A Newark neighborhood that has not yet seen as much multi-family development in recent years as other sections of the city could become home to a new residential project.
Ascension Capital Partners I, LLC filed an application with the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) involving 41, 43, and 45-47 Astor Street. The plans, which call for a five-story building with 20 residential units, are expected to be heard by the ZBA during a virtual meeting this Thursday, August 20 at 6:00 p.m.
If approved and completed, the building would include three studios, nine one-bedroom units, five two-bedroom units, and three three-bedroom units, according to site plans from Brick City Reconstruction that were released by the municipal government. A dozen parking spaces are planned for the ground floor of the structure.
“In my opinion, the proposed development is out of scale with the development in the immediate surrounding area,” wrote Gerard Haizel of the Nishuane Group in an August 6 memorandum to the ZBA, adding in part that “the applicant should reduce the height of the building to be more in scale with the development pattern in the surrounding area.”
Located near the intersection of Astor Street, Sherman Avenue, and Frelinghuysen Avenue, these vacant properties were the subject of a resolution that was adopted by the Newark Municipal Council at the beginning of 2018. At the time, there were plans for the City of Newark to sell the parcels to Ascension Capital Partners I, LLC for $28,697.20 in order to allow for the construction of two houses, each of which were expected to be three-family “affordable” dwellings.
Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment and other commissions are subject to change.