Edison residents advance fight against four-story buildings in their neighborhood
EDISON – Efforts by Clara Barton section residents to prevent the future development of four-story buildings in their neighborhood has moved a step forward, but still has a way to go.
The Township Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution directing the Planning Board to review the Amboy Avenue Redevelopment Plan and prepare any revisions or amendments that would eliminate the construction of four-story or 45-feet-high structures, making three stories the maximum height allowed.
Officials said the Planning Board will take 45 days to evaluate before coming back to the Council with any recommendations, which means it will be several months before anything happens.
Residents from the Clara Barton section along Amboy Avenue have been asking the Council to repeal a 2016 ordinance which allowed the construction of four-story buildings in the neighborhood of many small Cape Cod-style homes between Woodbridge Avenue and Route 1.
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With properties for sale along Amboy Avenue, residents were concerned four-story mixed-use structures would be built on the sites, changing the look and feel of the community, while also adding traffic. About 10 residential streets feed onto Amboy Avenue.
Councilman Joseph Coyle, a former Clara Barton business owner and a real estate agent, initially called the resolution premature, adding he believes there are residents and businesses that appreciate the investments in Amboy Avenue. He said if a developer wants to invest $30 million in the community, that's a good thing.
He mentioned the Jady Dynasty restaurant property on Amboy Avenue, where the owner has worked for about 35 years and is now looking to sell and deserves to sell at the best price she can get. He said putting up the resolutions and changing Amboy Avenue will only hurt the opportunity for development.
"This is still a blue-collar neighborhood and people don't have a lot of money. As we bring in new people to the community who can spend money in the neighborhood, that's important," he said. "By taking this away less investment will come to the block."
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Councilman Ajay Patil said he was on the Council six years ago when it voted to declare Amboy Avenue an area in need of redevelopment but sees there is no need for four-story buildings in that neighborhood.
Council Vice President Margot Harris agreed. She took a tour of the Clara Barton neighborhood last week with one of the residents and said there is no question the traffic on Amboy Avenue has gotten worse.
"It's very, very tight there. To visualize monolith types of four-story buildings, I agree with Councilman Patil that it's a drain on the school system and it takes away from the character of that section. This is the one section of Edison that has a town feel to it and has some real character and charm to it," Harris said, adding she doesn't think the resolution is premature. "I think it's overdue."
Councilman John Poyner, however, said there are other design standards that should be changed in addition to what the resolution calls for, which he plans to suggest at a future meeting.
But Councilman Richard Brescher said the public has been very clear in asking for the height limit to go from four stories to three.
"The residents are asking for one thing, not reinventing the wheel," he said.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Edison NJ residents advance fight against four-story buildings
