Council Reveals Next Steps For Broad Street West, Maple Street Closure

SUMMIT, NJ — At Tuesday night's Summit City Hall meeting, Council President Greg Vartan discussed next steps for Summit's two most controversial projects at the moment — Broad Street West and the potential closure of Maple Street.

Due to pushback from the community, the council decided to put the Broad Street West redevelopment process on hold in June of 2022. A financial advisory committee was then formed to advise council on any potential deals as it pertains to the redevelopment.

Vartan said the council asked the developers several months ago to come up with a new proposal that "complies with the redevelopment plan, has clear financials and prioritizes affordable housing."

Developers have not yet submitted a new proposal for the project, but Vartan said the council has restarted conversations with its planner, Topology, to "get an understanding of how they will engage with the city, the developers and with the community at large as [the council] looks to outline a process to move forward."

A common concern among residents was the overall size and scale of the redevelopment, as well as lack of parking and the number of housing units. It was previously proposed that the development would include 140 units. This was later reduced to 133 units.

Read more: Summit Residents Protest Broad St. West Design Ahead Of 6-Hour Meeting

In a Facebook Live session that was posted to the City's page last week, Mayor Nora Radest said she would be surprised if the new Broad Street West proposal includes even half of 140 units.

Council suspects that the new proposal will be considerably downsized from its original form.

Related: Broad St. West Update: Summit Council Plans To Downsize Subdistrict 3

Vartan also provided an update on the potential permanent or seasonal closure of Maple Street, which was hotly contested by residents at previous meetings.

He said the Capital Projects and Community Service Committee has been tasked with investigating what would be required by the Department of Transportation to close Maple Street. The Committee will also re-engage with Maple Street business owners and relevant boards and commissions to gauge how people feel about a street closure for outdoor dining.

Summit closed off Maple Street to traffic to allow for outdoor dining in the warmer months during the pandemic. Many residents have said they enjoyed the option to eat outdoors, and business have said they benefited from the closure.

However, many residents also expressed concerns about a permanent closure, as they believe it could worsen traffic in the downtown.

Read more: Residents Object To Permanent Maple Street Closure At Summit Meeting

Council members have expressed that they support a seasonal closure, not a permanent one.

Mayor Radest said it would be difficult to only close the street in July and August, when schools are closed, because restaurants would have to hire staff for just eight weeks, which she said does not make financial sense for them.

You can watch the full Council meeting on YouTube, and the entire Facebook Live session here.

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