Demolition permits for the Arc Tower DENIED BY Landmark Commission. What a ridiculous joke.DrixxYBoat t1_ix0cvim wrote
This city with such limitless potential is always so close to becoming great. Unrealized Potential is Painful.
Does anyone know city councils role in this decision? Who tf is the landmark commission?
In my own endeavors, I'm close with several of the city council members, so I'm wondering if I might need to intervene so that the next development doesn't get shot down.
u/Kalebxtentacion? tagging you because you're knowledgeable
Kalebxtentacion t1_ix0g4zb wrote
I really don’t know what’s happening, it got denied demolition but is up for the planning board on Monday so Ig we should just attend the meeting and see what’s going on. Hopefully it comes true and if it doesn’t atleast we still got halo towers
Newarkguy1836 t1_ix426kz wrote
The preservation committee isn't the final say. They oppose EVERYTHING proposed in the James street section of Newark. They opposed the demolition of Warren Street School. (So did I) NJIT skipped the opportunity to build a 20 story building around the old castle-like school & incorporate it. Instead,NJIT continued with its decades old tradition of bland 5-8 story wide squared "building blocks" .
Btw...Does anyone else think NJIT campus architecture is bland depressing &dystopian? Just look at the "Greek village". What a joke.
But I digress. Newark approved the development anyway despite preservation objections. Hopefully Newark planning board offers carrot stick suggestions to the developers ,incorporate the facade of the old building, or hopefully the approve it anyway. The developers did EVERYTHING right. Arc follows all Newark zoning regs. (THEYRE ASKING FOR ZERO VARIANCES)
Kalebxtentacion t1_ix4kyqb wrote
Let’s all attend tomorrow meeting and see what happens and let’s all speak during the Public section.
twinkcommunist t1_ix4xjsp wrote
The existing facade sucks. I can't imagine anyone is actually sad to see it go.
Edit: I mistakenly was looking at the building in the majority of the towers footprint. The actual building the commission wants to preserve is the first of these three townhouses. It's not actively ugly, but I don't think it's worth blocking the construction of hundreds of homes over.
Rainbowrobb t1_ix1obln wrote
They are mostly from Newark and they are established philanthropists who have likely been giving back longer than you've been alive. I know Del Tufo has spent decades trying to save historic buildings.
As for this particular situation? I have no idea.
>In my own endeavors, I'm close with several of the city council members, so I'm wondering if I might need to intervene so that the next development doesn't get shot down.
Maybe you could ask them why they need government cars?
Maybe you could ask them why they continue to grant affordable housing waivers for new construction?
Maybe you could ask them why they keep giving multi decade tax abatements to out of state developers?
Unsolicited advice: If you're allowing an inanimate object that at-best would be 4 years from completion to upset you, consider your reasons for that.
ryanov t1_ix54l7m wrote
Not even government cars, giant government, SUVs.
Agreed, I really find it weird the amount of personal investment people seem to have in this project. I’m not sure what’s driving it. I can think of lots of things that I would go to a public hearing over, and actually have, like razing historic construction to replace it with parking, but this one has me scratching my head.
Not exactly the same thing, but the exemption from rent control for new residential construction for 35 years is part of the law here.
Rainbowrobb t1_ix5u3p7 wrote
There may be tax reasons for buying those vehicles overly 5k lbs. Not defending them, as I firmly believe they shouldn't have them.
>Not exactly the same thing, but the exemption from rent control for new residential construction for 35 years is part of the law here.
Right. In 2014, 2015 and 2017 I went to a bunch of city meetings with Newark tenants united and my local tenants organization to fight for protections. I was part of the group pushing (successfully) for building owners to have to refund illegally increased rents. I was a thorn in Maria Hernandez's side for quite some time. She was rubber stamping rent increases for many years, my only failure was not pushing hard enough for an ethics investigation.
But the affordable housing requirement for new construction is different, as you suggested. My gripe is when they are handed both a waiver for the affordable units % and those 20+ year abatements.
I know some younger redditors are irritated by my sometimes overly-curt responses. To be fair, I should really use more kind words when addressing them. I'm sure I just sound condescending.
ryanov t1_ixp6vqd wrote
I suppose one can always be nicer, and possibly have better outcomes when having an argument, but for what it’s worth, I think you’re right on the money. There’s a lot of stupid bullshit in here, and I don’t have much patience for it either.
Ironboundian t1_ix8f04o wrote
For clarification since there are about 50 comments on this thread....there are two "Landmark People" being talked about on the thread as though they are interchangable...they are not.
The Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee (NPLC) is a non profit local organization made up of largely newark residents (based on the trustees and board listed on the website). It has no governmental approval powers
The LANDMARK & HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION (LHPC) is also technically a non profit also made up of volunteers largely newark residents (based on who I know of personally on the website) but has governmental powers to approve or deny applications for demolition of buildings or change of exterior of old buildings or development of new buildings in their purview (anthing at all within a historic district, whether or not it is historic in nature on its own, and then anything "registered" all over the city even it it is not in a historic district)
https://www.newarknj.gov/card/landmark-historic-preservation-commission
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