Phillips Preiss was retained by the City of Englewood to conduct adaptive reuse feasibility analyses for two key public buildings: the Liberty School, a handsome historic school building, and the Wright Arena, a semi-enclosed ice rink. PPG provided the City of Englewood with a feasibility analysis for several reuse ideas which had been advocated by various constituencies in the community.
The Borough of New Milford is a nearly fully developed municipality located a short distance west of New York City. When the largest redevelopable parcel in the Borough became available for development, New Milford selected Phillips Preiss through a competitive process to evaluate the development application for the site and to advise the Mayor and Council on zoning and affordable housing matters. Phillips Preiss has assisted the New Milford Zoning Board of Adjustment with the review of a contentious application for the development of the property. The Borough’s Mayor and Council subsequently selected Phillips Preiss as the Borough Planner. The firm’s work has included analyzing zoning options for the property, evaluating changes to the municipality’s affordable housing plan, reviewing other development proposals, and preparing a thorough update of the Borough’s Master Plan.
The Borough has adopted zoning changes to implement various Master Plan recommendations.
Phillips Preiss completed an overhaul of the Borough of Waldwick code that includes a merger of the subdivision, site plan, land use procedures, soil movement, and zoning chapters into a unified land use and development ordinance. Phillips Preiss also modernized the ordinance to eliminate any inconsistencies of the current text with general planning practice. This includes an evaluation of ordinance definitions, permitted uses, parking requirements, and an update of the zoning schedule. Additionally, Phillips Preiss added a new section regulating solar panels and wind energy devices.
Phillips Preiss provided planning and economic analysis services in support of “The Meadowlands Regionalization, Efficiency and Property Tax Relief Act of 2010” (bill number A2939/S2078), a municipal consolidation bill for part of southern Bergen County. The bill proposes to dissolve the Borough of Teterboro (a municipality with 67 residents), modify the boundaries of other municipalities, and rationalize the tax-sharing agreements for the Hackensack Meadowlands District. Phillips Preiss advised two of the primary sponsors of this law, Senator Robert M. Gordon and Assemblywoman Connie Wagner.
Although the bill has not yet been passed by the Legislature, it has helped bring municipal consolidation issues to the forefront. Related legislation has been passed to ease municipal consolidation efforts.
Edgewater Harbor is a mixed-use development on the former Unilever research site, which is located across from New York City in Edgewater, New Jersey. This major redevelopment project involves the adaptive reuse of an industrial building, restoration of a pier and construction of new roads and commercial, residential and mixed-use buildings, and a new municipal building for the Borough of Edgewater. Its focal point is a new traditional “Main Street” with apartments above storefronts and pedestrian-friendly design.
Phillips Preiss has served as planning consultant to the redeveloper, National Resources, since 2004. The firm has provided a range of services including analysis of affordable housing, demographic and fiscal impact issues; expert planning testimony before the Borough’s Planning Board; and drafting of amendments to the redevelopment plan.
Despite the difficult economic climate in recent years, the project has moved forward and is nearing completion.
Radburn, a planned community designed by Clarence Stein and Henry Wright in 1929, has been an inspiration for planners and architects around the world and a thriving neighborhood for over 80 years. Phillips Preiss, in coordination with Fradkin and McAlpin Architects, created Guidelines for Architectural Control intended to help preserve the character of this National Historic Landmark planned community. The firm has also advised the Radburn Association in the expansion of Radburn school, the reconstruction of the historic Plaza building and in the design and planning for the development of a major vacant site.
Rendering by Elkus | Manfredi Architects
Rendering by Arquitectonica
Redevelopment Area 5 is a 16-acre site between downtown Fort Lee and the George Washington Bridge approach ramps which has been vacant for 40 years. Phillips Preiss prepared a redevelopment plan for the site which permits 1,377 residential units, 175,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, a 175-room hotel, a Borough museum, an art-house movie theater, and publicly accessible open space. The $1 billion project is intended to rejuvenate the Borough’s struggling downtown, create jobs, provide tax revenue to the local and regional economies, and serve as an iconic gateway to Bergen County.
The Fort Lee Planning Board approved major site plan and subdivision applications for the project in the spring of 2012. Phillips Preiss reviewed the development proposals on behalf of the Planning Board.
The Borough of Saddle River has a small concentration of retail, civic, office and educational uses along the Saddle River at the crossing of its main roadways. In its role as Borough Planner, Phillips Preiss prepared a “Crossing Plan” which made the Saddle River the focal point of its historic hamlet by utilizing the river to figuratively stitch together the area through the creation of a trail system. Zoning Code amendments, designation of a local historic district, amendments to the Historic Preservation Ordinance, and creation of design guidelines were among the recommended strategies for implementation.
The Borough has begun to implement the trail system along the Saddle River by renovating an existing wooden walkway and requiring a recent development in the Crossing area to incorporate its landscaping and walkways into the trail system.
