Proposal requests for redevelopment may go out soon.
By: Lea Kahn
A request for proposals from developers to build age-restricted affordable housing on the former Trent Motel site on Brunswick Pike may begin circulating as early as next week, Township Council learned Tuesday night.
A request for proposals identifies the scope of the project, as well as the criteria that may be used in choosing a developer, Municipal Manager William Guhl said. Applicants should have experience in developing such project, he said.
It has not been decided whether the township would sell the tract to a developer, or perhaps retain ownership of the land and offer a long-term lease, Mr. Guhl said.
The township purchased the Trent Motel site last year. In addition to the former motel site, the township is purchasing two properties to the south of the motel a three-unit apartment house next door to the motel and a former gasoline service station. The combined site would be 2.5 acres.
Township planning consultant Philip Caton outlined conceptual plans that show a three-story building, divided by an archway between two sections of the building. The plan shows 50 apartments plus 14,000 square feet of retail or service uses. There would be 96 parking spaces at the rear of the building.
Although architectural plans would likely be drawn by the developer, Mr. Caton’s plans showed a staggered facade. It would be more likely to entice pedestrians to enter the shops and also encourage them to walk along Brunswick Pike, he said.
When Councilwoman Doris Weisberg asked how many affordable apartments are being sacrificed in favor of non-residential uses on the first floor of the building, Mr. Caton said the township is giving up about 18 units.
From a planning standpoint, the township is trying to make the pedestrian experience as friendly as possible, he said. The building would be located close to the road and apartments on the ground floor would suffer from a lack of privacy. That’s why stores on the ground floor would be better, he said.
Mr. Caton also suggested planting trees along the street. A landscaped median would help by providing a pedestrian refuge a place for pedestrians to wait while they cross the street, he said.
But the mixed-use building is only part of the plan for a redeveloped Brunswick Pike, between the Brunswick Circle and Mayflower Avenue. The neighborhood has been designated as the Brunswick Pike Redevelopment Area.
Mr. Caton said the mix of residential and non-residential uses should be maintained because it gives the neighborhood "a certain synergy." It breathes life into the area.
The Brunswick Pike corridor has much going for it, Mr. Caton said. There are 600 houses on both sides of the four-lane road. Those homes represent "substantial buying power" for neighborhood businesses, he added.
In the meantime, Mr. Caton said, his office is preparing redevelopment and land-use standards. It is unlikely that the zoning would change, he said. The present mix of uses are still appropriate, he said.
Councilwoman Pam Mount praised Mr. Caton’s plans.
She said she hopes the neighborhoods on both sides of Brunswick Pike "take ownership" in the proposed redevelopment plans. It will enhance their neighborhood, because they will be able to cross the street to buy something at a deli and then walk home, she said.