A rare assemblage in Montclair’s historic Estate section is up for redevelopment, with plans to carve seven residential lots from a 5.63-acre parcel at the foot of the Eagle Rock Reservation now before the city’s planning board. The site, spanning 14 Undercliff Road and 172 Lloyd Road, sits atop one of the region’s most coveted and tightly held pockets of real estate. At one point, it was even slated for a mansion larger than the White House.
Michael Petry, an architect representing Undercliff Lloyd LLC – the limited liability company seeking to redevelop the site – brought the plans for conceptual review to a recent planning board meeting. He proposed reshaping the parcel, which housed two single-family estates spanning more than 10,000 square feet until 2019, into a new development featuring a road with a cul-de-sac. However, significant infrastructure work, including large retaining walls, may be required to accommodate the site’s steep slopes.
The proposed homes would range from 4,500 to 6,500 square feet. Given the area’s history and Montclair’s rising home prices – according to Realtor.com, averaging $1.1 million and increasing 37.7% year-over-year in January – the planned subdivision could reshape the neighborhood’s western side.
Board members noted that the conceptual plans do not meet the density threshold for the inclusion of affordable housing, meaning the developer will instead be required to pay a development fee. However, the extensive infrastructure requirements sparked discussion about whether the proposed subdivision should be built along a private road.
Although planning board members were split on the issue of the private road, they agreed that it could be preferable to the proposed 20-foot retaining walls required for a public road.
While the plans presented for conceptual review are non-binding, Alan Trembulak, an attorney representing the developer, said the meeting was helpful as the developer seeks to move forward with a project that the board will approve.
The new proposal is a downsized version of a plan submitted to the board seven months ago, when the developer proposed nine subdivisions for eight new homes and a stormwater management basin. According to Montclair Local, at the time, there was no scheduled date for an official application to come before the board.
However, the latest two proposals represent a significant shift from the initial intentions of the lot’s owner six years ago. An NJ.com report from April 2018 found that the developer at the time, 14 Undercliff LLC, withdrew an application for a 60,000-square-foot estate known as “Lloyd Estate.” That project called for an eight-bedroom home with an 11-car gallery and an indoor pool. The report also linked Melih Abdulhayoglu, CEO and founder of cybersecurity firm Comodo and a Montclair resident, as one of the site’s owners. However, it remains unclear how he will be involved in the latest proposal.
Petry and Trembulak did not provide additional information about when a full proposal will be submitted to the city planning board.
