Can historic Perth Amboy police station be saved in Kushner $200M housing project?

PERTH AMBOY – If the city decides to move forward with plans to build 602 apartments in five buildings near the waterfront , at least one resident is hoping the project also will include plans to rehabilitate the former police station as a community center.

Last month the City Council postponed voting on the $200 million plan by Kushner Companies after concerns were raised about the impact on traffic, schools and whether union labor would be hired by the developer who faced lawsuits on previous projects.

But resident Stephanie Brisita, a member of the city's Historic Preservation Commission, also wants the Council to consider rehabilitating and reusing the former Perth Amboy Police Headquarters and the First Aid Squad building, along High and Fayette streets, as a community center, instead of demolishing the structures. She's hoping residents will share their thoughts on the project at the Council's Aug. 14 meeting.

Brisita acknowledges the former police station, which dates to the early 1900s, has been vacant and neglected since the police department moved to a new home along New Brunswick Avenue in the lates 2000s.

A city official indicated the vacant buildings have environmental issues. The city is looking to transfer the property to the Perth Amboy Redevelopment Agency for inclusion in the redevelopment agreement.

"I still believe that it can be rehabilitated as there are buildings that were in far worse condition that have been rehabilitated," Brisita said.

According to Brisita, the former police headquarters was built in 1911 as the main technical office of the Roessler & Hasslacher Chemical Company, which at that time was considered the largest factory in the city and one of the greatest producers of chemicals in the world.

She said the building was purchased by the city to become police headquarters in 1935 with some work done in 1936 with the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which included a pistol range.

With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in two years, she said the city needs to spotlight its heritage.

"That is why even a small section of the police station can serve as a welcome center to help orient visitors and provide them with information, which will help stimulate visitorship and heritage tourism in our city. As a historic resource, the police station is a point of interest related to our industrial heritage as it is one of the few remaining buildings linked to that industrial past. And its situation on High Street makes for a great launching point for a historic trolley tour as well as a historic walking tour," she said.

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Brisita added High Street has historic homes and is near landmarks, some of which are listed in the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, while also within walking distance of downtown businesses and restaurants.

The Kushner Companies project calls for the 602 residential units, along with 900 parking spaces to be built in three phases which will produce about 600 temporary construction jobs.

The plans call for 317 market-rate rental units in Buildings 2 and 3 in the first phase along with a 5,000 square-foot commercial building. The second phase includes 77 market-rate residential rental units in Building 1 and the third phase calls for 208 market-rate units in Buildings 4 and 5.

The project also includes more than $12.5 million in infrastructure improvements, including construction of a waterfront bulkhead and esplanade, streetscaping and utility improvements at no cost the city as well as $2 million in environmental contamination/remediation costs.

The project also includes a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement between the developer and the city.

The property generates about $190,000 a year in property taxes, yielding about $113,234 in net revenue for the city. Under the PILOT agreement, the developer would pay the city about $66 million during the term of the tax exemption.

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If approved, this wouldn't be Kushner's first development project in the city.

Kushner also has two condominium buildings, Bayview and the Admiral, part of the planned Landings at Harborside housing complex.

In 2017 a confidential settlement was reached between Kushner Companies and 32 condo owners in the $600 million Landings at Harborside community along the waterfront, after the residents filed a consumer fraud lawsuit due to construction issues such as water infiltration and insufficient parking. Kushner Companies suspended all construction of the Landings.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Can historic Perth Amboy police station be saved in Kushner $200M housing project?