Princeton officials plan to tell the Christie administration how the state construction code can be improved in the wake of a fire at an AvalonBay apartment complex, the same company planning to build a development on Witherspoon Street.

Mayor Liz Lempert said at Tuesdays Princeton Council meeting that the administration is reviewing the code and seeking input from municipalities. The comment period ends March 1, she said.

She, Councilwomen Jenny Crumiller and Jo S. Butler and municipal staff will develop recommendations for the full council to consider at its meeting Feb.24 and then forward them to the state Department of Community Affairs.

Mayor Lempert has urged the administration to review the code before the DCA considers AvalonBays construction plans for a 280-unit development at the former Princeton Hospital. She has called for large multi-family buildings to have sprinklers throughout and concrete dividing walls.

An accidental fire broke out Jan.21 at an AvalonBay apartment complex in Edgewater, Bergen County. More than 500 people were left homeless by a blaze that tore through an apartment building.

Theyre still investigating exactly what happened with the fire there, and they cant be 100 percent sure that building was or was not built to code, Mayor Lempert said.

Municipal emergency management director Robert Gregory, in a response to a question from Ms. Crumiller, said he favored a change in regulations to require sprinklers in attics. He said that for most light-weight construction, there are sprinklers in egress ways and apartments.

Really what the sprinklers are for in that situation is life safety, he said.

Town engineer Robert V. Kiser, who has been monitoring the demolition, told council that the seven-story building on the site was brought down to grade level. Crews continue to work on the site.

Earlier in the meeting, Mayor Lempert briefed council on a phone conversation she had on Monday with AvalonBay Vice President Jon Vogel.

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PRINCETON: Council to recommend construction code improvements to governor

A new apartment building in Prince Albert might be comprised solely of prefabricated modular units, a health region request for proposal has revealed.

Herald file photo

The Victoria Hospital property is poised to have a three-storey, 22-unit apartment building built at its north end, with the health region anticipating an autumn, 2015, grand opening.

The Prince Albert Parkland Health Region wants construction of the three-storey, 22-unit apartment building north of Victoria Hospital to wrap up by autumn.

The building is intended to house health professionals who previously found lodging at the recently sold Pineview Terrace Lodge property, at 701 13th St. W.

Whether the building is made up of modular units will be up for debate at the board of directors Feb. 25 board meeting, vice president of operations John Piggott explained.

Were a ways from making any decision yet, Piggott added, noting that the region is interested in finding anything thats a good product and a good price and is delivered on a timely basis.

This is just basically one of the ways that were checking out whats available and what are the costs, he added.

In the days leading up to their Feb. 25 decision, Mayor Greg Dionne said that he hopes to encourage health region directors to go with a more traditional build.

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Construction controversy sparked by health region

SPOKANE, Wash. -

More than 500 homeowners have signed a petition against a new apartment construction in the Wandermere neighborhood in North Spokane near Mead. The project is proposed near the intersection of Wandermere road and Elto Avenue. Right now there is a 17 and a half acre plot of land and 4 and half acres zoned as "Low Density" meaning the 354 unit apartment building being proposed would not fit zoning requirements. Several neighbors oppose the re-zoning, so much so that the Spokane County Planning Commission rejected the re-zoning proposal last Fall. "It was not a unanimous vote." Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke says. "Even some of the people who voted yes have contacted the board of county commissioners saying, that is not how I feel about this issue."

On Tuesday the Spokane County Board of Commissioners decided to re-visit the issue and hear from homeowners. "We want it to fit in the neighborhood, but it just doesn't fit." Tim Conley said who has lived in the Wandermere neighborhood for several years. "I don't think that anyone has really considered all the ramifications of putting that many people in that small of an area." Kirt Wilkinson says. He's lived in the neighborhood for more than 13 years and also has signed the petition. Neighbors are concerned that a high increase in traffic would be imminent and that the Mead School District would not be handle the influx of potential students and families moving in.

The construction is not something the school district is opposed to but Ned Wendle the Director of Facilities and Planning for Mead schools says new development is "always a challenge." Wendle says based on apartment complexes that are already in the Wandermere neighborhood a rough estimate would be about 40-70 new students the district could see based on the construction plans. Wendle says the rapid expansion is a concern but that the district will work with the county.

Spokane County Commissioners say they will consider input from the homeowners who live in the neighborhood on whether or not the 4.4 acre parcel should be re-zoned to fit the remaining 13 acres of land on the property.

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Homeowners oppose new apartment construction

'It's not right,' says Midway McDonald's manager fired for employee's viral rampage 'It's not right,' says Midway McDonald's manager fired for employee's viral rampage

Updated: Tuesday, February 10 2015 4:59 PM EST2015-02-10 21:59:24 GMT

Brandon Robertson was fired yesterday, one day after video surfaced of one of his employees going on a profane, destructive rampage.

Updated: Tuesday, February 10 2015 5:35 PM EST2015-02-10 22:35:44 GMT

Data compiled by the Plymouth Police Department shows the bar is connected with dramatically more drinking-related police incidents than other establishments in the city.

Data compiled by the Plymouth Police Department shows the bar is connected with dramatically more drinking-related police incidents than other establishments in the city.

Updated: Friday, February 6 2015 7:32 PM EST2015-02-07 00:32:11 GMT

The story of James Robertson has reached those across the entire country by now. He's the Detroit man who walks 21 miles to and from work every day and has been doing so for 10 years.

The story of James Robertson has reached those across the entire country by now. He's the Detroit man who walks 21 miles to and from work every day and has been doing so for 10 years.

Updated: Monday, February 9 2015 9:36 AM EST2015-02-09 14:36:31 GMT

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Money drying up for Belle Plaine apartment residents displaced by broken sprinkler

MIDDLETOWN The common council has approved a tax incentive plan to allow a developer to build a six-story, 89-unit apartment building at the corner of Broad and College streets.

Massachusetts-based Hajjar Management Co. has proposed a combination of market-rate studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments with commercial space on the first floor. The new apartments will be built on the vacant portion of the MiddleOak office tower property, which Hajjar owns.

The council Tuesday night unanimously approved the incentive plan, which freezes taxes at the current level for 7 years and caps building permit fees at $142,600.

In exchange, Hajjar will rent to the city 175 parking spaces in the office tower's garage for $20 each during the construction of a new parking garage behind the Superior Court building.

Officials said the parking agreement gives the city a place for employees to park to replace the several hundred parking spaces that will be unavailable while a new garage is being built.

Councilman Gerald Daley said the city has a duty to offer incentives when a project could bring huge benefits with it.

"That's just the reality of what we have to do and it's been a key to our success in the last 20 years," Daley said. "I can't overstate how excited I am about what this is going to do for the downtown."

Several business owners and other developers in the Main Street area spoke in favor of the project because of the new customers it would bring into the central core.

Peter Harding, the developer behind the Riverview Center and Liberty Commons projects, said having available residential units is vital to the success of the city.

"It is the need that has not been met yet," Harding said. "This project is a necessity."

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Middletown Approves Tax Incentives For New Downtown Apartment Building

February 5, 2015, 8:34 PM Last updated: Thursday, February 5, 2015, 8:38 PM

Two weeks after a fast-moving blaze nearly destroyed an Edgewater apartment complex, a bill introduced in the Assembly on Thursday calls for a moratorium on new multi-family developments using the same lightweight wood construction while the state evaluates its safety.

The measure by Assemblyman Scott Rumana, R-Wayne, would put a moratorium of up to two years on the approval and construction of multiple-unit dwellings using light frame construction.

This event in Edgewater, this catastrophe that just happened, is I think one of those moments in time where we have everybodys attention, Rumana said. Now is when you can hopefully get some positive change that results from a very negative event.

The five-alarm blaze at the Avalon at Edgewater destroyed more than half of the 408-unit complex, shut schools and roadways, displaced nearby residents and revived long-standing issues in the firefighting community about lightweight wood construction a cheaper, faster and legal style of building common in New Jersey and elsewhere.

This type of construction is of particular concern when fire breaks out because of the potential for collapse and for materials to burn quickly.

The bill calls for the commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs to evaluate the safety of light frame construction in multiple-unit dwellings, focusing on the hazards it poses in the event of a fire. Code would be revised based on the findings, prohibiting such construction in certain cases if appropriate.

Officials have said the Edgewater complex had lightweight construction with truss-style roof framing. The proposed legislation, in part, defines light frame construction as any building method using metal-plate connected wood trusses or composite wood joists as floor or roof system structural elements.

Theres not going to be an immediate revision to the code moratoriums can be put in place rapidly, Rumana said. Its something that allows for us to stop any further expansion of what we all believe is a dangerous method of construction in multi-dwelling structures.

Rumana said he put the moratorium at two years so as not to leave it open-ended. He said if all interested parties come together trade unions, code officials, fire bureau officials, developers it could be wrapped up, on the outside, in six months.

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Bill is introduced in N.J. Assembly for freeze on lightweight wood construction

Fires damage construction site, police car

By Pat Reavy

February 5th, 2015 @ 6:50pm

OREM An apartment complex under construction and a Provo police car both burned within 15 minutes of each other early Thursday.

Investigators were still trying to determine if both fires were related, but were calling both incidents "suspicious."

The fires were the latest in a series of incidents believed to be arson-related that have plagued the Provo and Orem area since last spring.

About 2:45 a.m. a marked Provo police patrol car in the area of 400 South and west of State Street, that was parked on the street in front of the officer's house, caught fire. The fire started in the engine compartment and was contained to that area, according to Orem police.

About 15 minutes later, at 420 S. State, a large fire was reported at an apartment complex under construction. The complex was destroyed as well as a vacant building nearby. Total damage was estimated at $1.5 million, according to the Orem Fire Department.

Firefighters were able to protect occupied businesses nearby. No injuries were reported. At one point, about 30 firefighters from Orem and Provo were working the incident.

A power pole also caught fire. Power was shut off for the protection of firefighters as they battled the inferno. At one point, approximately 5,000 residents in the area were without power.

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Fires damage construction site, police car

MONTVILLE, CT (WFSB) -

About two dozen residents at an apartment complex in Montville were evacuated Monday evening after their building's roof was found to be compromised, according to authorities.

Authorities said residents at the Mount View Realty Apartments, which are located at 1591 Route 32, also known as Norwich-New London Turnpike, reported hearing "loud creaking noises."

"I heard a shift in the ceiling, and then two big crack noises when two beams came flying through the ceiling," Jarrett Arato, who lives in the unit where the roof caved in, said.

After the evacuation, the fire marshal and building official declared the building unsafe until further inspection. Authorities are expected to inspect the apartment complex during the daylight hours.

The American Red Cross is assisting the residents with housing for the evening.

Residents don't think the damage is weather related because there isn't much snow on the roof.

The building was built in 1970 and there are some construction issues. The snow that has piled on top of the roof likely impacted the structure.

"Me and mother live there and if it was five minutes earlier, like if she would have got up, or I got up to use the bathroom and came through the dining hall, one of us could have got killed," Arato said.

Their neighbor Linda Tompkins was awoken by the noise too.

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Residents displaced from Montville apartment building following structure issues

CHRIS PEDOTA/staff photographer

The fire at the Avalon at Edgewater destroyed more than half of the 408-unit complex.

Bergen and Mercer county officials called Tuesday for a review of state building and fire safety codes as they stood near the site of a development planned by the owner of an Edgewater apartment complex partially destroyed last month in a spectacular, quick-burning blaze that shut roadways and schools, spurred evacuations and left hundreds homeless.

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco and Edgewater Mayor Michael McPartland travelled to Princeton to join its mayor, Liz Lempert, and Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes in asking state officials to take a hard look at the rules that apparently couldnt prevent the devastating, five-alarm fire in the riverside community.

"This isn't about a company. This is about construction. This is about the state of New Jersey taking a look at the type of construction that we allow and whether the codes that allow that construction to happen are up to date and allow for people to live in a safe environment," said Tedesco.

The officials want the state Department of Community Affairs to review state building codes before it evaluates AvalonBays plan to construct 280 units on a former hospital site in Princeton.

Hughes said he has spoken with DCA Commissioner Richard E. Constable III who indicated there would be a review of building codes before the Princeton project is approved.

"He says he will, indeed, review the fire code and the municipal code here, in the state of New Jersey before giving final approval..., said Hughes. We need to have all the assurances that people are safe in their homes."

There was no immediate comment Tuesday from DCA on the request or Constables plans. Questions posed to DCA last week about a possible code review and its evaluation of the Princeton development also went unanswered.

A spokesman for AvalonBay said Tuesday the firm has no comment at this time.

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Officials in Bergen, Mercer counties call for review of state codes following Edgewater fire

LAS VEGAS The big run-up in apartment building may run out of steam this year.

Apartment construction across the country has more than tripled since 2009. Last year developers started more than 350,000 multifamily housing units nationwide.

Analysts say that apartment construction increases should dwindle in the next two years.

My forecast is for a leveling not a lot more growth, said Dave Crowe, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, which recently held its annual meeting in Las Vegas. We are at the level that can be sustained by the demand.

Apartments accounted for about a third of total U.S. home construction in 2014.

Crowe said apartment construction is peaking because of construction constraints and a shift by some renters into home buying.

We are starting to see some of the older millennials moving to homeownership, he said.

During recent years in most major cities, apartments have captured a larger than normal share of new households.

Whatever the job growth has been, all of the newly formed households have become renters, Crowe said.

He said that as renters age, they are more inclined to think about homeownership.

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Apartment building boom is hitting a ceiling after five years of increases