public announcement.
Before any demolition can proceed on buildings on the other side of Fairview, Cedar Grove has to reach an agreement with Hovnanian, DiVincenzo said.
Parcel 5, the 90 acres of county land on the eastern side of Fairview, is currently the subject of a lawsuit between Essex County and Hovnanian over a previous contract to build a retirement community on that site.
A plan pending approval by Cedar Grove's Township Council would allow Hovnanian to build 464 townhouses on 45 acres of Parcel 5.
DiVincenzo said he thinks the developer and the township are "very, very close" to a deal.
"I would like to see it done," he said.
If that plan is approved in a vote expected this Monday, the developer has said it will drop its lawsuit against the county. Hovnanian has agreed to pay $11.25 million for half of Parcel 5.
With the litigation out of the way, the remaining 45 acres of Parcel 5 would be combined with Parcel 1 to create 65 acres of open space. The county would then sell the open space as parkland to the state.
"I get constant calls to my office, 'what are you going to do up here as far as cleaning up the hospital center?'" DiVincenzo said. "I can't do anything because we're in litigation."
Hovnanian has already built 33 single-family homes in West Caldwell, North Caldwell and Verona. A cluster of the Verona homes sits right next to the 20 acres of Parcel 1 If Cedar Grove rejects Hovnanian's proposal and the county loses its lawsuit against the developer, more homes will be built on Parcel 1, according to DiVincenzo.
Hovnanian purchased Parcel 1 from the county for $12 million but has agreed to sell it back to Essex County for $1 if Cedar Grove approves of the developer's plan to build townhouses on Parcel 5.
The removal of asbestos and other environmental abatement has been completed on the buildings west of Fairview Avenue, according to Hovnanian. The cost of any remaining cleanup in buildings east of Fairview will be split evenly between Essex County and the developer, DiVincenzo said.
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Original Article Link: www.northjersey.com/news/103713239_Overb..._by_end_of_year.html
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