Envy Apartment

MONTCLAIR, NJ - The Montclair Planning board met on Monday night to discuss adjustments made to the plans for the redevelopment of the former Diva Lounge on Bloomfield Ave. This building, which has been uninhabited for many years except for an auto repair business , is expected to be transformed into a mixed used facility containing both apartment buildings and retail space. However, many residents and planning board members have expressed concern regarding its size and the impact that it would have on the surrounding community. Christine A. Nazzaro-Cofone, PP, AICP presented her report to the planning board . According to the revised plan, the site will now contain 11 apartments and 3600 square feet of retail space, rather than 19 units as previously proposed. Sign Up for E-News “All of the uses that are proposed on this application are permitted as of right in your C1 district so there is no issue with use, density or height,” she said. The plan is also proposing 19 parking spaces...

During the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees meeting Aug . 18, President Houston Davis spoke on the white nationalist rally that recently took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. The rally was led by white supremacists and neo-Nazis and ended in the death of one 32-year-old counter protester. Davis said that through media reports and conversations, most in the community know what occurred during the event and as a new resident of Arkansas, was “very heartened” by the strong statement Gov . Asa Hutchinson released on the issue. In the statement, Gov. Hutchinson said that every generation must “affirm and live American values anew ” and equal opportunity and respect for every race is important “fundamental to what is great” about the country. “The whole concept of white supremacy or neo-nazi dogma must be rejected at every turn,” the statement reads. “After the Charlottesville violence I consistently spoke out against the racism and hatred and violence displaced befor...

ROTTERDAM -- Plans to build a multi- faceted senior citizen community off Helderberg Avenue have been withdrawn by the developer in the face of opposition from residents and some Town Board members . Developer Lou Lecce pulled the application for the Whispering Pines senior complex at the end of a two- hour Town Board public hearing on the project Wednesday night . It was the second hearing in three weeks at which many Helderbeg Avenue neighbors spoke against the concept. "It's off the table. We're done," Lecce told the Town Board, after a series of verbal exchanges between Town Board members and the audience. Lecce said the project he proposed was a good one, but he didn't believe any new analyses he could present about traffic impacts or other issues would overcome the opposition of the crowd. "You were never going to convince this crowd of anything except what they wanted to believe," Lecce said. The developer said he still plans to buy the 96-...

The Montclair Planning Board finished hearing one application and punted two more into September at its August 14 meeting .  But the application that wrapped up and was subsequently approved was a big leap in the board’s efforts at getting larger projects resolved , as it was local developer Steven Plofker ’s application for a five-story, 11- unit apartment building along North Willow Street that will incorporate the former Diva Lounge on Bloomfield Avenue as modest retail space .  The property is a lot merged several years ago. Holding up a rendering of developer Steven Plofker ’s proposed apartment/retail project for the corner of North Willow Street and Bloomfield Avenue at the August 14 Montclair Planning Board meeting , board member Martin Schwartz asks about possible changes to the details of the design. Professional planner Christine Nazzaro Cafone of the Red Bank- based Cafone Consulting Group testified on behalf of the relevance of the variances being requested, especia...

Fred Allen, who owned the Drinkery for many years, died on Aug. 7. (Photo by Steve Charing) Frederick “Fred” Allen, the former owner of The Drinkery, a longstanding gay bar in the Mount Vernon neighborhood , died from natural causes on Aug. 7 at the age of 86, according to his granddaughter Amy Miller . Allen, who owned The Drinkery since 1972 and maintained an apartment above the bar for more than 40 years, transferred the Class “BD7” Beer, Wine & Liquor License to Miller this past Jan. 19. The Drinkery, situated on the corner of Park Avenue and Read Streets, made news when the Baltimore City Board of Liquor License Commissioners voted 2 -1 on May 19, 2016 not to extend the bar’s liquor license based on a petition from neighboring businesses and residents alleging rowdiness , excessive noise, drug activity and violence in and around the establishment. Allen, frail and wheelchair-bound, was among those who testified on behalf of the bar at the liquor board hearing . Two weeks l...

SAN ANTONIO - A woman who moved to a North Side community to escape crime is feeling disappointed. She said crime has increased in the area. The latest incident is a shooting that happened at her apartment complex over the weekend. The Avana Stone Canyon Apartments are located on Encino Commons just off Highway 281. The resident, who has lived at the apartment complex for years, was afraid to reveal her identity but still wanted to voice her concerns about crime in the whole area.  "When I first moved here the gate was always closed. We had individual numbers. The lights were always lit. It was a good community base ," she said. The woman believes things have gone downhill. "For the community board , they' ve reported break -ins for cars and an increase of vandalism," she said. On Sunday afternoon , there was a type of crime she had never seen at the complex. "It was about 2 (p.m.). It was a bright sunny day . Kids were playing outside, and all of the s...

Arapahoe County Foundation fund for Southview Apartment Fire Victims established LITTLETON , CO — A fund has been established through the Arapahoe County Foundation to assist victims of the Southview Place Towers Apartments fire that occurred on April 6 in the 5800 block of S. Windermere St. More than 130 senior citizens have been displaced by the fire and although all are now in housing, the crisis is far from over and many of the current housing solutions are temporary. Residents were informed this week that their leases will be terminated and they will not be able to return to their apartments due to smoke and asbestos damage. Additionally, some residents were told that they must pack and move all of their furnishings and belongings within the next 10 days, and others were told that they could never retrieve their items due to contamination. Many of these seniors have lived here for years and lack the financial resources to cope with this disaster. Arapahoe County Commissione...

Screenings Free blood pressure screenings , 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living , front lobby. No appointment necessary. Programs/Self-Help Groups Al- Anon Information Center , call 712-255-6724. Al-Anon and Alateen , meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 712-255-6724. Alcoholics Anonymous , beginners information, call 712-252-1333. Arc of Woodbury County , serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons. Child Care Resource and Referral , provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers . Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180. Co-Dependence Anonymous , 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church , Fireside Room. Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA) , 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. Compassionate Friends , 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each ...

BRUCE GEISELMAN/SUN NEWS North Ridgeville Mayor David Gillock , seated center, cuts the ribbon at the opening of the Ridgecrest apartment complex on Bagley Road. Seated at left is Councilman Bob Olesen , and at right is Chris Teater, a member of the North Ridgeville Chamber of Commerce board. Standing behind them are Dayle Noll, chamber of commerce CEO; Marge Hovan, Redwood Management Co.; City Council members Bernadine Butkowski , Nancy Buescher and Roseanne Johnson; Carol Novak, chamber of commerce board; and Maggie Runyon and Tracy Bowser, of Redwood Management Co. NORTH RIDGEVILLE - Mayor David Gillock , four members of City Council and several representatives from the Chamber of Commerce turned out for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting July 27 at the new Ridgecrest apartments. Gillock said the apartments, located on Bagley Road between the Ohio Turnpike and the Olmsted Township border , are a welcome addition to the community, attracting professionals and teachers as residents. Th...

Mark Painter (Photo: (c)Pamela Ebel) Mark Painter served as a judge for 30 years. He is the author of six books and a member of the Enquirer’s Board of Contributors. In 1965, I lived in a basement apartment in Corryville. It was a vibrant neighborhood – a doctor’s office, two delis, an actual mom-and- pop dry cleaner , and perhaps the best bar and restaurant ever – the original Lakewood Tavern at Jefferson and Lakewood. What’s there now? The entire tax-paying environment was destroyed to build the Environment Protection Agency . Not that it couldn’t have been built on empty land nearby – UC and the Feds just wanted it as close to the university as possible. It’s sterile and ugly to boot. The small businesses were gone. The homeowners gone. Tax- paying property replaced by non-taxpaying property. Population lost. When you destroy a neighborhood, you tear the fabric of the community. Connections lost. Roots lost. And so it goes. Buy Photo Several dozen houses in Avondale -- abandoned ...

At the ribbon cutting this month for the Wesley Village affordable housing complex in Garden Grove, Laura Archuleta couldn ’t resist referencing Joni Mitchell ’s 1970 environmental protest “Big Yellow Taxi.” Built on underused land that’s part of the Garden Grove United Methodist Church campus on Main Street, Wesley Village offered Archuleta , president of the nonprofit community organization Jamboree Housing Corp ., a chance to riff on one of Mitchell’s most famous lyrics. Where Mitchell sang “They paved paradise/And put up a parking lot,” Archuleta told about 300 people packed into the steamy church sanctuary on a hot afternoon that “Today we are going to learn how a group of dedicated organizations and individuals re-purposed a parking lot and put up a paradise.” Then she and others who spoke, including a single mom with six children who now reside at Wesley Village , told how the project became reality through a unique collaboration that involved the church, Jamboree and other...