PERTH AMBOY – The original plans for Landings at Harborside included views of Staten Island Sound and the Raritan Bay, a 4 mi. Walkway along the Waterfront, a marina, 8,500 ft. of retail space, ferry service to New York, shops, cafes and parks. Little of this has taken place.

At the Caucus/Council Meetings which were both held on Monday, November 25, 2013, Gordon Gemma from Kushner Co. and Sam Gershwin of Westminister Communities presented a proposed revision of the original Landings site plans before the Council.

Gemma was the first to speak, “In 2001, the First Amendment was proposed to the original plan. In 2004, Kushner invested $50 million. The Admiral then, the Bayview townhouses were constructed with a going price of $400,000 and up per unit. As of today the retail space has not been rented.”

“The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has to give us guidelines for cleanup,” In 2009, we had the rights for redevelopment of the site, including north of Washington Avenue. Kushner is giving up the rights to this land. If the City wants, they can engage other developers for this property.”

“The rentals that we have now can be converted to ownership when the market values improve. Flood lines have also been revised which also caused us to change our plans. We are proposing more amenities for smaller property. The original properties are over 13 years old. It’s not unusual for original plans to be revised on projects over the years.”

After Gemma gave his presentation, Sam Gershwin, a representative from Westminister spoke. Gershwin said, “Revised plans called for three-story and four-story residential buildings and two-and- half-story townhouses for a total of 641 units. There would be 308 one bedroom and the rest would consist of two bedrooms, townhouses and penthouses. We have met with the Board of Education regarding the size of the units. The units would be in a Victorian Style Motif.”

A third Kushner representative spoke, “Architects, engineers and lawyers were involved in reviewing eight proposed changes from the original Landings concept.”

Literature with the proposed changes were handed out to the Council Members, City Attorney, B.A. and City Clerk.

After looking at the proposed site changes, Business Administrator Greg Fehrenbach was not pleased.

Addressing the representatives from the Kushner Companies, Fehrenbach told them, “This (Perth Amboy) is not a Suburban Community. Alternatives should be examined. PARA (Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency) and the Planning Board hands may be tied with making changes. This new plan shows a lot of density.”

Fehrenbach addressed the Council, “You have to look at a lot of elements of the plan presented before you. There is a need for a lot more negotiation. Kushner still owes $4.5 million to the City.”

Council President Joel Pabon said, “After looking at the artist’s rendition of the changes, it looks like you’re putting a bunch of parking spaces on High Street.”

During the Public Portion, some of the Landing’s residents and others who were concerned vocalized their displeasure.

Former Councilman Fernando Gonzalez cautioned the City Council Members. “You may feel pressured to do some kind of action on the Landings now. You need to make clear what the citizens want done in that area. Kushner sold a bill of goods that wasn’t delivered. Mr. Fehrenbach told you that their are many other options.

Don’t get hung up on one developer. Don’t pursue the plan that was presented tonight.”

Now it was the Landings residents time to speak. Daniel Pietro said, “The Waterfront area is the most valuable piece of property. It’s demeaning to say you can’t have a growing middle class community. We still have to resolve problems with Phase 1 before we can move ahead. These problems include a poor infrastructure sue to poor workmanship and construction. We are paying $80,000 a year on a deteriorating gym facility.”

Tracy Jordan talked about the holistic value of the Waterfront. During the presentation by the Kushner Representatives, Jordan was concerned about the amount of parking spaces available. She couldn’t understand how a company who has been in business for decades could not be more inventive in their designs. She said, “You’ll be setting a precedence (The Council) on how the Waterfront looks.” She also wondered, “Where was the fiscal plan impact statement that was promised in 2012?”

Neil Hunter who resides in the Landings Admiral Building said, “If the original plan was not viable, why was it presented to us in 2000? How can the City entertain going into a deal with a company who has proved time and time again that they are not trustworthy? We were sold on a community and a plan for homes and not rental units. The only people who will benefit are the Kushner Companies.”

Residents continued to address the Council.

Another Landings Owner said, “These are big businessmen (Representing Kushner). They did not honor the contract. We have water coming into the units because of poor construction from the beginning. This is in an engineer report. Correct the condition of the existing buildings before they can go forward. Kushner should not use Economic Conditions as a reason for not fulfilling his contract.”

Other residents comments included, “The area that needs to be expanded is the Waterfront, but it should benefit the whole town. The plan presented tonight looks like a patchwork community.”

Another comment made was, “Depreciation is going on every year in our buildings. Our bricks keep falling off. They can’t seem to repair them.”

A resident of the Admiral Building named Sarah said, “The biggest issue is that we want to attract more people to the Waterfront area, but there’s nothing to do here. I have been looking at an empty park in the last 7 years I’ve been here. We want progress and something to be proud of. There are no businesses here. It’s a ghost town. I want to move forward with something (Amenities). I want to see the realization of what I invested in.”