'Residents For Summit' To Host Broad St. West Rally Ahead Of Meeting

SUMMIT, NJ — Just before Topology — Summit's city planner — presents revisions to the Broad Street West redevelopment project on Wednesday, the local group "Residents for Summit" will host a rally downtown to protest the new development.

The rally will be held on Wednesday, June 15 at 6 p.m., right before the Summit Common Council meeting, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

In response to feedback from residents, arguing that the housing project is too large in scale, the planner will present changes to the development, which will include decreasing in the number of units and reducing the overall scale of the project. The city's consultants and redevelopers will be present at the meeting to answer any questions from residents.

As it stands now, the plan for Broad Street West Subdistrict 3 is to include 140 housing units, at five stories tall, with 185 parking spaces. It also includes 10,000 square feet of retail space.

Member of "Residents for Summit" Jim Bennett posted on Facebook that the city's zoning law, also known as the 2019 Redevelopment Plan, "allows 72 units to be built on the site, at a 60 foot height maximum and four stories."

Bennett argues that if the council presents any redesign with more than 72 units, they will have to amend the redevelopment plan, "thus undoing, with the stroke of a pen, the careful collaborative planning work of prior Councils and Planning Boards."

To date, more than 1,100 residents have signed a petition, demanding that the development is downsized.

At the previous meeting, Council President Marjorie Fox said the council was originally supposed to vote on the project in May, but it is now being pushed to July 19.

She added that the council is now ready to present a revised plan that they believe is consistent with the master plan and "addresses the community's needs."

Read more: Summit To Present Revised Broad St. West Plans Amid Resident Concerns

The rally will take place at the Chestnut Street lot, between Morris and Broad Street, on Wednesday. More information can be found on the "Residents for Summit" website.

Patch has written several articles about the Broad Street West project. Check out these stories to learn more about it and the opposition from residents:

Summit Debates Broad Street West Redevelopment At Council Meeting

What Will Summit's Broad St. West Cost? Financial Expert Explains

How Will Broad St. West Impact Traffic In Summit? Experts Explain

'Residents For Summit' Town Hall Meeting Brings Packed House

You can also read a comprehensive summary of the project on the city's website.