Apartment building to replace abandoned lot

The New Brunswick Planning Board heard a proposal Tuesday night that could drastically change the character of Mine Street.

The Construction Management Associates, LLC. asked the board for permission to build a four-story apartment building on the uninhabited lot and house at 17 Mine St.

Thomas Kelso, who represented the company for the hearing, said the plan was consistent with the redevelopment of the College Avenue campus and was intended to provide housing for Rutgers and New Brunswick Theological Seminary students.

It provides much-needed safe, state-of-the-art housing, he said.

But many residents objected to the project, leading the board to delay their decision until their next meeting on April 8.

The building would include 57 apartments with 70 bedrooms intended to prevent large gatherings that could cause trouble for the neighborhood, said Stephen Schoch, architect for the project.

According to nj.com, the site would cost around $10 million.

The city approved the initial project in December, Kelso said.

The company requested variances that would allow them to build an underground parking garage with only 43 spaces, far less than the required 106 spaces, Schoch said.

They also asked to raise the height of the fence around a proposed electrical transformer to 6 feet to improve the view.

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Apartment building to replace abandoned lot