A long-vacant site in Newark that is under new ownership is the subject of a proposal calling for more than three dozen apartments.
Ridgeview Property Group, LLC submitted an application describing plans for a project called “Ridgeview Square at Pierce Street” at 746-754 and 756-758 South 14th Street.
A September 3 memo by Gerard Haizel of the Nishuane Group to the Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) stated that the developer is seeking to construct three buildings that would include 11 three-story townhouses. There would be a total of 38 apartments and 26 parking spaces as part of the project.
However, Haizel noted that “while the applicant describes the proposed development as ‘townhouses,’ the proposed structures do not meet the definition of a townhouse under the City’s development ordinance,” adding that “the proposed structures are actually low-rise multifamily structures, which are not permitted in the Residential Sub-district of the Kent/Brenner/Springfield Redevelopment Area.”
Located near Avon Avenue, the tracts stretch from the corner of South 14th and Pierce Streets back to South 13th Street. One of the buildings would be a 17-unit structure facing South 14th Street while another would be a seven-unit building facing Pierce Street, according to Haizel’s memo. The final building would face South 13th Street and include 14 apartments.
Haizel wrote that in his opinion, the development proposal is appropriate for the site.
A sign stood on the premises for more than a decade describing the site as the future home of the Center of Hope Community Development Corp., adding that this was sponsored by Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. The development firm, which is registered out of 40 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, acquired the tracts from the church in the summer of 2019, according to property records.
This matter is on the agenda for the ZBA’s virtual meeting this Thursday, September 10 at 6:00 p.m.
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.
