EDISON — The former Roosevelt Care Center building may be receiving some care of its own.
The Planning Board voted May 18 to approve the aged structure as meeting state criteria for rehabilitation.
Henry Bignell, owner of the township’s planning company, Bignell Planning Consultants, made the case for the approval.
Bignell went through the various criteria, of which the site only must meet one. And while many of the items didn’t apply — such as being in tax arrears — others, particularly in regards to the condition of the property, did.
In his presentation, Bignell provided a few details about what county officials intend to do with the property. While no formal plan exists yet for the site, the county wants to put age-restricted housing at the former care center, which was built in 1937 for those with tuberculosis, he said.
The building is not currently in operation; a newer care center exists on the property and is not currently affected by the plans. The county-owned tract has been declared a historic site by both the state and federal government. However, the county needed the site to be declared by the township as in need of rehabilitation so that it could qualify for state tax credits.
“What’s good for Edison is the fact that we’re going to get senior citizen adult housing here — some low- and moderate- [income] in that mix, which will count toward our [Council on Affordable Housing] requirements in the future,” Bignell said.
Following Bignell’s presentation, a few members of the public had questions about the project, though a common refrain was that they were unhappy that the approvals were moving so quickly and with no details offered to date.
Officials explained that the county could not bring forth a plan until the site received the designation saying it met the rehabilitation criteria. Bignell also said that because the county wanted this designation, the township would actually be getting more details about the project than if it hadn’t sought the tax credits.
“It’s not costing the township any money to do this renovation, and quite frankly, if the county didn’t want to go for the extra credits and help the taxpayer out a little bit by getting some more money, they could do this without our approval anyway,” he said.
Bignell added that he did not have any details about the potential cost of the project.
Resident Maryann Hennessey said she wanted to know if the county would be required to maintain the historic exterior of the building. Bignell said the county would, and if it wanted to deviate from that, it would require both state and federal signoffs.
Hennessey also asked whether Edison residents would get first priority for placement at the residence; Bignell said that was an issue she should take up with the Township Council.
Resident James McShane said he felt it was disingenuous that the county owns the site and now is claiming that it’s in disrepair for the tax credits. Esther Nemetz said she hopes the county is more transparent in its next steps.
“I have not been totally thrilled with the manner in which this was brought forward,” she said.
The matter now moves back to the Township Council.