Zoning Board Holds First Hearing On Rutgers Plaza Apartment Building Proposal
Township residents packed the Council Chamber on April 4 for the first of what promises to be several Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on a proposal to convert the former K-Mart building in Rutgers Plaza into a four-story apartment building. The proposal is being made by Levin Properties, the owner of Rutgers Plaza at John […]
Historic Preservation Advisory Commission Wants Design Changes To Proposed Rutgers Plaza Apartment Building
The developer of a proposed 4-story apartment building targeted for Rutgers Plaza was told by the township Historic Preservation Advisory Commission to “soften up” their building’s styling at the April 2 Commission meeting. Representatives from Levin Properties appeared before the Commission for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the project. The developer needs the Certificate because […]
Foundation’s Unauthorized Plan For Marconi Park Renovation Scuttled By Somerset County
Plans by a private organization to refurbish the Guglielmo Marconi Memorial Park at Easton Avenue and JFK Boulevard have been scuttled by Somerset County officials, about two months after the Township ordered that work on the park be stopped because proper permissions had not been acquired. The work, conducted under the auspices of the township-based […]
Jain Center Wins Planning Board Approval For Driveway Arch
It took about eight months, but the Jain Center on Cedar Grove Lane won approval for a proposed driveway arch at the February 7 Planning Board meeting. The biggest stumbling block of the application – whether the Center was obligated by prior Planning Board decisions to align the driveway with that of Cedar Grove Center […]
Jain Center Walks Away From Planning Board Empty Handed, Again
Representatives of a township temple were once again unsuccessful January 3 in getting Planning Board approvals for a decorative archway planned for the temple’s driveway on Cedar Grove Lane. The difficulty arose when some Planning Board members asserted that years’-old approvals for the Jain Center included a stipulation that they must align their driveway with […]
It’s Back: Levin Resubmits Apartment Building Plan For Rutgers Plaza
The Levin Company has resubmitted its plan to turn the former Big Kmart building into a 200-unit apartment building. Plans were submitted to the Township on December 13. The plans are essentially identical to a submission made in November 2021. Those plans were met with stiff opposition from Township officials and residents. Levin wants to […]
Marconi Park Refurbishment Stopped; Needed Permissions Never Granted
Work has been stopped on the refurbishment of the Guglielmo Marconi Memorial Park on John F. Kennedy Boulevard after it was discovered that Somerset County had not approved the project, nor had any of the necessary Township permits been issued. The County needs to approve the project because the park borders Easton Avenue and is […]
New Home, ‘Financial Subdivision,’ Approved By Zoning Board
Applications to build a single-family home on Battle Place and for a “financial” subdivision off DeMott Lane were approved December 7 by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Venkateswar and Padmaja Vakkalagadda applied to the Board to build a single-family home on a corner vacant lot at 76 Battle Place. The lot is undersized, so the […]
L’Oreal Plan For Building Expansion Sent Back To Drawing Board
Representatives of L’Oreal USA were sent back to their drafting table by the Planning Board December 6, whose members did not like the company’s plans for a more than 149,000-square-foot addition to their main building on Commerce Drive. The Board members’ main gripe was that the new addition would encroach on homes that abut the […]
Planned DeMott Lane-Easton Avenue Intersection Improvements Unveiled
Improvements designed to make the DeMott Lane-Easton Avenue intersection safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists were unveiled December 5 at the Township Council Chamber. The Public Information Session was hosted by representatives from the Somerset County Engineering Department, the state Department of Transportation and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. The project, for which there […]
