Rendering of apartment building proposed for Ridge Lumber site.
NORTH ARLINGTON –
A commercial eyesore on North Arlington’s main drag will be removed and replaced with a functioning ratable if a development team has its way.
Kearny attorney Gary Bennett appeared recently before the borough governing body to present a conceptual plan, on behalf of Woodcrest Property Partners LLC of Wyckoff, for the dormant Ridge Lumber property at 241 Ridge Road.
Bennett said the plan calls for taking down the lumberyard and putting up a fourstory residential structure for 30 one-bedroom apartments, with balconies fronting Ridge and parking underneath plus some surface spaces.
“This is an excellent opportunity in the heart of the borough’s redevelopment zone,” he added.
If borough officials have any concern about the project, it is the hope that the number of on-street parking spaces can be maximized, Bennett said.
Young professionals, coupled with senior couples who want access to River Road, would likely be the target population for such a development whose upscale apartments would be outfitted with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, the attorney said.
Woodcrest Property Partners have a contract to purchase, conditional on getting local approvals, he said.
Last week, Goras, vice president of Sales Eastern Insurors LLC of the Greater New York City Area, told The Observer that he is teaming up with real estate investors Dr. Paul Fine and James Given in advancing the project.
Originally from East Rutherford, Goras said that as a young man he drove for the Rutherford Cab Co. and got to know the North Arlington area. “We were looking for something in the area and we had asked our realtor, Coccia, to keep an eye open,” he said.
And that’s how Ridge Lumber popped up, he added.
Asked whether the partners faced any environmental issues in re-adapting the property’s use, Goras said: “No, we did a Phase 1 [environmental] study and everything came up clean.”
As for parking, Goras said the team re-worked the plan to accommodate 28 on-site parking spaces while “adding seven new curbside spaces, including four with meters, to get within one or two [spaces] of the [borough’s] requirements.”
If and when the team goes before the Planning Board for site plan approval – which would be the next step in the process – then it will choose a general contractor – “we’re interviewing people now” – and execute plans for 30 one-bedroom, 700-square foot units which, he said, would likely rent “in the $1,700s a month range.”
– Ron Leir
