Nearly three years after Jersey Digs first reported that there were plans to convert a building in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood into a homeless shelter, there are now plans to turn the same structure into an apartment building.
The Newark Zoning Board of Adjustment is scheduled to hear a proposal during its virtual meeting this Thursday, August 6 at 6:00 p.m. that calls for bringing nine apartments to 179 Van Buren Street in the East Ward. A developer simply named 179 Van, LLC is seeking Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan approval with variances in connection with the project.
A notice states that each of the residential units would include two bedrooms.
Artek Studio is listed as the architect for the development while Chaim Berger is listed as the registered agent of 179 Van, LLC.
Located at the northwest corner of Elm Street, the three-story structure on the premises is currently a vacant office building, according to the application.
Back in September 2017, an Irvington-based organization called Independence: A Family of Services, Inc. proposed turning the building into a shelter for veterans experiencing homelessness. However, according to NJ Advance Media, those plans were unanimously denied by the Newark Central Planning Board. WKXW later reported that the organization and two veterans filed a federal lawsuit against the board and the municipal government alleging “discrimination against persons with handicaps.”
Property records show that the building was sold by a Brooklyn-based firm to 179 Van, LLC, which is registered out of Toms River, for $1.5 million in December 2019.
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.
