In recent years, former bank branches in New Jersey have met mixed fates. Some, like the old Citizens National Bank building in Caldwell, have been rehabilitated and expanded, while others, like the former home of Colonial Trust Company in Trenton have sat vacant and could be demolished. Meanwhile, in the case of the Clinton Trust Company building in Newark, the facade of the former building is being preserved while the remainder of the structure was torn down to make way for a development for artists. Now, a building near a Bloomfield train station that once served as a bank branch could see changes as well.
A firm calling itself 59 Dodd, LLC has filed an application to adaptively reuse the two-story structure at 59 Dodd Street, which is located at the intersection where Dodd Street meets Arch, Myrtle, and Orange Streets along with Watsessing Avenue. Under the company’s plans, a third story would be added to the building and 24 residential units would be installed on the second floor and the new top floor, a legal notice states. The ground floor would contain retail space.
The building was acquired by 59 Dodd, LLC for $750,000 in December, according to NJ Parcels. Once home to the Watsessing Bank and the National Newark and Essex Bank, PNC Bank eventually owned the branch before selling it in 2000. Later, the property contained the Each 1 Teach 1 Academy before being put on the market.
59 Dodd, LLC was incorporated last year out of Newark and is now seeking Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Bloomfield. Variances related to lot coverage and parking are also being sought by the developer. The board is scheduled to hear the application during its meeting this Thursday, August 15, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bloomfield Civic Center, according to the notice and the meeting agenda.
The site is just a few yards away from the Watsessing Avenue stop on New Jersey Transit’s Montclair-Boonton Line. This project is the latest development to be proposed for this area and comes after recent applications to bring 25 apartments to Westinghouse Plaza and over 175 new units near Parkway Lofts.
Note to readers: The dates that applications are scheduled to be heard by the Bloomfield Zoning Board of Adjustment and other commissions are subject to change.
