Board Approves Restaurant for Vacant Elm St. Building by DEBORAH MADISON the Site to the Rear of the Building
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Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus USPS 680020 Published Every Thursday OUR 110th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 35-110 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J. Thursday, May 4, 2000 Since 1890 (908) 232-4407 FIFTY CENTS Board Approves Restaurant For Vacant Elm St. Building By DEBORAH MADISON the site to the rear of the building. development issue in Westfield. We Specially Written for The Westfield Leader However, the Westfield Town can let buildings sit empty or we can The Westfield Planning Board Council has struck an agreement with solve the parking problem,” he stated. unanimously approved an applica- the developers to provide 60 permit The building at 1 Elm Street, which tion Monday for a 350-seat steak spaces for valet parking for custom- has been vacant for more than a year, house restaurant to be housed in the ers in the lot on the north side of the was built in the 1920s and previously large, three-story building at 1 Elm train station, known as Lot 9. was the location of a bank. Street, on the corner of Elm and The restaurant will pay $1,000 per According to Mr. Rosenbaum, he North Avenue. month for these spaces, which will and his partner, restaurateur Nenad The applicant, Harold Rosenbaum, only be used by the restaurant after 6 Tamburin, intend to restore the origi- agreed to meet numerous conditions p.m., when commuters and daytime nal architecture and design elements, stipulated by the Planning Board as employees have vacated the lot. which are still intact beneath years part of the approval. These condi- As revealed in a letter read before of renovations. tions addressed employee parking the Planning Board by the applicant’s They plan to remove the drop ceil- areas, loading zones and a variety of attorney, Art Attenasio, the parking ing to reveal a large, three-story, other architectural details. contract is for five years, with an vaulted ceiling, which, according to The major concern for both the option to renew for another five years. Mr. Rosenbaum, will give the restau- Planning Board and several commu- However, the town retains the right rant “a magnificent and elegant at- nity residents who attended the meet- to move the spaces to another loca- mosphere, which will complement ing was a lack of sufficient parking in tion after three years. the quality of food and service we the area, which required the restau- According to Town Administrator intend on providing.” rant to obtain a parking variance. Thomas S. Shannon, this option af- Other renovation plans include David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader For an establishment of this size, fords the town the most flexibility in restoring the original 1920s design MOUNDS OF TASTY FRIES…This Spring Fling attendee gets ready to pile on some salt and ketchup to spice up his the required number of spaces greatly “Butterfly Fries” that were sold at the event on Sunday in downtown Westfield. Spring Fling was sponsored by the the event that parking needs for the elements to the windows, doors and Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce. exceeds the 10 available spaces on downtown area should change. walls of the establishment and re- This novel parking arrangement, taining the 17-ton door to the former between the town and a business, bank safe as a part of the restaurant’s may become a more common occur- old-world charm. Easing Enrollment at WHS Would Necessitate rence, according to Third Ward Coun- The second floor will have mezza- cilman Neil F. Sullivan, who told The nine table seating, which will over- Advisory Committee and Bond Referendum Westfield Leader that he views this look the dining floor below, leaving By LAWRENCE HENRY He concluded, “I thought about tion. These small rooms would serve meet through the summer with the Specially Written for The Westfield Leader legacy. Where do you want to invest the growing Special Education stu- goal of providing a report by Sep- Westfield Schools Superintendent your money? In the main campus or dent population. tember.” Dr. William J. Foley proposed ex- in satellite facilities? In the long run, The legal requirements for serving Ms. Walsh called on board mem- panding Westfield High School to when we’re long gone, people will Special Education students have cre- bers to nominate people to serve on accommodate a 36 percent increase thank us” for choosing to build a new ated extra pressure on the high school. the Citizen’s Advisory Committee. in high school enrollment in the next wing on Westfield High School. Special Education classes are gener- She also asked for volunteers to get seven years. The proposed addition would be a ally restricted to only five to nine in touch with the Superintendent’s Delivering the report of the two-story “science/technology” wing students. Office. The committee will total 23- Westfield Board of Education’s Long on the Trinity Place side of the school, When asked by the The Westfield 25 members, including parents of Range Planning Committee at and would provide large, modern Leader, “How much time do you students at various school levels, high Tuesday’s regular board meeting, Dr. science labs. Former science labs have?” Dr. Foley said construction school faculty and students, citizens Foley reviewed the district’s enroll- elsewhere in the school - outdated needed to begin by mid-2001. at large, and representatives of the ment increase. and too small, according to Dr. Foley Board President Darielle Walsh school system. “These students are real. They’re - would be converted to classrooms. announced a series of steps designed Ms. Walsh, according to estab- here,” he said. Dr. Foley recapped The expansion and renovation to move the expansion project to- lished practice, will chair the com- some proposed ideas for using the would yield a net 10 new classrooms, ward that target date. mittee. National Guard Armory and Lincoln one new art room, four new science First, said Mrs. Walsh, a Citizen’s Dr. Foley said the ultimate pro- School as facilities that would serve labs, one new computer lab, and Advisory Committee must be se- posal needs to “move to referendum as satellites to the high school. three rooms for small group instruc- lected. The committee, she said, “will by December.” Dr. Foley and board members em- phasized that Westfield High School Ingrid McKinley for The Westfield Leader OFFICIALS SAY BROKERAGE FIRM WAS TO LEASE SPACES SOON TO BE A STEAKHOUSE…Monday evening, the Westfield Planning not only needs more classrooms, it is Board unanimously approved an application for a 350-seat steak house restau- overdue for serious renovation. rant to be housed in the large, three-story building at 1 Elm Street, on the corner Council Opts Not to Rescind Permits “It’s tired. It’s dark. It needs a of Elm and North Avenue. renovation,” said Dr. Foley. Renova- tions will be a part of the bond issue contract as a very complementary the vaulted ceiling exposed for both referendum, too. These include: and efficient use of the town’s park- the lower and upper floors. The third Issued to PaineWebber for Lot 2A •Repainting the interior of the en- ing space. floor will remain unchanged and be By PAUL J. PEYTON marked as reserved without permis- the building from North Avenue, 15 tire building. “The town is prepared to expect used for internal office needs. Specially Written for The Westfield Leader sion from the town. spaces are located on the right side of •Re-keying the entire building. that in the future, other businesses Other elements will include an The Town Council decided Tues- Town Clerk Bernie A. Heeney told the building for use by customers of •Miscellaneous work on interior may also request a similar arrange- open-grill area so that diners can day night not to rescind the issuance The Westfield Leader that 13 permits Blockbuster, which will be located ceilings and lighting. ment,” Mr. Sullivan said. “We have view their food while it is being of permits to PaineWebber for 11 were issued to PaineWebber for use on the bottom floor. In addition, nine •Handicapped access for the band to be willing to find creative solu- prepared and cooked, and a large bar parking spaces behind the office at its new North Avenue location. stacked spaces are located directly room. tions,” he added. area for diners waiting for tables. space it leases at 109 North Avenue. This is in addition to permits cur- behind the building for PaineWebber •Refinishing gymnasium floors. Mayor Thomas C. Jardim com- Michael La Place, Executive Di- Those spaces are located in munici- rently held by PaineWebber employ- employees, and another group of •Creating new storage space for mented during the meeting that this rector of the Downtown Westfield pal Lot 2A, better known as the Shell ees. The company is relocating from spaces are stacked behind that in the athletic and musical programs. application was a prime example of Corporation (DWC), told the Plan- lot. East Broad Street to the North Av- abutting Lot 2A. •Providing better locker room why Westfield needs to find a park- ning Board that the DWC supports The 11 spaces are in addition to 24 enue building. “It’s another example of how people CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 ing solution for the downtown. this application and that he believes spaces located on the property which Second Ward Councilman Mat- “Parking has become an economic CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 is owned by R.E.D. Realty Inc. As a thew P. Albano, who served on the condition of approval of R.E.D.’s Planning Board which heard the case, application last year for a three-story stated that it was quite clear that building at the site, with retail on the R.E.D.