VENTNOR – The developer of a mixed use project at the old Ventnor Avenue School between Troy and New Haven avenues will come before the Planning Board one more time before the board votes to approve the project.
Following public comments at the Oct. 27 public hearing, 49-year-old part-time resident David Waxman of DAJ Ventnor LLC wants to again revise the plan to meet suggestions from residents who live in the neighborhood. He has been before the board several times this year to review the project.
Numerous residents spoke during the public comment period saying they were not aware of the plans being considered, wanted more time to review Waxman’s plans, and expressed concerns about parking in the busy commercial neighborhood.
Waxman purchased the 2.3 acre Ventnor Professional Campus, which spans nearly the entire block except for the parcel where Firehouse No. 1 is located, with the intention of turning it into a mixed use project that preserves the historic nature of the schoolhouse.
The rear of the property will be demolished to make way for 34 cottage-styled townhouses separated by a one-way street that goes from New Haven to Troy Avenue. An additional row of townhouses will be located along the rear of the property facing Winchester Avenue. Current regulations would permit as many as 46 units. The site plan was revised to reduce density to 34, three-bedroom units with three off-street parking spaces and backyards in the back portion of the property. Brick accents will be incorporated into the façade to reflect the historic nature of the original schoolhouse building.
Ventnor Professional Campus redevelopment renderingThe board will hold a special meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18 to continue the hearing on the application, which includes adding some new commercial businesses in the front part of the brick structure.
Also, during the Oct. 27 meeting, the board granted minor site plan approval and several C variances to allow Anthony Briscella and James Mitchell of Residual Holdings LP to turn two dilapidated buildings at 14-16 N. Weymouth Avenue and 5210 Winchester Avenue into three townhouses facing Winchester Avenue.
The developer will demolish both buildings, consolidate the lots, and build three side-by-side three-story townhouses with parking underneath. The project, which is located behind the Ventnor Square Theater, will reduce the current density from 10 units in two buildings to three units.
Residents were amenable to the project because it will revitalize the dilapidated structure, which was plagued with squatters and had its windows boarded up.
Voting unanimously for the project, board members noted the project would be a “great addition to the neighborhood,” and “a good fit for the area.”
One resident noted that theater patrons exiting the Ventnor Square Theater parking lot often turn in the wrong direction on Winchester Avenue, which is a one-way street traveling toward Margate. Commissioner of Works Lance Landgraf thanked the resident for bringing it to the board’s attention and that he would have the Public Works Department install additional directional signage at the exit ramp.
Because the property is located in the Northeast Ventnor Redevelopment Zone, which permits multi-family residential development, a D variance was not needed.
Variances were granted for building coverage, front yard setback and encroachment of an HVAC unit. The developer was also granted a waiver of the landscaping requirements and will not have to plant street trees on Weymouth Avenue but will plant four street trees along Winchester Avenue.
Mayor Tim Kriebel said the project would take a sea of concrete and add a 60-foot run of greenspace.
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