A few months ago, the Hackensack Planning Board approved plans for a 5-story, 19-unit condominium complex. Originally proposed as 24 units, the mayor objected to the "tandem" parking plan proposed by the developer. Each unit would have had 2 dedicated parking spaces that would have been end-to-end instead of side-by-side. So to get the second car out, the owner would have had to back up the first car. There would have been a lot of jockeying around in the parking deck.
The developer and the board attempted to stare each other down, until the developer blinked. He came back with a new plan for only 19 units. The new parking plan is "normal". The building footprint and building size didn't change, he just made each of the 19 units larger and more luxurious. The building will have significant architectural details, and the Planning Board took pride in stating that it will "set the standard" for future buildings in the immediate neighborhood. The complex is being touted as the gateway to the downtown district.
This complex, along with two others also under construction on the outskirts of downtown, will transform any remaining public perception that the neighborhoods surrounding downtown are stuggling. The 8-story building at State & Clay, in particular, will be easily seen from Main Street, acting as a magnet for investors to open upscale shops and restaurants on Main Street.
The whole corridor between the downtown and Railroad Avenue is fast improving. One has to look really hard to find a run-down house, which wasn't the case only 5 years ago. There are still some boarding houses, although several of those have been eliminated in recent years through conversion into other uses.
There's a new mindset in town: sort of an "ARMS-RACE MENTALITY", in which more upscale (positive) units are desired in the older areas of the city to counterbalance and outweigh the influence of several categories of negative units (1) boarding houses, (2) homeless shelters, (3) small junky garden apartments built in the 1960's, and (4) older houses owned by absentee landlords and rented as multiple apartments.
Very soon, there will be three solid and outstanding buildings on the outskirts of our downtown. The identity of the area will be re-cast in a more positive light. Indeed, Union, State, and Park Streets are re-emerging as a quality neighborhood and a place for positive economic development. The neighborhood has been touted as a high-quality integrated neighborhood and an urban renaissance area.
Although the loss of the architectural and historic character of the former funeral home was significant, the positive influence of the new development, in my opinion, far outweighs the loss. I am proud to say that I testified in favor of the project at the Planning Board hearings.