Mack-Cali hearings continue; parking, emergency access discussed

Planning Board

Representatives of Roseland, a Mack-Cali company, continued their presentation of plans for a proposed mixed-use property between Kennedy Parkway and Canoe Brook Road before the Planning Board March 16, much to the dismay of many residents in the audience at the Millburn Free Public Library.

The plans include building an apartment complex and a hotel on the site while maintaining an existing office building to satisfy the ordinance for a "mixed-use" development. A two-story parking deck will also be added to the eastern portion of the property.

Richard Hoff, attorney for the applicant, and architect Chris Lessard of Lessard Designs testified before the board and addressed public questions.

Lessard spoke to the design of the building, walking through the various materials that will be used and noting the ordinance's architectural restrictions. The ordinance, for example, requires buildings to be "broken down vertically into a series of bays and/or through vertical changes in the façade plane" and have a distinction between the top floor and base/middle. Lessard says the plans comply with such requirements, adding that the ordinance ensures a high quality of design.

The architect also discussed plans for the property's parking, which he says complies with the standards set by four state counties, including Essex. The hotel will have its own garage below the building and a valet service and hotel staff will manage its parking. Guests to the apartments will first need to park in one of ten surface spots outside the building and obtain a code from the concierge before entering the apartment's garage. The residential garage will have swinging doors, which Lessard says are not noisy, but the hotel will have open entrances monitored by hotel management. Surface parking will not be designated to a particular building/use.

Residents were concerned there would not be enough parking to accommodate the apartment complex's tenants and their guests, particularly if the hotel was hosting a wedding or other large event. Some also pointed out the possible parking overflow from The Mall at Short Hills, located adjacent to the property, during holiday time. However, Lessard says the team cannot plan to accommodate every tenant having a party or guests at the same time, and it will be the job of the valet service and management to handle issues with the mall.

Some questioned the ceiling heights of the proposed parking garages and whether they could accommodate emergency vehicles, recalling the fatal shooting of Hoboken attorney Dustin Friedland at the mall in 2013. According to reports, the ambulance could not fit under the parking deck's ceiling to reach the victim in a timely manner, forcing responders to roll a stretcher to the scene. The incident prompted the township to purchase a small all terrain vehicle to access parking decks. The public still questioned what would happen in the event of an emergency if the ATV was not available. Lessard suggested ambulances should pull up to the drop off station between the hotel and residential area, but was confident a van could fit under the ceiling of the proposed garage. He promised to look into the matter in preparation for the next hearing.

The applicant has submitted a report to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection as required, but has not yet been approved as of the March 16 meeting. Though Lessard assured the public foundations of the proposed buildings would not come close to groundwater, some audience members voiced concern they would. Lessard says he has dealt with sites that needed to be "dewatered" before, adding that it was not a difficult process. Hoff pointed out that there is an existing office building on the site, concluding that there is a good chance groundwater will not be an issue.

According to the proposals, two people will be allowed per bedroom in the apartment complex. The public, noting the possible additions of students to the school system, pointed out that some tenants may choose to put walls up to create more bedrooms. Hoff responded by saying the construction of partitions would be a violation of their lease agreement and such tenants would be evicted. It would be up to the landlords to enforce this policy.

Lessard mentioned the residential development's intended clientele are "empty nesters" or senior citizens. As of the time of the meeting, there are no plans to build a playground or amenities geared toward children.

The next Planning Board hearing of the Mack-Cali site plan application will be held on Wednesday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bauer Community Center in Taylor Park. The applicant's landscape architect is expected to testify at that session.

Email: desisto@northjersey.com