heres the article....
Hotel proposed for near Rtes. 4, 17
Thursday, January 5, 2006
By MERRY FIRSCHEIN
STAFF WRITER
PARAMUS - A developer wants to build a hotel on the site of an empty office building off the junction of Routes 4 and 17.
The proposal by Oster Apartments LLC of Englewood Cliffs calls for a five-story Marriott Residence Inn on the 2.8-acre property. Oster owns the property. The Borough Council recently declared the site in need of redevelopment.
The 15,500-square-foot, L-shaped building would have an attached one-story gatehouse. Also proposed is a circular driveway and 114 parking spaces.
The application seeks three variances of borough laws. Plans show a larger building than is permitted on the property, and a building height of 56 feet, or five floors - more than the permitted 36 feet, or three floors. The application also is seeking an exception to certain parking regulations.
Commonly known as the S-10 building, the property was the focus of a recent report submitted to the Planning Board. According to the report, the building fits three of the eight characteristics for a property to be deemed an "area in need of redevelopment."
The building has been empty for several years and most of the glass windowpanes are broken or missing. Weeds grow in the asphalt parking lot.
In mid-December, the Planning Board voted to accept the report's recommendations. By labeling a specific property in need of redevelopment, a municipality has legal authority to revitalize it.
After the Routes 4 and 17 interchange was completed in November 1999, highway access to the building was cut off. Now, access is only through residential Maple Street.
The plans, if approved, show a future road accessing Route 17.
The S-10 property originally comprised two lots with a gas station and an office building. The lots were combined in 1980, and the gas station was demolished and the office building enlarged.
The plans were received Tuesday at the Board of Adjustment office. No date has been set for a board hearing on the application.
E-mail:
firschein@northjersey.com