Covering the arts and historic preservation in Essex County
A popular restaurant in the Orange Valley will be soon demolished to make way for two separate developments, bringing four six-story apartment buildings. The demolition of Libretti’s marks an incredible transformation that is on the verge of happening in one of the oldest neighborhoods known for both its hat factories and its devastating floods.
Critics of the proposal are hoping the chance to cross-examine the developer's experts will sway the voting members of the Planning Board.
Experts make a case for the environmental issues related to building a 496-unit complex in a forest of this size.
The original owner Gottried Krueger made a special request to architect Henry Shultz that he wanted his new home to outdo the grandeur of his rival’s mansion downtown.
“Unfortunately this culture of stopping development in West Orange — I’m not with it,” Maurice Cox said.
Not only was the building large, but it offered 14 parking spaces for 12 units and a ground-floor commercial space, which neighbors believed would spill over into the neighborhood and make street parking worse.
The closing of Americana Diner was a major loss, not only for its customers, but for the Tory Corner neighborhood.
Daniel Garcia-Pedrosa had plans to redevelop three adjacent properties – 259, 257, and 255-253 Main Street – but has decided to part ways.
The proposed building will include 17 apartments with 27 on-site parking spots.
In addition to 1,005 apartments, SYMREC, the developer, is proposing to build 30,000 square feet of retail. There is also a plan to move City Hall into Mary Austen Hall.