Montclair Council Discusses Redevelopment, Parking and Pipelines

The Montclair Township Council was looking toward the future of the town in discussing resolutions authoring contracts for consultants for areas in need of redevelopment during its June 17 meeting, but Deputy Mayor Robert Russo made the biggest news about the future at the end of the session. He made it clear that he plans to run for governor of New Jersey in 2017.

Deputy Mayor Russo, who ran the meeting while Mayor Robert Jackson was away attending his daughter’s graduation ceremony, was mayor of Montclair from 2000 to 2004. He cited former Governor James McGreevey’s similar background as a township mayor, saying he was just as qualified as McGreevey and current Governor Chris Christie.

The township took one step forward and one step back in its votes on redevelopment studies.

Redevelopment
The Department of Planning and Community Development recommended, after going through requests for proposals (RFPs), that a contract  be awarded to Phillips Price Grygiel to study redevelopment of the Lackawanna Plaza area and another contract be awarded to Group Melvin Design, but Fourth Ward Councilor Renée Baskerville was dismayed that there had not apparently been more of an effort to reach out to local and/or minority or female consultants, a topic she has pressed in the past. She said that such affirmative action policies ought to have been more aggressively pursued, especially in light of Phillips Price Grygiel’s role in the development of Valley & Bloom, which was not terribly well-received, and Group Melvin’s consultation on the proposed master plan, which has been very unpopular.

“When we do an RFP,” Township Manager Marc Dashield responded, “we solicit the RFP, there are notices in the paper and also on the website for anyone.”  He explained that the recommendations were made based on the consultants who answered the requests, but he did suggest that the township could come up with ways to get more creative in encouraging minority-owned, female-owned and local consultants to bid. Dr. Baskerville said that similar efforts had been made and had not been aggressive enough.

Philips Price Grygiel was recommended to consult on the Lackawanna Plaza plan despite being the second-lowest offer (at $34,000, $9,000 more than the lowest offer) because Planning Director Janice Talley said that Philips Price Grygiel identified a better approach to engaging the community and conveying plans with graphics. She also recommended Group Melvin for the Seymour Street/Willow Street block because of its experience with community involvement but also for its background in form-based building codes. But Deputy Mayor Russo balked at the cost of Group Melvin’s proposal — $80,000 —- and wanted more information. The Lackawanna contract for Phillips Price Grygiel passed 4-1, with Dr. Baskerville voting no and Deputy Mayor Russo abstaining. At the urging of Second Ward Councilor Robin Schlager, the Seymour Street/Willow Street contract was tabled, 5-1, with Councilor-at-Large Rich McMahon voting no.

Parking Problems
The council also discussed parking setbacks along driveways at Frederick Street near Watchung School. Residents of the street have complained that cars are parked on the street too close to their driveways to allow them easy access onto Frederick Street, and Dashield reviewed the ordinance pertaining to parking near driveways. He said that the current ordinance allows the Department of Community Services (DCS) to designate no-parking zones with lines and markings but without a single measurement standard for driveway setbacks.

“What this does is, it requires you to do it on a case-by-case basis,” Dashield said. He explained that he process that the township go through for four-foot parking space setbacks on any given street is initiated by having the residents determine if there is interest through a petition. Township Kimberli Craft would look and what impact a four-foot setback would have on parking. Dashield recommended continuing with a case-by-case basis. Councilor McMahon suggested having a township-wide minimum standard of two-foot driveway setbacks with up to four feet depending on circumstances, while Third Ward Councilor Sean Spiller suggested determining the necessary distance for setback that would allow residents to back out of their driveways safely and go by that.

“In terms of the distance, it really depends on what’s going on, what’s the issue,” Dashield said of four-foot setbacks. “For example,  when you’re in places around schools where they have the heavy parking , and it’s a problem, sometimes that four-foot, that’s where it’s really necessary, or [you use] the four-foot when you have a smaller-diameter road, it’s not as wide.”

The council ultimately chose to wait for the Traffic and Parking Advisory Committee, which is studying Frederick Street, to offer its recommendations and write an ordinance based on its findings.

Mixed-Transportation Program
The council also unanimously passed a resolution supporting an application for an $861,000 grant from  the New Jersey Department of Transportation to create a mixed-transportation program employing a shuttle bus service and bicycle sharing, with Dashield having modified the language to indicate that the township will be seeking funds for the maintenance to avoid obligating the taxpayers. Deputy Mayor Russo supports the program, called Mozaic, but he agrees that Montclair should not be obligated to pay for the upkeep.

“Do you think they’ll award us a grant with that caveat?” the deputy mayor asked Dashield.

“We’ll see,” the manager replied with a chuckle.

Natural Gas Pipeline 
The council began its business by taking public comment in support of a resolution expressing concern over plans of the Williams Company and Transco to increase the pressure of their natural gas pipeline after residents expressed concern over possible gas leaks and explosions, noting that several accidents have occurred in other states. In Roseland, local residents are fighting a proposed compressor station along the pipeline and have formed Roseland Against the Compressor Station (RACS), after gas leaked from the pipeline into an elementary school. Essex County Freeholder Brendan Gill and U.S. Representative Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ-11) have also been wary of the plan to increase pressure in the pipeline, which was built in 1960 and may have deteriorated over time. Montclair resident and environmentalist Pat Kenschaft  joined RACS spokeswoman Mary Kushner in warning of a possible environmental impact on Montclair due to its proximity to the pipeline’s path. The council passed this resolution, amended to urge Transco and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to fund a study of the impact of increased gas pressure, before tending to any other business.  It passed 5-0; when Councilor McMahon abstained, gasps were heard from the audience.

Montclair BID Budget
The council also passed a $480,696 budget for the Montclair Business Improvement District’s activities of promoting business along Bloomfield Avenue.  The money is taken from an assessment on top of business taxes and does not come from general taxpayers.