Joanow: Fiscal Impact Study Crucial for Town Redevelopment

In a recurrence of last week’s township council meeting, Parking Authority Attorney Joe Baumann outlined the merits of the city center redevelopment plans while Councilman Nicholas Joanow strongly advised the council to put the brakes on the project.

And just like last week, Bloomfield resident Russell Mollica protested the building of the $3 million parking garage, saying it would do nothing to benefit taxpayers.

Baumann insisted the entire redevelopment was advantageous to Bloomfield residents in every way.  Even the $3 million price tag was “a positive, from a credit industry perspective,” he said, because the parking garage’s projected income would be $4 million in several years, “when the project is stabilized.” 

“Redeveloping box 228 will have a dramatic, sustained impact on everything around it,” Baumann said, sketching out the plan.  “You’ll have a brand new train station.  You’ll be able to walk in the tunnel for the first time in decades . . . This is a combined, aggressive, ‘everybody’s-in-it-together’ effort.”

Even before Baumann’s presentation began, however, Mollica objected to the parking garage, just as he did last week. 

“Everyone at the Parking Authority knows the parking garage is not going to make money,” he said.  “I am insulted by this.  I don’t want my taxes to go up.”

Echoing Mollica’s dissatisfaction, Joanow agreed that the $3 million bond was a cause for concern.

“Now I’m hearing that we go forward with the garage without a consistent, predictable revenue source for a period of two to three years,” he said, shaking his head.  “[With this plan] we’re looking at exposing the township to further debt.”

In fact, Joanow more thoroughly detailed his concerns regarding the town’s redevelopment later in the meeting, when he called for a “Fiscal Impact Plan” to protect the township from reckless expansion.

“We’re in a township that’s 97% developed,” he began. “We don’t have a plan. What will the impact [of expansion] be on our school system?  Our infrastructure? . . . We’re going from a suburban community to an urban community.  We’re being packed in like sardines.”  

Joanow stressed the need for an impact study from an independent source, describing the township’s lack of direction as “three blind mice.”

“I make a motion that the township do a global, physical study.  It’s urgent, it’s necessary,” he insisted.  “We need to have a game plan.  We need a direction.”

Councilman Bernard Hamilton, filling in for Mayor McCarthy (who was absent) seemed somewhat impatient with Joanow’s concerns.

“At this juncture there are a lot of projects already in the works,” he pointed out.  “I’m not fully understanding which direction you’re going in.  Now you want to go backwards?”

“Having information puts us two steps ahead of the game,” Joanow countered.

Some council members agreed to consider a fiscal impact study of the proposed redevelopment, though Councilman Elais Chalet noted he would only support it for future projects, not for those already in the works.

At the vote the motion carried, with Joanow, Chalet, Bernard and Venezia in support and Hamilton and O’Boyle-Dunigan voting no.

After the meeting, Hamilton said he was “a little disturbed” by Joanow’s statements.

“From my perspective, it’s clear that the information has already been provided [when the town decided to go ahead with redevelopment.]  I don’t think we have to bring a third party in at additional cost to the township.”

He said he felt positive, however, about the town redevelopment moving forward.

“My personal choice is, I’d love a Cheesecake Factory in the downtown,” he said.  “We need a movie theater.  And we’re the only municipality in Essex County that doesn’t have a town pool.”