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Passaic plans pocket park design and study to address two Paulson Avenue rooming houses
Summary
Council discussion covered EDA-funded downtown streetscape projects, a design and construction management request for a Main/Pennington pocket park, and a planning study aimed at two Paulson Avenue rooming houses that the city may designate for rehabilitation and redevelopment.
The Passaic City Council reviewed several downtown improvement and redevelopment items on July 15, including design and construction management for a pocket park on Main Avenue at Pennington and a planning study focused on two large rooming houses on Paulson Avenue.
Business Administrator Fernandez told the council the pocket-park work is part of a larger $5.7 million Urban Investment Fund (EDA) grant that included multiple cityscape projects. The pocket park and other small downtown plazas are funded and intended primarily for pedestrian safety, passive recreation and to support downtown businesses.
On Paulson Avenue, the administration described two large preexisting rooming houses containing roughly 25 to 30 rooming units each. Fernandez said rooming houses are a prohibited use in the city's zoning, but these are preexisting nonconforming uses that the city believes qualify for a planning study and potential designation as an area in need of rehabilitation.
What the study would do Fernandez said the planning study is step one: the planning board would assess property conditions, calls for service, maintenance and public-safety concerns and determine whether the parcels meet criteria for designation as an area in need of rehabilitation. If the planning board recommends designation, the council would later consider a resolution of designation, after which redevelopment planning could lead to demolition and rebuilding as conforming multifamily housing.
Why it matters Fernandez and council members noted safety and habitability concerns tied to rooming houses (shared kitchens and bathrooms, hot-plate use and other fire risks, and limited tenant screening). Converting problematic rooming houses to standard apartment units would change the vetting process and building standards for the occupants.
Council action and vote Items in the consent list that included the design/construction management authorization for the pocket park and the Paulson Avenue study were approved during the July 15 consent votes. Roll-call votes on the consent batch (items 23'50) recorded affirmative votes from Councilman Love, Councilwoman Melo, Councilman Mayer, Councilman Garcia, Councilwoman Colombo Montanez and Council President Scherer.
Next steps If the planning board reports back and the council approves a designation, the city could pursue redevelopment tools to replace the rooming houses with permitted multifamily units. The pocket park item will move to procurement for selection of design and construction oversight professionals under the grant terms.
Sources: City presentation and Q&A with Business Administrator Fernandez at the July 15 meeting; roll-call votes recorded on consent actions during the meeting.
