TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE APPROVES CHANGES TO POST OFFICE PLAN DESPITE STRONG OBJECTIONS

Concerns and criticism of the planned Maplewood Village Post Office redevelopment project continued Tuesday night as the Township Committee approved changes to the proposed plan that would cap the height at 50 feet, while also allowing an exemption from the affordable housing requirement,

The TC voted, 4-1, to approve the plan changes for the project being built by JMF Properties, but only after hours of discussion and numerous complaints from residents, including two former TC members.

TC member Marlon Brownlee cast the lone opposing vote for the amendment to a plan that will have to be voted on again in two weeks.

"I don't know that, at this point, I still feel that I have the full confidence in my ability to make that decision," Brownlee said. "I'm not comfortable moving forward."

Among the critics was former Mayor Fred Profeta, who made his first real public comment about it, as well as former Township Committee member David Huemer.

Profeta, also a former Planning Board member, said he had to speak on it "as a matter of conscious."

He added, "If you end up approving a structure that is 50 feet high and approximately 140 feet wide along Maplewood Avenue, that's still a huge structure."

He also stated: "I suggest you step back for a second and ask yourselves, 'what are we trying to accomplish at this spot in the Village?'" "Is it an increase in tax rateables? Well that's a good thing, but my real concern is that any tax savings that you achieve will be totally dwarfed by the diminution in property values in the Village and in the surrounding area."

He noted that he had made mistakes during his time on the committee when he pushed for projects that were later denied. "I dug in my heels as you may remember," he said, recalling his proposal for a new police station that was dismissed and admitting it was a mistake.

Huemer, who urged use of the land for public space, added, "the tax effects are negligible ... the citizens of Maplewood have shown a willingness to accept very high taxes for the preservation of why they moved here."

At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Vic De Luca updated residents on the latest change, noting it would include a lower height than had been discussed, while also noting other changes:





A JMF official also went over the latest version of plans.