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

SUMMIT, NJ — At last Wednesday's Summit Common Council meeting, President Marjorie Fox announced that the city planner will soon present revised plans for the highly contested Broad Street West redevelopment project.

According to a news release from the city, the city planner will present the revised plans, which will address concerns about the building's size and scale, at the next council meeting on Wednesday, June 15.

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

"We will be presenting revisions that will address some concerns about the scale and design of the building and will include a reduction of the number of units being built, as well as an increase in the number of parking spaces," Fox said. "We are now ready to present a revised plan that we believe is consistent with the master plan and addresses the community's needs."

The amended redevelopment plan will be posted on the city's website by the end of the day on Tuesday, June 14 and the presentation by the city planner on the 15th will also be posted on the website on Thursday, June 16 at 9 a.m.

Then, an ordinance on the amended Broad Street West Redevelopment Plan for subdistricts 1, 2 and 3 will be introduced at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m., according to the city.

The planning board will then review the amended redevelopment plan on Monday, June 27 to make sure it's consistent with the master plan, and the vote on the amended plan will take place on July 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Revisions to the plans for subdistricts 1 and 2 will be made over the next several months. However, a vote by council on a plan for these subdistricts is not anticipated in 2022.

Some residents took issue with the vote for subdistrict 3 taking place in July, arguing that many people will be on vacation during the summer and will not be paying attention to city politics.

Resident Guy Hazelman said the vote should be pushed to a later date.

"I don't know if any votes should take place over the summer," Hazelman said. "If it's that consequential, I would hope that we could push it to September when people are back."

Several other residents also spoke at the meeting and continued to voice issues with the redevelopment. More than 1,100 residents have now signed a petition that demands that Broad Street West Subdistrict 3 is downsized.

Read more: 800+ Summit Residents Sign Petition Against Broad St. West Development

Amy Disibio, a petition signer and outspoken resident, said the two reasons that the city wants to go through with the "large" development is because of affordable housing and financials.

She argued that Summit has already fulfilled its affordable housing obligations and it is not necessary to rush this project.

However, Fox later rebutted that the city does have a mandate for affordable housing and must build 50 units by 2025.

Disibio also said the council is driven by money-related issues for putting the project through as is.

"Building this fire station that costs a lot of money at this time could have waited," Disibio said. "We've kicked this project down the road many times, and I think it could have been kicked down a little further and maybe done a few more Band-Aids if we're really in such financial trouble."

The design for the new fire house was recently presented at a Summit Council meeting, which can be viewed on YouTube.

Fox mentioned earlier in the meeting that the city will change the development plan to meet the amended design of the building. Hazelman took issue with this.

"So we can develop a building and then change the plans to meet the building?" Hazelman said. "I can't do that when I develop my own property."

Audience members gave a round of applause in response to Hazelman's comments.

Fox later reiterated that finances and affordable housing are concerns that the city needs to meet, and she argued that the new apartment complex will improve a currently "unattractive street" and create a walkable neighborhood near the downtown.

She argued that there is market for this kind of housing and it creates foot traffic in the downtown.

Councilman Greg Vartan also said the city has a debt problem, which will continue to increase for at least the next five years, and that this project would help pay off that debt.

Check out these previous articles on Broad Street West 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.

The full council meeting from last Wednesday can be viewed on YouTube below: