Caldwell Apartment Building Plans Expansion

Plans to add four units to an existing apartment building on Bloomfield Avenue were presented to the Caldwell Zoning Board of Adjustments last week.

Konstantinos Aravantinos, of Fort Monmouth-based Tekton Enterprises, along with project attorney Charles Rosen, explained Wednesday night the plans to add four one-bedroom units to the apartment building across the driveway from the Caldwell Diner at 336 Bloomfield Ave.

In their first hearing before the board, Aravantinos and Rosen began by requesting three variances: parking, rear-yard (both C-variances) and mixed-use (a D-variance). Rosen explained that all three would be extensions of the variances already in place at the building.

The addition would not interfere with the existing six parking spaces, Aravantinos and Rosen said. They are requesting a parking variance because the building is located adjacent to the municipal parking area. Rosen said a traffic expert will provide a further explanation at the next hearing, scheduled for Aug. 4.

"We won't lose any parking," he re-iterated.

The addition to the building would sit on pillars, creating a covering over the six existing spaces, but "won't impinge upon the ability to park in the existing spots," Rosen said.

He explained that they would connect the new apartments to the end of the existing balconies, which face the diner. The new and old units would share the existing staircases.

There is no elevator in the building, which houses two commercial storefronts on Bloomfield Avenue as well as five residential apartments—two one-bedroom and three two-bedroom units—on the second and third floors. 

The project calls for two apartments on each the second and third floors. There will be no change to the ground level, where a barbershop and beauty salon currently operate. The target residents are young professionals.

The current façade on the Bloomfield Avenue side of the building would also not be altered.

The proposed height is 34 feet, "plus or minus a few inches," Rosen said.

"I raised the peak a bit higher than the rest of the proposed addition to give the end a bookend character to match the front," Aravantinos said.

Board member Richard Brennan recalled approving the construction of the original apartments years ago, when he was first on the board.

"It's like déjà vu," he said. "I remember this building. We approved this building in its current condition. I'd like to know what was said then."

Brennan asked to see the notes from the original approval, which he believes occurred in the "1980s or 1990s."

The board members did not vote on the project, but asked Rosen to return for a future meeting. The project engineer is expected to attend to answer further concerns.

Board Chairman Bruce Stieve was concerned about the location of the gutters and windows, which cannot be directly on the property line.

The proposed addition extends right to the property line, so plans would have to be adjusted to move the windows. He asked how the addition would affect the windows and venting of the adjacent building. However, no definitive answer was provided.

Stieve also mentioned a "substantial power line" in the area. Aravantinos said it will be addressed in the site plan.