A proposal to build a new three-story residential development on an empty lot at 26-28 Van Ness Place was recently approved by the Newark Central Planning Board following a meeting in which tensions flared between Newark residents and the applicant.
The approval has cleared the way for a limited-liability firm based in Ewing, New Jersey, to move forward with plans to build a four-family residential building and three parking spaces on a 5,000-square-foot lot in a residential part of Upper Clinton Hill.
Plans filed with the planning board show that the LLC, GB VN Property LLC, secured site plan approval with 8 variances on February 9th. The LLC intends to deliver three units ranging from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. The project will include a covered driveway connecting the parking spaces at the rear of the building to Van Ness Place.
Despite the relatively procedural nature of the proposed residential project, the meeting took a turn when a Clinton Hill resident questioned why the site plan was being considered if the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment had allegedly denied an application for a three-family residential development at the same site three years ago.
The individual who submitted public comments added that she lives on Van Ness Place, and specifically pointed to a denial from the board of adjustment for a similar application on the same site in February 2023. She added that other residents in the same neighborhood questioned how this lot went from R-1 to C-1 zoning, which now allows the applicant not only to build a multi-family home but also a project larger than what the board rejected three years ago.
Roosevelt J. Donat, an attorney representing the applicant, responded that the city passed a number of zoning laws, including the 2023 Newark Zoning and Land Use Regulations, in November 2023, which overhauled the city’s zoning regulations. That legislation was specifically designed to streamline the development process and introduced a form-based code across the city.
Bahman Izadmehr, the site civil engineer for the project, added that the city had already issued a zoning certificate for this lot.
Kalenah Witcher, the vice chairperson of the central planning board, added that this development and the changes to the zoning in the neighborhood “highlight the importance of having an active neighborhood association. If it has already been rezoned, the horse has already left the stable.” She said, “This is a reminder for all of us because you all have those big, beautiful homes on that block. I hear the concerns – that you are going to welcome your neighbors and lay out what the expectations are for your neighbors.”
The board voted to approve the application, with one abstention. Records from the Essex County Register show that the applicant GB NV Property LLC took control of the parcel in May 2024, when it paid $253,000 for the lot.
Jersey Digs could not independently verify the application that was denied for the site in 2023.
Although the developer secured site plan approval for a lot that has been empty for many years, the pushback from residents about the development has unfolded against a backdrop of a very ‘hot’ market in Upper Clinton Hill. A report from Realtor.com says that the median home price in the neighborhood has increased 51.2% in the last three years to $477,500, while the median rent has increased 22.2% over the same period. The report also notes that the number of days on the market for homes for sale declined by 44.3% in the last year, which signals faster turnover and tighter market conditions.
