New (?) housing development in NB I hadn't heard of

[Jonny S]

Are they putting up more housing by Loews? I am looking at condos and came across this on a developer's site. I first thought this was a new development, but then found this page, so maybe it isn't?

Seems like a pretty bad idea regardless, which might be why it is stalled. We need more housing in downtown NB, not by Route 1 and isolated from anything walkable. I don't think there's a lot of interest in locations like these unless the rent is very low, and that's not likely with new construction. This land should just revert back to Cook and be used for nature, river trails, etc... Put another skyscraper downtown instead.



This post was edited on 3/12 12:22 AM by Jonny S

http://edgewoodproperties.com/properties/raritan_heights.asp

 

[NotInRHouse]

I could see grad student living there. It's not like this replacement for the city housing- it's additional. It's for people who are commuting with cars via 18 and the NJTPK and 1, vs NB targeted towards train commuters and walkers.

 

[bob-loblaw]

This was approved by the planning board over a year ago. Possibly two.

 

[srru86]

As long as they don't disturb Mary Ellis

NY Times Nov 2005
A Sentimental Developer Saves a Grave

 

[Jonny S]

This may be moving forward finally.

http://newbrunswicktoday.com/article/developer-secures-approval-build-apartment-complex-and-restaurants-movie-theatre-parking-lot

 

[Korbermeister]

before any construction begins they have to rebuild the retaining wall behind the theater that prevents the land from sliding into the raritan. Parking isn't allowed back there due to a large crack in the pavement. And the property hasn't been maintained well since Loews was merged with AMC.
on another note, how are the owners going to 'sell' living there to prospective residents? sharing a parking lot with movie goers? a lovely view of a theater or the back of garden apartments built in the 50s? having to enter rt, one south @ rt. 18 north, with no other entrance/exit to the property?

 

[lawmatt78]

This development might lure me back to NJ. It's THAT awesome.

 

[derleider]

Yeah. It does seem weirdly placed.

Its one of those things about the free market when it comes to land use. The optimal land use is often prcluded by the current land use, so most of what gets built on is free land (parking lots, fields, forests), even when it would make more sense to say tear down some of the older stand alone houses in NB and build multistory condos.

I mean we certainly arent at the point where everyone desires urban living. But if its going to take a dense, urban form, it makes sense that you want to cater to the needs of the kind of people who want that kind of housing.

You could put a supermarket and some other amenities on the ground floor there - the area needs one. But the issue is that the kind of people who live in the neighboring communities (assuming you build foot connections over Route 1) are not the kind of people who the people potentially buying these places would want to be associated with.

Just makes me wish even more than RU had bought all of this land up in the 20s. Can you imagine the stadium up there. Would have been awesome.

 

[Jonny S]

I thought we owned this land and had to sell it when Rt. 1 was built?

 

[derleider]

Originally posted by Jonny S:
I thought we owned this land and had to sell it when Rt. 1 was built?

Maybe. There was a Master Plan in 1927. Route 1 and I assume the Depression kind of ruined it. So maybe we had the land, and decided we never needed it.