Lackawanna Plaza Development Plan Moving Forward In Montclair – Again

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair officials continue to seek feedback from residents as one of the town’s most-discussed development projects – Lackawanna Plaza – swings back for another pass through the grinder.

Last month, Montclair officials released the updated Lackawanna Plaza Redevelopment plan, which can be seen here. There is a town hall scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the project, which has been in the works for more than eight years and has seen several stumbling blocks along the way (see below).

There has been debate in Montclair about how Lackawanna Plaza should be developed. For years, The Hampshire Companies and Pinnacle Companies tried to breathe new life into the site, which is home to a historic, former train terminal. After getting approval from the Montclair Planning Board in 2019, the companies announced that a 216,772-square-foot, mixed-use project was in the works, including residential, retail and office spaces.

There were plans to make 20 percent of the residential units "affordable housing." In addition, developers announced they landed a tenant to replace the vacant Pathmark supermarket at Lackawanna Plaza – later revealed as German chain Lidl.

• See related article: Lidl To Fill Supermarket Void At Lackawanna Plaza In Montclair

The project was expected to kick off later that year. But it hit a major roadblock when a group of local advocates launched a lawsuit to stop development, seeking to reverse the previous decision from the planning board and nix the project's site approval – sending everything back to the drawing board.

• See related article: Montclair Group's Legal Battle Over Lackawanna Plaza Continues
• See related article: Lackawanna Plaza Plans Hit Big Speed Bump In Montclair

In February 2021, a new owner, Montclair-based BDP Holdings, announced that it has acquired the 7.6-acre development site.

“As a Montclair resident myself, I understand both the historical and current significance of Lackawanna Plaza for the community,” managing partner David Placek said.

Some local residents have insisted that there are key historic elements that need to be preserved; the site was recently put on a list of the “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey,” for example.

But according to Placek, BDP Holdings will be keeping Lackawanna Plaza's historical importance in mind as plans for the site evolve. And yes, a grocery store is still on the to-do list, Placek has said.

• See related article: New Owner, Old Concerns For Lackawanna Plaza In Montclair

4TH WARD MEETINGS

Earlier this month, the town council voted to table discussion about the Lackawanna Plaza redevelopment plan until their Dec. 6 meeting.

4th Ward Councilor David Cummings had asked for more time to look at the plan and discuss it with residents of the ward, who have been waiting for a new supermarket to set up shop in the area since the Pathmark closed in 2015.

• Read More: Death Of A Supermarket: Montclair Pathmark In Lackawanna Plaza Closes
• Read More: This 'Food Desert' In Montclair May Get State Funding

Cummings spearheaded two community meetings for 4th Ward residents on the topic, including a meeting on Nov. 10, which can be seen below.

TOWN HALL

Several Montclair officials will host a town hall to discuss redevelopment plans at Lackawanna Plaza on Tuesday, Nov. 29. It will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Hillside School, 54 Orange Road; doors open at 7 p.m.

Registration is requested but not required, and can be done online here.

The forum will be hosted by Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller, Councilor-At-Large Peter Yacobellis and Third Ward Councilor Lori Price Abrams, and will include participation from Placek, organizers said.

“As the council person living nearest to Lackawanna Plaza, I know what an anchor it is in our community and will acutely feel the impact of whatever is built there,” Yacobellis wrote in a recent email.

“I believe that the redevelopment plan has broadly been crafted to preserve the plaza’s historic integrity while also meeting community needs in terms of open public space, affordable housing and more,” he continued. “I'm in support of initiating Planning Board review as soon as possible so that we can then get to the far more detail-oriented site plan development.”

THE UPDATED PLAN

Some key details of the updated redevelopment plan include:

OVERVIEW – “The Lackawanna Plaza Redevelopment Plan envisions the redevelopment of the existing Lackawanna Station shopping center and adjoining parcels in the plan area with a mix of land uses and the addition of new buildings, including a new supermarket and housing. An overarching goal of this plan is to further the Township of Montclair’s planning goals by promoting additional mixed-use, Smart Growth redevelopment in Montclair Center.”

BORDERS – “The plan area is over eight acres in area and consists of three tax lots. The area is characterized by a large amount of surface parking, with substantial setbacks on the north side of Bloomfield Avenue. The combination of significant setbacks from the street, abundance of surface parking and the low-scale one-story buildings are not characteristic of downtown Montclair. For the purposes of this plan, the plan area has been divided into two “parcels” separated by Grove Street. On the west side of Grove Street, Block 3213, Lot 2 (the “west parcel”) is 4.79 acres in area and includes a historic train station building now occupied by a restaurant, a vacant approximately 20,000 square foot office building, a vacant former Pathmark supermarket and an enclosed, nearly abandoned shopping mall. The former Delaware Lackawanna & Western railroad terminal located on the west parcel was originally constructed in 1913. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Train service to the terminal ended in 1981 when the station was relocated a short distance to the east. A few years later, the former terminal was expanded and converted to use as a shopping mall anchored by a supermarket. A number of historic components of the 1913 terminal were retained in this renovation, including the waiting room building, certain of the steel stanchions which historically supported the concrete canopies that sheltered the train platforms, an ornamental horse watering trough and a staircase connecting the former track level to Grove Street. This shopping center has declined over the years and is now largely vacant. The property on the east side of Grove Street, Block 4202, Lots 4.01 and 4.02 (the “east parcel”), is 3.44 acres in area. It is developed with surface parking serving the retail uses on the west parcel. A pedestrian tunnel under Grove Street connects the development on the west parcel with the parking lot on the east parcel. A freestanding drive-through branch bank on a separate tax lot (Lot 4.02) was added in recent years at the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Grove Street.”

SCOPE – “The plan area is currently located in the C-1 Central Business zone district, which has two subdistricts. The west parcel is located in the Central Business-Center Area subdistrict and the east parcel is located in the Central Business-Community Area subdistrict. The existing zoning of the plan area generally allows for the mix of uses found in the area and allows for a maximum building height of up to 67 feet and six stories, and a maximum density of 55 units per acre. The West Property is located in the C-1 Center zone which promotes traditional downtown shopping opportunities and prohibits residential and office uses on the first floor. The East Property is located in the C-1 Community zone which permits residential and office uses on the first floor. Under the existing zoning, the 8.23-acre Lackawanna Plaza property could be developed for a total of 452 dwelling units if all of the existing commercial buildings, including the historic train station, are demolished and replaced with residential development.”

MASTER PLAN – “The Unified Land Use and Circulation Plan Element of the Township’s Master Plan was recently amended and discusses the plan area. The Unified Plan recommends creating a redevelopment plan for Lackawanna Plaza that supports the revitalization efforts for the Lackawanna Plaza area and notes that a key component of this redevelopment plan is balancing preservation of the historic Lackawanna train station with providing a new state-of-the-art supermarket.”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page.