Plans For New High-rise Unveiled at Zoning Board Meeting

International Realty, LLC owner Dennis Shah began the tedious process of redeveloping the site of 38 Jackson St. from 20th century industrial architecture to contemporary high-rise design as he appeared before the Zoning Board of Adjustment Tuesday evening, introducing his development plans.

Shah's primary purpose at the meeting was to apply for eight variances that would allow for International Realty to construct two 13-story condo buildings on the site, which is currently zoned for industrial, rather than residential, development.

Through International Realty, Shah and his family own wallpaper manufacturing company Chambord Prints and the 200,000 square-foot, multi-building structure at 38 Jackson St. that Chambord shares with a variety of businesses and artists. The building is commonly referred to as the My-T-Fine building due to a pudding company that formerly occupied the space. 

Shah told the zoning board and roughly 25 residents in attendance that he has been operating his company in Hoboken since 1981 and has observed the city's shifting demographics over that almost 30-year span.

"We've been in this town a long time and the town is changing," said Shah. "We looked at what should be at this site over the next 10 years, 15 years, 20 years …and also what to do with our business."

Shah said he assembled a top-flight team of architects and engineers to tackle the project and instructed the group to conceive a plan for "a multi-use development that would hopefully be the pride of Hoboken."

The construction plan, drawn up by the Manhattan-based Beyer Blinder Bellearchitecture firm, calls for two 135-foot structures (at their apexes) that will house 348 residential units, retail space on the ground floor, so-called "flex space" that's proposed for use as a community center, and an indoor parking garage that would create 361 parking spaces.

Outside the structure, the design features an elevated 4,000 square foot "pocket park" in front of the building's main entrance and aims to refurbish the park located across Newark Street. That park is currently owned by New Jersey Transit, but maintained by the city of Hoboken, zoning board chairman Tony Soares said.

"We want to add vibrancy, a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and create something that is stimulating," said Shah. He added he wants to "improve this area that is the gateway to town."  

Converting 38 Jackson St. into high-end condos wouldn't be Shah's first such development project—in 2002, construction on Shah's Hoboken Grande apartment building, located adjacent to 38 Jackson St. on Newark between Jackson and Monroe Streets, was completed.

In order to move forward with the project, International Realty has applied for four "D" variances and four "C" variances that would, among other things, allow the company to build a structure that ascends higher than forty feet and allow the building to be used for residential purposes, even though it's located in an industrial zone.

To convince the board to grant the variances, International Realty had Richard Metsky and Maxwell Pau, two Ivy League-educated architects from Beyer, Blinder and Belle, on hand to make a visual presentation and discuss the project.  

The architects said the project has been developed with Hoboken's 2004 Master Plan in mind and meets FEMA and DEP regulations for properties located in flood zones—meaning that the building and all of its entrances would be raised six feet from the current street level to make it impervious to flooding.

Metsky and Pau also showed the board pictures of other high-rise buildings in that vicinity (such as the Sky Club and Hoboken Grande) that have been built with the help of similar variances. Moreover, the architects said, the building would be environmentally sustainable and would not contribute to flooding problems.

Elizabeth Vandor, the planner hired by the city to consult on the project, issued a report on the proposed development.

In the report (attached to this article in PDF), Vandor described the plan to build the structure out to the property line as "way too aggressive." Instead, she recommended setting the entire structure back ten feet from the property line to reduce its "fortress-like appearance" and widening the sidewalks to make them more pedestrian-friendly.

Other concerns were raised by zoning board members. Dominic Lisa told the architects that there is "no need for studio apartments," of which there are 19 in the design.

Lisa said he would like to see more "family-friendly units" in the proposal, a concern shared by other board members, such as Nancy Pincus, who said a goal of the 2004 Master Plan is to provide more housing options for families.

Despite his concerns over the plan for studio apartments, Lisa praised the aesthetics of the project. "Personally, I like the design," Lisa said. "I think it's an attractive building."

Some residents who live near 38 Jackson St. raised concerns over parking, the traffic implications of creating 348 new residences in an already congested area, the safety of balconies hanging over sidewalks as well as noise associated with construction.

Lane Bajardi, a frequenter of city meetings, quibbled with the architects over the definition of a park, arguing that the "pocket park" was nothing more than a landscaped entrance. Bajardi also pressed the architects on whether or not "adaptive reuse" of the building—rather than demolition and new construction—had been contemplated.

The architects responded that adaptive reuse hadn't been an option because that wasn't part of Shah's directive.

Philip Marrone wondered whether Shah's development team had taken part in the recent traffic congestion studies conducted on the southwest section of Hoboken.

"I just want to know if traffic implications had been considered given that there is serious traffic congestion every morning," said Marrone.

Shah responded that traffic patterns had been considered in the plan, and that he would defer to his traffic expert, who was scheduled to testify, for more details. But the meeting ran so long that the traffic expert and Shah's engineer never had the chance to speak before the board.

As a result, the board voted to carry the issue over to the next Zoning Board meeting on Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

Perhaps forecasting how arduous the application process may get for International Realty, Lisa said, "I don't see this thing being resolved in three meetings or so."