I occasionally scan the Planning and Zoning dockets for Hackensack, available on
www.hackensack.org.
I was alarmed to see that Mercury Rising is back for the same property, which is 2/3 of the square block bounded by Second Street, Berry Street, and James Street, and First Street, except for the houses on First Street.
They originally got approval to make 17 luxury townhouses, and they got the approval by saying that the existing zoning would allow for 9 two-family houses (18 units), but they would rather build townhouses. The zoning is two-family houses. They explained that there would be much more open green space on the property, and by making a multi-unit complex, they'd be able to construct a huge central underground retaining system to hold stormwaters for the entire complex. The approval expired because they couldn't break ground. Probably the economy.
Now they are scheduled to appear before the Zoning Board again. And this time it is for a large apartment building. No more townhouses, no two-family houses. There is no justification whatsoever.
And I don't care about the financial troubles of Mercury Rising. They built townhouses on Central Ave near Rochelle Ave, and they had to be auctioned off at low prices because there were no buyers. And that's for a nice quiet town, Rochelle Park. This company has no money to build this apartment building. It's all about increasing the value of the property with approvals to build a large apartment building, and then flipping it to someone else.
What's the chances of this getting approved. Given the political connections of Mercury Rising, I'd say it's pretty good. At this point, the Zoning Board should say "NO". I'd rather see the land sit vacant until it is sold to someone who wants to make duplex two-family houses, or the economy turns around again and the 17 townhouses are viable.