Amid a slew of controversies as to how and what could be built within a prominent redevelopment area, Weehawken’s planning board is holding hearings this week to discuss a new scheme to bring more residential housing along the waterfront.
Yesterday, developer Hartz Mountain appeared during the first of two special meetings being held by the township’s planning board to address the company’s new development application. We initially reported on the 14-story development that’s being pitched for a 2.2-acre site just south of Hamilton Cove last month, a rendering of which was recently posted by the Hudson Reporter.
A public notice on the proposal doesn’t state how many units are included in the proposed development, but Hartz Mountain is looking for a variance that would provide 100 parking spaces for Weehawken residents within an existing garage and 80 on-street spaces for the public at large as part of the deal.
The latest plan for the parcel, which is just feet from the Hoboken border, wishes to re-align a portion of Harbor Boulevard that’s adjacent to the project site and is proposing an off-site dog park nearby. Hartz is also seeking variances to allow for more narrow on-site parking spaces than required by local ordinances and shorter loading spaces than what’s required.
A previous application to construct an 18-story development at the property was eventually rejected by Weehawken’s planning board in October last year. Following the denial, the township passed an ordinance modifying the SW Special Waterfront Zone by imposing a 160-foot height limit for any future building at Hartz’s development site and added a requirement that the company dedicate 270 free parking spaces within Lincoln Harbor to the public.
Jersey Digs was the first to report on a lawsuit filed in January by Hartz Mountain challenging the ordinance, which is still winding its way through the court despite plans to hear the new proposal this week. A slew of others have also sued the township over the new rules, including several nearby property owners and Fund for a Better Waterfront.
The latest proposal from Hartz Mountain was scheduled to be heard by the planning board during a special meeting Monday, March 9. A second meeting with the proposal on the agenda will be held on March 11. Both meetings are on the second floor of the Weehawken Municipal Building at 400 Park Avenue and scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
