Author Topic: Summit-Prospect Nursing Home  (Read 4452 times)

Offline ericmartindale

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Summit-Prospect Nursing Home
« on: January 17, 2007, 10:38:13 AM »
It has come to my attention that developers intent on building a 10 +/-story NURSING HOME have purchased two houses on Summit Avenue and one adjacent house on Prospect Ave.

They recently purchased the property for approximately 3.25 million at a special auction. A "prominent" family in Hackensack owned the three houses for many years, more than likely a failed attempt to assemble lots for a high-rise.

The house on Prospect is on the west side of Prospect, and it is the first house going NORTH from Golf Place.  This is a gray-blue house, and I believe it is in between the "Grand Imperial" and the "Prospect North" buildings, both approximately 6-7 stories.  It's one of the last houses left on the strip.

Whether or not the intent to use all or part of the Summit Avenue properties REMAINS TO BE SEEN.  However, they didn't spent $3.25 million to sit on property and do nothing.

I don't see any problem with a nursing home on Prospect Ave, but any attempt to build anything larger than a single-family home on Summit Ave would be enormously controversial. It might even attract the attention of some of the people who were fighting Excelsior III.

My gut instinct tells me they will leave the two houses, but attempt to cut off 50 feet or more of the rear yards and add it to the Prospect Ave lot.  The properties on Summit Ave are 200 feet deep.

Such a plan would require a use variance to build a non-permitted use in the R75 zone, which allows single family houses on lots 75 feet wide, and 10,000 square feet in size or more.  In June 2005, the zone was changed from R-1, which allowed single-family houses on lots 75 feet wide and 7,500 square feet.  The increased lot size was deliberately to prevent subdivision of large homes.

Note also that the city still has an ordinance that allows citizens to appeal to the Mayor & Council use variances granted by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.  There was recently talk of repealing said ordinance, which was enacted in 1989 specifically to protect Summit Ave, but the ordinance affects the entire city.  However, I believe the ordinance remains in place.

I'll post more information on this topic as it becomes available.