POST OFFICE DEVELOPER: "I WANT PEOPLE TO LIKE WHAT I BUILT"

Joe Forgione

The owner of JMF Properties, which is overseeing the redevelopment of the Maplewood Village Post Office, says he is committed to building a project that people like.

Joe Forgione, president of JMF properties, said the firm has already agreed to reduce the size of the retail/housing mix, dropping the project from four stories to three, lowering the overall height to 45 feet, and cutting back the number of rental units from 23 to 20.

“What I ultimately build there has to be accepted by everyone there," Forgione told Maplewoodian.com Sunday. “I want to build a building that Maplewoodians drive by and say, 'the guy did a great job and he listened to us.' I really, really want people to like what I built. And I want you to know the mayor really pushed me hard to make sure the building really fit.”

The project has been a point of complaint for many from the first plans to demolish the current post office and replace it with a building that is exempt from affordable housing requirements and may be in line for a tax exemption.

But, in just the past few weeks, the developers have agreed to cutback the size of the building. In the latest move, the Township Committee gave initial approval two weeks ago to a previous change that lowered the height and size. But at the last meeting the TC took heat from many residents, including former Mayor Fred Profeta, for the project.

Forgione said Mayor Vic De Luca reached out to him soon after to discuss some changes. He said a meeting occurred last Wednesday with De Luca and other township officials where the request for more cutbacks was made. 

The developer said his designers and engineers have been working on ways to cut back the size and that the height will be reduced as noted.

“We’ve removed an entire story on the building, we’re going to comply with the 45 foot height. The town let us know that the building was too high," he said. 

“The Maplewoodians of town didn’t agree, who am I to disagree? I thought I put together a great plan, they disagreed and I took all of their comments and went back to square one."

Forgione said residents should forget the versions of the project and renderings they have seen, saying designers are still working on the latest approach. 

“We’ve been working all weekend on this. It is completely different," he said. "I think that the plan that we’re putting together is going to address not only the height issue but also the design."

Asked about concerns residents have about the design hurting the overall image of Maplewood Village as a traditional retail area, Forgione said, “I have some thoughts and we’re really going to look at this and try to develop something that’s been there for a long time. We’re going to build something that’s different but sort of meets the character of the town."

Forgione also said he understands concerns about which stores might go into the new retail space that the project will include. He declined to say it would not have chain stores, but said some existing businesses could relocate.

“The retail must complement the residential, it has to become an amenity to the building and, more important, to the town. You need to bring retailers that are needed,” he said. “A lot of people are telling me they need a restaurant, a good wine restaurant, but the problem is I need to be very careful and selective of what goes into that building.”
 
The Township Committee on Tuesday is expected to vote down the final approval of the previous project change and prepare to review whatever the new version includes.