A New Jersey sanatorium that dates to 1889 will soon be replaced with a new project with open space that’s designed to blend into the landscape while creating some new affordable housing.
North Plainfield’s Planning Board recently approved an application to revitalize almost 20 acres of land near Route 22. Villani Realty Group is looking to revamp the former Villa Maria property, which was originally the Cooley Tuberculosis Sanatorium that closed by the beginning of World War I.
The Franciscan Missionary Sisters had most recently operated as a nursing home on the property back in the 1960s. The long-term nursing facility on the land closed in 2002.
The new plan for the lot has been drawn up by Taylor Architecture & Design and sports 32 new apartments spread out over eight new buildings that are designed to resemble single-family homes to fit in with the neighborhood. The approvals make good on a redevelopment plan that the borough council approved in 2020.
The plans call for a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units in structures that are meant to resemble nearby single-family homes. The future structures on the land will have colonial-inspired exteriors with gable roofs, double-hung windows, shutters and covered front porches.
Villani Realty’s plan also includes 58 parking spaces, nine of which will be electric vehicle charging stations, as well as three ADA parking spaces. 13 of the units in the complex will be set aside as affordable housing.
The balance of the 14.6-acre former site will be open space in a big win for the most densely populated state in the country. A groundbreaking date for the project has not yet been announced.
