Page 23 - NJ Cooperator Fall 2020

Advertise In The New Jersey Cooperator Marketplace —Call 212-683-5700— Target Key Decision Makers In The Condominium, Co-op and HOA Community By Placing Your Ad Here MARKETPLACE For schedule and ad rates, contact Fred Marks at (786) 404-1701. LAUNDRY EXPERT TESTIMONY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PROPERTY MANAGEMENT NJCOOPERATOR.COM THE NEW JERSEY COOPERATOR — FALL 2020 23 more easily he could claim the issues were due to lack of maintenance.” HUD Charges Mount Laurel Condo with Discrimination A release from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it has charged Le Club II Condominium Association in Mount Laurel with housing discrimination after its man- agement company, Dan-Mar Management, allegedly refused to allow a resident with disabilities to keep an assistance animal. According to RESPA News , the charge was filed after the wife of a tenant with Crohn’s disease and mental disabilities notified HUD that Dan-Mar Management refused to let her husband have a support dog in their condo. The Fair Housing Act (FHA) prohibits housing providers from denying or limit- ing housing to people with disabilities, or from refusing to make reasonable accom- modations so that those with disabilities can use and enjoy their housing, says the HUD release. “Assistance animals enable persons with disabilities to fully enjoy their home and are an accommodation that shouldn’t be denied,” says Anna María Farías, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. “HUD will continue to take appropriate action when housing pro- viders fail to comply with the requirements of the Fair Housing Act.” “HUD is committed to ensuring that housing providers approve reasonable accommodations to their policies to ensure persons with disabilities have equal access to their housing,” adds HUD’s Principal Deputy General Counsel, Michael B. Williams. HUD’s charge will be heard by a United States Administrative Law Judge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court, per the Department’s release. The judge may award damages to the family for harm caused by any discrimination found to have occurred in the hearing. The judge may also order injunctive relief and other equitable relief, as well as payment of attorney’s fees, says the HUD release. In addition, the judge may impose fines to vindicate the public interest. If the matter is decided in federal court, the judge may also award punitive damages. Persons who believe they have expe- rienced housing discrimination may file a complaint with HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity by call- ing 800-669-9777 or visiting How to File a Complaint on HUD’s website. Materials and assistance are available for persons with lim- ited English proficiency. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may contact the Department using the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. DeveLoPMent Developer Cries “NIMBY” Before Backyard Is Even Complete As Skyline Development Group nears completion of the Solaia, a 14-story luxury condominium complex perched on the Palisades Cliffs in North Bergen, it is con- testing proposed plans for redevelopment of a neighboring property, according to nj.com. Just to the east of the soon-to-be Solaia is a mostly undeveloped property once home to a used car dealership. The property’s owner, North Bergen Capital 8709 LLC, has submitted plans to the North Bergen Planning Board to build a 10-story apart- ment building there called River Run. The site must first be approved for rede- velopment, a designation that Skyline’s law- yers argue is not applicable to the property. They also charge that the River Run plan violates a provision in the township’s master plan that protects views of New York City. River Run would be positioned between Solaia and the Hudson River, according to nj.com. A consultant for the township has also submitted objections to the River Run pro- posal, citing “fatal flaws” in a study of the property conducted last year, which, con- tends the consultant, is also now outdated. When the Solaia is complete—scheduled for early 2021—it will have 70 condomini- um units ranging in price from the mid- $700,000s to around $2 million. Amenities in the Architectura-designed building will include a halotherapy salt lounge, a gym, a lounge, and a roof deck. The plans for River Run include 120 apartments and three levels of parking, according to nj.com. The North Bergen Planning Board is scheduled to have a sec- ond review of the redevelopment plan in September, after its initial review in July. Another Delay for Bernardsville Condo Hearing The Bernardsville News reports that pub- lic hearings on the proposal for Claremont Manor—a five-story building with 26 apart- ments in the business district—have been postponed for a fifth time. The delay of the hearing—which will be the tenth such hearing before the Board of Administrators when it eventually takes place—was requested by the applicants: for- mer Borough Councilman Joseph Rossi and Samuel Masucci of Mendham. Their plans initially called for 23 luxury condominiums in a six-story building that was to have four residential levels atop two parking levels. At each of the eight ensuing hearings, crowds gathered in opposition to the size and scope of the plan. The applicants revised the plans last year in response to the community’s concerns, reducing the proposed height of the build- ing from 56 feet to 46 feet by eliminating a residential floor and changing the units from 23 for-sale condominiums to 26 small- er rental apartments. The revised plan still received com- plaints—albeit from fewer people—at a September 16, 2019 hearing. The next hear- ing was scheduled for November 4, but was then postponed to February 18, March 16, June 15, and “sometime before August 30,” according to The Bernardsville News. The outlet reports that at the board’s vir- tual meeting on August 17, the agenda listed correspondence from Vincent Bisogno, attorney for the applicant, who extended the board’s time to reach a decision to December 31, citing coronavirus concerns and a hope that his client’s business-zoned property—a parking lot at the corner of Claremont Road and Essex Avenue—would be included in the so-called “Quimby Village” rezoning that is under review by the borough council. If the Claremont Manor site is added to the study area, says the News, the proposed apartment building could become a permit- ted use—thus no longer needing a use vari- ance for height or a supermajority approval from the board. Board Chairman David Greenebaum expressed doubt about the latest reschedul- ing, stating, “Lord knows when that’s going to proceed.” The applicants are also seeking to devel- op a parking lot opposite the Essex Building, which they also own, according to the News. n Please submit Pulse items to Darcey Gerstein at darcey@cooperator.com